The Labor enquirer., 1885-04-04
ANARCHISTS
Make Themselves Objects Of
Ridicule to Their Enemies,
Obscure Their
Meaning and Confuse Those They
Wish to Teach by Using too
Many Words.
Zeno Shows that exchange without
Commerce. is Absurd. d-."Exchange
Without Profit' is Meant.

/ Without Proflt'' is Meant.
E.
/ For The Enquirer.
Socialism has alwas been subject of
ridicule by people who cannot or will
not comprehend it. Weshall be fortu-
fnat5 wissh W. cai 81 xpfsss our exact
meaning, SO that persons SO disposed
cannot find grounds for ridicuie. A
writer, IL. I. g." lately said !:
/ Products of all kinds bring the pro-
ducer only meager plttance but cost
/ the consumer high price. just on ac-
count of the great number of non-pro-
ducing middlemen who all calculate to
make profit out of them. If under
stand Socialism Alright, all this waste Of
labor will be done away with under a
new and better system"
This writer no doubt meant that the
useless part of distribution, as we now
see it, would be done away with. IN
G. W." however, makes the most of it
and says, perhaps with good reason:
when Socialism is adopted I suppose
the iron workers of Chicago will dig the
ore in the streets of the city instead of
sending to Michigan, Missouri, or some
other state for it, and the farmer of
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tom and sugar. instead of sending to
Cuba and the southern states for them,
and so on all around"
No Socialists object to the actual work
done by those engaged in distribution.
1t is pure gambling that makes Wander
bilts.
PerhansN. G. W. has read the mani
festo of the International, issued in 1883.
at Pittsburg, which gives the following
as one ofits objects:
Free exchange of equivalent products
by and between the productive organi-
cations, without commerce and profit
mongery." r.. .-... ~ I
Exchange without commerce" is Sab-f
surd. Commerce, according to Webster,,
is Interchange of commodities" By
using too many words the Internationals
obscure their meaning, confuse those
they wish to teach, and make themselves
the sport of their enemies. Exchange
of equivalent products" or ''exchan nge
without profit" is what they meant The
word Free" in this connection, is puz
zling, Anarchists always use it as much
as possible.
If can have exchange of equivalent
products" l will be satisfied with the
freedom to exchange that l, now enjoy.
There is no freedom better than natural
justice.
We are at present free to exchange
anything we possess for anything hat
others possess, but we cannot tell what
is fair exchange in every case. The
Indians were free, yet they were willing
to give any amount of furs, game, etc, for
few trinkets. =
1t is better to be right than to be free.
We shall find commercial relations gov
erned by definite rules. When we obey
them, the cry for freedom will not be
heard, yet all will be governed.
Another paragraph in the Interna-
tional manifesto (Which was lately re-
produced IN the Chicago Alarm reads
as follows:
Establishment of free society based
upon cooperative organization of pro-
Fduction." :
This is more puzzling than the other.
for freedom biased upon organization"
must be limited bv the rules governing
the organization. They were evidently
afraid that freedom would get way
from them.
Here Is another:
Regulation of all public affairs by
free contracts between the autononn nous
| \luu0pCuuSubJ- SOluuluuCS duu aSopSio
tions, resting on federalistlc basis +
This fairly bristles with chained free
dom. Independent" no doubt
strengthens the plank, although "auton-
omous" is sufficient, because the ass socia-
tons resting on federalistic basis can
not be independent of their foundation,
In this sense the last plank Is State So
cialism as I understand it. Whence the
disputes between Anarchists and Social
lists? From two causes: Anarchists
accuse Socialists of maintaining a des-
I potism called state; their statements are
vague and inaccurate.
Twill be blamed for opposing and crit.
cislng those who are really working with
me for the same object, yet must do SC
while n W. G. can reasonably base his
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