The Labor enquirer., 1885-12-26
.! DECLARATION
0f tho Rights Of Man Worthy d
1vay Proletarian's Careful
Perusal,


IoFYIc1AL.]
HEADQUARTERS DIvIsroN ExrCUTTvR
Rocky MOUNTAIN DfvIsIon, INTER
RATIONAL WoRKMKN's ASSOCIATION
Denver, Colorado.
The following Declaration Of the
Mghts Of Man" is ordered published t.
the people:
We hold these truths to be self.evideni
20 all people who have the welfare ol
humanity ct heart That all men and
women are born. free and with equal
rights. That they were endowed, by
such birth, by their Creator, and as nee
sssary incidents of their existence, with
certain inalienable rights, rights ofwhich
even they themselves cannot divest
themselves and that among these rights
are the right to life and the means ol
living, liberty and the conditions essen.
tial to liberty, and the right to the pur-
suit Of happiness. That especially emu
merating the subordinate rights flowing
naturally and reasonably from the estab-
-lishment of these truths and the princi-
pies necessary,for their perpetrlity, we
do publish and declare:
I.
That the just end OF all political asso.
citation and the only permissible reason
for their existence at all, is the mainte-
nance Of the natural and imprescriptible
rights Of man and the development Of
all his faculties
I'll.
Whatever rights belong to one man
belong to all men equally, whatever diff
ference there may be in their physical,
mental, or moral force. Equality OF
rights is established hv nature. Society.
80 far from invading it. ought Justly to
constitute security against the abuse OF
force which would render it illusory.
III.
If it should be found, after careful
trial thereof, that any form or system Of
government or society fails to maintain
the rights Of man, then it is not only the
right but the most sacred duty Of the
whole people to alter or abolish the said
svstem by any and all possible means,
".
Liberty is the power which belongs to
a man of exercising all his faculties at
pleasure. It has justice for its rule; the
rights of others for its boundaries, nature
for its origin, and the law for its safe
guard.
".
The right of life, which belongs equally
to all men, carries with it the right to
the means of living. Chief among these
subsidiary rights is the right of each in
dividual to receive the full product OF
his own labor, without tithe, tax or dim
mutton, upon any pretext.
VI.
Every individual is entitled to an equal
proportional share of all the natural ad-
of earth The whole people
should hold the land, light, air and water,
together with other of natures re-
sources, as the natural heritage IN COM
mon of all mankind, and of his propor-
ton thereof no man should ever be de-
prived.
Every individual is entitled to an
,aual .proportianate share Of all The accu-
nrla5ed wealth savated By past genera
ions and that wealth should be held by
society as the natural heritage in com
non of all mankind.
I, VIII.
Society can deny to those who do not
consent to this system of society any
share of the benefits produced by the
cooperation of those who do consent.
It is but Just that those who will not CO.
operate should receive none of the BEN
efits of cooperation.
TX.
Debt profit, Inter est, rent and the conn
oetitive systeK1of industry are hereby
formally declared proved instruments OF
degradation and tyaranny, and cancers
lpon the soeiallbo So also are the
present methods of furnishing crime
rather than preenting it; the present
system 1.-The present method of
suffrage; the present method of educa-
tion; and the pnsent systems CT juris-
prudence. churcn and military.
Y
The right of Ratably assembling; Of
opinion, whether through
he press or by aay other means; Of the
rec exercise d religion; Of bearing
arms; of security of person against un
reasonable scared or seizure, and of com
olete liberty of Aought and speech, to
,ether with the light of association, ara
such necessary Consequences OF the prln
,iples of mans liberty, that the necessity
If declaring them presupposes either the
of, or ths resent remembrance
Of despotlsm. q
? .-@ XXI.
The right of private property can
Justly be based upon no principle except
that having been9roduced by the per.
son in possessionscf it, or upon the pos
SCISSOR having rendered for it the full
equivalent to the iono who did produce
it. This rule cab have ne exceptions
save those creates by the unanimous
consent of all mehbers of society.
EIL
So long as members of society shall
fulfill their portion Of the social contract
they have right tlsdemand of society
that it provide to tlen the means neces-
sarv to provide for rtheir subsistence. So
ciety is bound also to insure the means
of existence to thne who ale incapable
Of labor.
Kill.
Absolute justiceis eright of every
being. The lawkis the free and sol
emn expression Of the public will, and /
it must be equal fbf all. Society ought |
to favor with all il power the progress
of public reason, end place instruction
and recreation within theFeach of every
citizen. The pebble is the sovereign. |
Government is itskork AMI its property; /
the public functidnaries Ire its agents
and officers, and the penpA justly should |
have the power which it pl.iees to revoke
its mandatories OF iecal Dts servants.
The law can forbid only VI etis hurtful
to the people and lean rfscribe only
what's useful Ever law sbich violates
or infringes the impescrirf fble right Of
man is void.