The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-05
In DEFENSE
OF MAGUIRE.

Call of Sunday, September Is, you say
among other things, that he STOOD up
for anarchy and anarchists In CON
gress, declaring them to be the ueiI-
ocrats of Europe and worthy to be Wei
coined as immigrants to the Unlteo
States" and that he rs for the confls-
cation of land by the single tax.
Presenting that space in Ihe CaIl'
and not space in the circumamblent at
mosphere, is what is meant by the laS'
paragraph but one of the article re-
ferred to, 1 ask, as one of those VINO
regard Judge Mcguire not alone as my
friend but the friend of all just men,
that you give space to the opinion thal
both the above quoted propositions are
not strictly within the pale OF truth
1t is, of course, we'll known that IN
his speech in Congress on the imml-
grafton bill Judge Mcguire opposed its
passage. He did so on broadly liberal
grounds of American principle. and
during his speech used the following
language:
"Who are the Nihlists? They are
the democrats of Russia who are strug-
Cling against almost hopeless odds TO
establish the natural and inalienable
rights of man in that country.
''Who are the anarchists of Sapin?
They are the republicans of that coun-
try, seeking TO establish the principle
of popular sovereignty as against the
unnatural privilege of governing now
enjoyed by single family.
who are the socialists of Germany
They are the opponents of monarchlca1
government and special priVflege-the
advocates of the equal rights of man.
l believe their schemes of social re-
70 heai INN ri a nl
taken, but their purpose is right and
their cause should be sacred to every
lover of liberty and justice.
Il trust the time will never come
when men who struggle for liberty and
justice against tyranny and oppression
will be denied asylum in the land of
the free hearts hope and home
THE anarchists and socialists VINO
are dangerous to the free institutions
of this country are not those who are
contending against monarchical tyran-
ny in Europe, but, rather, those of our
own citizenship, who, by powerful COM
binations of wealth and special privi-
lege, are overriding and evading our
laws and cOrrupting those who make
and administer them. These are the
classes against whose serious menace
to free institutions our legislation
should be directed"
Every syllable of that speech must
be Endorsed by enlightened citizens who
believe in the great democratic princ1-
pie Of political equality and freedom,
whose minds are not biased by race or
class prejudice.
Since beginning this letter, by the
merest chance, there has come to my
hand a small pamphlet, entitled Law
ard Authority" by Pierre Krapotkine,
which, l Judge, after a hasty perusai
Of it's pages, is an anarchist tract In
tended to propagate ideas antagonlStlc
AL <e.1 ar
usurped human authority to enforce
laws enacted by delegated representa-
tives, and the substitution therefor OF
natural divine law without the inter-
mediary of human legislative enact
ment, judicial decree or penalty. Th1S,
l take it. would be anarchy-the repeal
of mans laws and the acceptance or
Gods laws. A very pretty speculative
theory, but as impossible OF execution,
as humanity is constituted, as Is the
doctrine of universal Christianity. The
author is evidently a man of more than
average intellectual ability. of an ana
lytical and philosophical turn of mind,
for the essay contains much close, log
ical reasoning and great deal OF
truth, and is written in faultless Eng
| lish. There is nothing positively dan
gerous in it's pages, it teaches no viol-
ence, TO murder, no blood-letting, no
revolution, in the ordinary meaning of
the term and no liberal minded. intel
/ ligent person would advocate the death
or Punishment of it's author, although
/ he teaches contempt for existing
| forms of law and authority and shows,
or attempts to show, wherein they are
| contemplate.
! 1t is to such men Judge Mcguire had
| reference in his speech, and not to the
poverty-craZed wretches like the slayer
of the late Empress Of Austria. l
myself have-all who are mentally
qualified to formulate opinions doubt
/ less haye-a contempt for certain laws
and customs which ignorance, tradition
| and superstition have fastened upon
us. which we would overthrow If posi-
BILE, and which, through political par
ties, we are attempting to repeal, TO
overthrow, to abolish. We may be
said then, to be anarchists to that ex-
tent, and dangerous to human institu-
lions because we want to abolish the
established order.
No?
Well, then, anarchisn-and I am not
defending it or pleading its cause
merely stating the truth about II as 1
see it-anarchism is no more menace
to civilization than any other line of
philosophical reasoning, and believers
in it's theories ara no more dangerous
than believers in other schools of
thought until brooding over real or fam
cied wrongs their minds give way and
succumb to the strain which their in
herent weakness is pOWerless to resist.
Then they become identical with the
crazy Republican, Democrat or Popu-
| list who runs amuck and in a fit of
Jealous rage or fanatical frenzv muir
| ders an unfaithful mistress or wife, a
| Lincoln or Garfield.
AS Judge Mcguire has pointed out on
| innumerable occasions, 1t is industrial
oppression. inequality and special priv
ilege which is at the root and founda-
ton of all political discomfort among
the poorer classes, and 1t is that which
is the underlying cause Of crack
Drained anarchistic and nihilistic at
tempts at murder and destruction.
This brings me down to the consider
alton of the other proposition, viz:
That Judge Mcguire is for the conf1s-
cation of land by the single tax" To
this charge it is only necessary to re-
ply that the single tax will have no
greater tendency to confscate land
than has the present system. It will
| confiscate the monopoly value of land
and compensate society for the service
which 1t renders to land users by giving
value to land whose exclusive possess
sion and use is special privilege en-
| joyed only by the user. and without
I