The record-union., 1893-12-19
TREATMENT OF ANARCHISTS.

TREATMENT OF ANARCHISTS.
The European disposition is now mani
fest to deal with anarchists very roughly.
Spain proposes to deport hers to one of
her island possessions. France has
manufacture of explosives and their sale
and indicates an intention to gather up
all her anarchists-all who believe in
their doctrines-and ship them out OF the
republic.
In Germany no decision has yet been
reached, but the outlook is for censor
ship of the rostrum and declaration that
all anarchistic meetings and utterances
shall be deemed criminal against the
State.
AT Barcelona 143 anarchists. so far as
stated irrespective of their having COM
mitted any acts, have been Gagged and will
be shipped to penal colony this week.
In London open anarchist meetings were
last week broken up and the leaders
warned.
All these measures and each of
them will have temporary good effect,
but it is to be seriously doubted if
they, or any Of them, will crush out
anarchical doctrine which is outside of
violent means employed to emphasize it.
For it must be borne III mind that an
archical doctrine is not violence; it
breaches of a state Of sweet peace and
content, of millennial joys and perfect and
complete enjoyment of human rights.
If any of the European measures,
therefore, 60 further than to provide
punishment for employment of violent
measures and the preaching OF such en-
ton for opinions sake is intolerable and
dangerous.
To severe punishment for overt acts of
anarchism, and for preaching and advis-
ing lawlessness, there must be, then, no
objection, nor yet to punishment for in
citing to crime of any kind. The law of
Illinois, passed in 1887. makes it criminal
to preach or print publicly in favor Of any
overthrow of existing social conditions,
or to incite to awlessness. if such preach
ing or printing results in an act of law
lessness. In that case, all who write,
preach or print publicly in manner TO
bring about destruction of life or prop
erty or lawlessness, are held guilty of the
act itself.
It will be noted that in Illinois no
movement of the law is had except for
overt acts-there the anarchist is treated
as is any other offender. 1t is the duty
of the State, not only to punish for law
lessness: but to warn by its laws those
who incite to criminal acts.
Switzerland, in 1877, declared it unlaw-
full for one holding to anarchistic doctrine
to live in that Republic; but Geneva has
still remained the hotbed and rendezvous
for lawless plotters in anarchism. So
we cannot believe that putting further
limitations upon free speech and the es-
tablishment of severer censorship and
the deportation of people for entertain
ment of belief will accomplish the de-
sired end. The laws against crime al
ready cover any and every act and incite-
ment by anarchists. History gives us no
warrant for believing that an infamous
and dangerous doctrine, which yet re-
mains outside of criminal limits, can be
successfully met. On the contrary, the
perfectly open debate, the invitation to
come ont into the sunlight, and freely and
with assurance of safety preach and ex
pound, is now, as it always has been, the
simplest and surest means of disproving
error and establishing truth. The more
we drive error to hiding and secret coun-
ellis, the more dangerous it becomes and
the less likely to suffer defeat.