The Labor enquirer., 1886-04-17
COMMUNIsTIC ANARCHY.
The Only Way in Which Nature Has
Provided For the Advancement
Of Human Beings.
For the Enquirer.


In the issue of April 3, is an article en-
titled "Communistic Monopoly" from
our able comrade, Lucy E. Parsons, whom
l believe history will rank with Louise
Michel, Lizzie NJ. Swank and Eleanor
Marx Aveling. It is the known ability
of the writer and not the power OF her
dream" that calls for an answer. She
b. as resorted to dav dream in this case
instead of grasping the subject bv argu-
ment, as is her usual method, which
leads me to think she is doubtful herself
of her own grounds. She classes herself
as an Individual and not as Commu-
nistic Anarchist, Anarchy means with
out or against rulership. So far we agree !;
but being free, maintain that union ls
absolutely necessary to advancement, IN
fact that it is an unyleldinglaw of nature.
One person could not put telegraph
wire around the world, but by COM
mune or union, all men could do 1t, and
in a very few DAYS, while one man alone
could not live long enoug to build 1t.
The same is true OF railroad, steamship,
great factory or mine, not one of which
an advanced people could get along
without in fact, without which they
could not be an advanced people, and all
required a uniting or communing of per-
sons to produce them.
Wealth held by one man has united
many people in one enterprise. Law
has frequently held large body of peo-
pie in one cooperating body, so also has
fear of a foreign oppressor and fear OF
the elements. Man is now 30 far ad-
vanced that his intelligence shows him
the advantages over the elements and
over time and space, by uniting himself
with his fellows in whatever enterprises
the people wish to carry out. This, to
me, is Communistic, not by the will of
kings or of congress, but by common
consent and by the will of nature; in
short, is Communistic Anarchy. Nature
seems to say to man. Here are my boun-
ties; separated and ignoring each other,
shall stint you to but base, coarse and
hard-earned existence, but in the pro-
portion that you will unite your several
verging talents with each other just in
that proportion you shall have an in
crease of my bounties. In short, your
rewal shall be in proportion to the
greatness and compactness of your
unions" This, to me is Communism
under Anarchy, and, to my mind, it is
the only way nature has provided for
human advancement. This is why l
believe in Communistic Anarchy.
1t seems to me that Comrade Lucy E.
Parsons has had decidedly groundless
dream. She says she drea ned that the
shoemaking group, which was 80 large
that it took in all the shoemakers, had
decided to make but one kind of a shoe,
and she did not like that shoe. If she
will find Just ten shoemakers who can
and will agree that any one shoe is the
prettlest of all shoes, or the most durable
of all shoes, or that it is the best shoe in
any particular, 1 can admit the posslbil-
ity of all the shoem akers in creation
settling upon some one kind of shoe.
The idea of so many minds settling upon
any one style of shoe ~ common con-
sent. strikes me as a natural lmposibility.
Men differ as much in their likes, dis
likes and standards of beauty and utility
as they differ in looks, and certainly no
one ever saw two persons who looked