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


am sure the development of human
society will take its course no matter
what some may say or by what name
they may call themselves. But when
men who step before the world as in
structors in economics or teachers of
social science and say false and illogical
things, bordering on absurdity, or for
want of knowledge or understanding
misrepresent certain theories, become
impatient.
Mr.. Pentecost, for instance, in the
issue of the Twentieth Cenat of March
8, has the following:
"Mr. Stephenson is a free trader.
He would therefore abolish the Govern
ment as represented in the Gus ON
he would abolish the Government as a
licenser and taxer of the liquor traffic.
He is Single taxer and, therefore, be-
lieves in abolshing the Government as
taxer of anything and everything but
rent. He is an Anarchist, ar far as he
goes"
Now ask, is this not absurd? It is
not the power and right of taxation
which is in question here it is only the
form of taxation, and yet Mr.. Pentecost
speaks of abolishing the Government to
certain degree.
A little further on, he says:
'The simple question is: Do we want
more compulsory government or less?
The Socialist says more, the Anarchist
says less. Anyone who wants one law
more is a Socialist so far forth. Any
one who wants one law less is an Anar-
chist, so far FORTH
Now, really, is this not an absurdty?
It may be difficult to find any man who
is perfectly satisfied with all the laws
just as they are. Almost everyone
would wish one or the other law abol
ished and one or the other law put
in the statute book, and therefore every
one would be Socialist and an Anarch
list, SO far forth. Humanity would con-
and Anarchists. The idea that the mere
desire of having laws added to those in
existence, or having laws stricken out
without any reference whatsoever to
their contents, has anything to do at all
with Socialism or Anarchism is alto
gether new to me and, I suppose, to
others also.
San Anarchist" says Mr.. Pentecost,
sis one who believes that the evils neces-
sarily incident to the compulsory gov
eminent of the many by the few are to
be escaped, not by increasing the powers
/ Of government, but by decreasing them
as rapidly as the people can be brought
to understand that such powers are un
necessary or harmful.
Is that all Is there nothing positive
in Anarchism? Is it only negation, is
it Nihilism pure and simple?
And what about the evils incident to
the government of the few by the
many, .. e., majority rule!
And If the question he only one of de-
creasing the powers of government,
can Mr.. Pentecost claim for the Anarch-
lists a monopoly of that? Does he not
see that Socialists and other reformers
nay, even monopolistic corporations
and trusts and syndicates-want also to
decrease the powers of government?
Does not the capitalist, sustained by his
Manchester school, say to the govern
ment: "Laissez faire, hands off,? True,
he says to the government: Protect me"
But Mr.. Penteccst must admit that the
Glands Off capitalist is at least $50
far-forth Anarchist" Albeit he wants
tbo fn tsinuaHoo hiu
domain and let him alone, so that he
may carry Oh his robberies unmolested;
yet he is reformer. He is All Anarch-
ist SO far forth, as he wants one law less
in this respect, and he is Socialist SO
far forth as he wants one law more for
his protection.
Clearly this "so-far-forth" business is
nonsense.
If there is any theory in Anarchism
which it can claim as its own, 1t must
be that of abolishing government alto
gether. But whether it really does wish
to abolish government altogether, seems
to be an open question yet, as we shall
see later on. Right here only want to
say that if this is not its object. it is
nothing. Whether the claim be correct
or not, the Anarchist may claim for his
nihilistic or negative standpoint that if
the now interfered with capitalist is NOT
protected his robberies become impos-
sible. He may believe that nothing
positive is required But because the
Socialist does not believe in mere mega
ton, besause the Socialist believes that
something positive is necessary, it does
not follow, as Mr.. Pentecost charges,
that the Socialist wants to increase the
powers of government.
There is no other freedom than in
dividuaI freedom, and the Socialist
wants as much of it as the Anarchist