The Labor enquirer., 1886-12-25
NOT QUITE BAD.
Some Good Ideas From a Man Who II
Not a Socialist or
Anarchist.

From Unity.
Will you give room for the following
lines, prompted by that brute and saw
age howl of revenge and hatred, which
to-day goes up from the American press
against the condemned Anarchists and
their brethren in spirit2
1t may be necessary for existing So
ciety, in self-defense, to kill these men,
since their existence threatens society
with war, undoubtedly even more 80
now, since the trial; but there is o
necessity for all this hatred and savage
outcry against them, for all these at
tempts to blacken their characters and
make them appear to the wo rid as mon
sters and devils. All this is unjust,
cruel and utterly despica BILE, and will
undoubtedly bear its bloody and fiery
fruits in the future. 1t does not pay to
be unfair to anybody.
They are certainly not bad men, but
rather good men. l form this opinion
partly from the reports of the trial as
given in very. partisan, anti Socialistic
papers, partly from personal acquaint-
ance with other very violent and Revo-
lutionary Socialists.
They are not bad men. They may be
mistaken in their convictions as to what
state and society ought to be; but they
have arrived at these convictions after
faithfully using what reasoning power
they have and what means of know
ledge have been given them, and now
hold their faith in deep and grand sim
ceritY. ALd-let US be frank and fair
If they sincerely see IN their present
social order the cause of the greater part
of the misery and degradation of the
masses and the millions, and that new
social order based upon principles of
equality and brotherhood can create
happiness, freedom and glory, where
now is only degradation,-is 1t any more
wonderful that they preach war than
that Garrison did it in slavery times
The slavery and misery the Socialist
would free the world from is surely a
hundred times deeper and blacker than
negro slavery. Why then is John
Brown a hero, and the bomb throwing
Socialist monster Why? The con.
demned Anarchists have not, of course
thrown any bombs; but undoubtedly
some of them, at least, looked forward
to doing it in the near future.
They may be mistaken in their ideas,
in this idea that war can further good,
for instance. If 80, let them die, if nee
essarY, for their mistake; but do not
call them monsters, do not abuse them,
do not try to blacken their characters.
That is simply mean. Kill them,-but
do it not with savage glee Or satisfac-
ton. but with deep sorrow and pity,
that such mistakes and such punish
ment should be necessary. May We not
ask so much of society and the public in
the name of religion, of Christianity
Then, if we had seen as they have
seen the misery which social order al
lows and in part creates, we might per-
haps have passed even on their mis-
takes, if such they be, a more charitable
judgment; yes, in that case perhaps
some of us would have shared their mis-
takes and their fate, and had to stand
by their side on the scafold. 1t is easy
enough to preach patience, and peace
able means, and gradual reforms, when
we sit in our easy chairs, surround ed by
the comforts of civilized life, seeing
alb out US only the better side of life but
it looks very different, to be sure, to him
who from early morning till late at
night lives in the whirl of misery, en-
shaving drudgery, even starvation. For
men do starve here, even among US and
in this nineteenth century. In your
own city of Chicago men starve and suf-
fer because they cannot get work. Per-
hars most of US little know what it is to
ask for work and find none, and to
starve, really starve, or to see our chill
dren grow blue and pale from hunger
and cold and under such circumstances
to see the silk dresses br ush along the
streets, and through the lighted win
iows catch glimpse of tables bending
under superhuitY. Let us share that |
kind of life for awhile. and we shall |
better understand Anarchism and
bomb throwing; why desperate men
,ome together and say: Before we
cave TO our children the necessity of
living as We have lived, we will let the
world 60 up in flames" Yes, teach them
patience but it will hardly do much
.ood, preached from hower-strown,i