Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-04-12

between man and man and individual
liberty would be set at naught.
Mr. Pehtecost asks: What is Social
isty He answers: Zone who believes
that each industry should be co.ordi
mated for the mutual benefit of all con-
ctrned under a government by physical
force"
| must come rack now to the question
whether the Anarchists want to abolish
all government, or rather-because Mr..
Pentecost says it cannot be- abolished,
but must decay-whether they want to
get along without government.
In fuckers Liberty of March s, find
the following: THE thing that lndividu-
alism favors is organization to MAINTAIN
the widest liberty equally for all citizens.
That is precisely what Anarchism favors
lndividuallsm does not want such or.
ganization any longer than is necessary.
Neither does Anarchism."
Mr.. Tucker is an authority in matters
of Individualism and Anarchism. Il
hope he will excuse the use of the word
authority
So it is acknowledged that organiza.
ton is at least not to be thrown aside
altogether. But what else is organiza-
ton but government? An organization
is there to act, to do something, and no
matter in which way it determines what
to do and does it, the fact that it con-
cludes to do something and does it is
neither more nor less than government.
Even if it should be rule that nothing
should be done unless there is unanim.
ity, it is government. True, it is kind
Of government quite different from the
one we have now, but it is government,
government CT responding with the
social conditions then existing. The
social conditions are not made By gouer1a-
ment, but governments are maze and
shaped by the social and economic con-
ditlUnS.
True, the Anarchists want as little or
ganization or government as possible,
but is this not the case with the Social
lists? But in the age of steam and cleo
trlcity, with the knowledge of the great
advantage which is derived in produc-
of the railroad, the steamship, the tele-
graph, which can never be operated by
one individual alone, it is utterly alb
surd to speak of the possibility of doing
away with all organization whatsoever,
and organization is government
Mr.. Pentecost seems to have imbibed
his whole idea of Socialism from Look
ing Backward" The writings of Karl
Marx, Ferdinand Lassalle, Frederick
Engels, Lewis Morgan, etc., seem to be
entirely unknown to him. Otherwise
am unable to comprehend how he can
speak of Socialism in general as of a
condition under government by phys
ical force. Is it impossible for him to
imagine that certain things may be
done under certain social conditions
simply because these social conditions
make the thing necessary, just as the
natural condition of man makes it neces-
sary for him TO eat and drink Does he
not understand that German Socialists
abstain from picturing the details of the
future social organization, because it is
impossible to know what they will be
and that Bellamy's picture represents
nothing but his own idea? German
Socialists content themselves with set
ting down the principle of cooperation.
Ii Socialist goes further he represents
only the result Of his own imagination.
Now, | for instance believe that mill
tary system like Bellamy's is unneces-
sary; that if government only furnishes
the means Of production to voluntary
organizations or individuals and then by
means of public warehouses and ware
house certificates enables the people to
exchange their products, the ideal con-
dltion of society can be reached; but l
give this only as my individual opinion.
But | can clearly see that whenever CO.
operation Is the basis of social Organiza-
ton, there is no place for anyone outside
of cooperative society and that the par
taking of all the results of that social
organization and the being within il
must follow out of social necessity with
out the use of physical force. 10 call
Socialism a condition under govern
ment of physical force is to say that in
socialistic society men will do every
thing under physical compulsion only;
it is equivalent to saying that men are
honest and vlrtuous as far only as they
are compelled to be; in short, it is equiv
alent to saying that men are entirely
unable to voluntarily act under COM
mon rule for their own benefit. 1t is a
complete negation of all social qualities
in man.
Socialists in no less degree than Mr..
Pentecost strive for freedom. They
know that freedom can only be felt in
dividually, that there is no liberty in the
suppression of individuality, and that
the individual action of man should be
unlimited in the highest possible degree.
But the question is: "How can that in
dlvidual liberty be obtained?' By ignor-
ing social forces and allowing indi-
viuual forces to reign supreme! This is
what we are doing now. Society now
not only allows Individual forces to
reign, but even protects them. If every
one is free to make an honest living
in exactly the manner he pleases,
whether his ambition is that of being a
I-,p- dow 10 hprar roollu