Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-08-26
rAnsoxs 70 PowpER1Y.
From His Coll EAo Writes That He
Never Advised tfae Use of Force.

Never ADVISED inc UAe Oh kOrces
Associated Press Dispatch BY special wirea
CHICAGO, Aug. 25.-The late speech of
Mr.. Powderly, general master workman
of the knights of Labor, denouncing
anarchy, has evoked reply from A. b.
Parsons, one of the convicted anarchists,
which was sent as an open letter from his
cell in jail last night. He challenges
powderly TO find man who
can truthfully say that he (Par-
sons) as Socialist or an an
archist ever advocated or counteuanced
the desi ruction of life and property.
Parsons letter in the Times
says ''The foundation principle
of socialism or anarchy is the game
as that of the Knights of Labor, viz
The abolition of the wages system and
the substitution in it's steal of the indus
trial system of universal cooperation
making every capitalist laborer and
every lahorer capitalist ending forever
the conflict of classes and the inevitable
antagonism of the wnge slave system
Instead of advising the use of force
Parsons claims that he has always only
predicted" n social revolt of the work
people against the force system. Mr.. Parson
says: In the past 10 years / have been active
as labor organizer and orator. am q
Knight of Labor. In that time from New
York in the east TO Kansas City in the
west and from st. Paul and Milwaukee and
Detroit in the north to Louisville and
Baltimore in the south / have addressed
at leest 100000 workingmen, and among
all that number in all these years ]
challenge Mr.. Powderly to find man who
can truthfully say that l, as Socialist or
anarchist, have advocated or countenanced
"the destruction of life and property"
Who ever says 10, lies. We
have declared that the existing social
order is founded on force and maintained
by force and we have and do still predict
a social revolt of the work people against
this forco system that the wage.
workers will be driven unconsciously
into open rebellion against the
class rule and class domination. The re-
suit will flow from cause TO effect and not
from anything that Mr.. Powderly, myself
or any one else may say or do. The more
general and intelligent the diffusion of
this truth the less violent and destructive
will the period of transition be. This is
anarchy and its teachings which mean an
end forever to brute force; the reign of
eternal peace and prosperity. For saying
these things myself and comrades now
are in prison awaiting the pleasure of our
exeeutioners. l think it ill-befits Mr..
Powdarly in the name of labor TO
Jon i'll the cry for our blood, whether we
live or die, the social revolution is inev-
table. The speech of James G. Blaine
ut Sebago, Maine, yesterday is the real
opening of the national presidential cam
paign in 1888.
He reads the signs of the times and fore
tells the coming questions, viz: 1.-THE
labor problem" But opine that he
recbons without his host when
he endeavors to outline the
protective tariff question as the coming
issue. That racket wont work any longer.
1t is played out. The liberty of labor is
worthless thing when it consists of
mere choice between being fieeced by a
protectionist or free trade exploiter. Our
present statesmen will have to try again
or else other issues and other men will lead
the labor hosts in 1885,"