The Topeka state journal., 1898-11-26
AFTER THE REDS.
The international Conference
Called by Italy
To Devise Method of Suppress
ing Anarchy.
IN SESSION AT ROME
She Hopes to Have Them De-
cIared Criminals and Outlaws
On Evidence That They Belong
to the Cult.

=
such an extent a peril to civilized and
well organized society in every part o1
theworld that the internationaIc congress
convoked by the Italian government.
and which is now in session at Rome for
the purpose of discussing effective
means for dealing with this danger,
must necessarily excite both interest
and sympathy.
The congress will be all the more inn
portant as it is the first of these con-
certed movements against the declared
foes Of our social system in which Great
Britain had consented to take part
That the Anarchist movement has
made enormous progress since Its origin
just three years ago, when 1t was
founded by the Russian baron and ex-
convict, Bakounine at Geneva, is a uni
Versally admitted fact, and it is likewise
manifest that existing conditions OF po-
lice are lamentably inadequate either to
arrest the growth of this all-deStroying
cult or to protect society against its
outrages. 1t is imperative, therefore,
that some new means should be devised
to eff1caciOusIy repress anarchism.
The program for the congress, drafted
by the Italian government and accepted
by all the foreign powers taking part in
the conference, comprise five principal
points.
First-To define criminal Anarch-
ist."
Second-To decide that Anarchist out
RACES must be considered as crimes
against common law and felonies and
not as political OffenSes.
Third-TO concert special measures
against the press which incites the An
archist outrages or which carries on the
Anarchist propaganda in its columns.
FOurth-To establish a system of
special and summary extradition or eX-
pulSiOn Of Anarchists or persons SuS-
pected on reasonable grounds of being
engaged in anarchical plots.
Fifth-To organize a police service
commissioned to keep up closer interna-
tional relations.
The italian government, in submitting
this program for the deliberations of the
congress, wishes it to be thoroughly un-
dersto0d that it has no intention of re-
stricting bona fide political liberties in
any manner, and that all the decisions
of the conference will be subject to sub
seQuent ratification by the governments
| of the respective powers taking part in
| the deliberations.
The main point to be discussed at the
| conference is one which is not included
/ in the program, except Indirectly. Yet
it is the most vital of all.
1t is the question whether men and
| women can be arrested and punished for
merely protesting anarchism or belong
ing to the movement, or whether 1t IS
| necessary to wait until they have per-
| petrated some outrage, some actual Of
| fense against the laws of the land be-
/ fore being punished
Until now anarchiSm has been regard
| ed, at any rate in England in Belgium,
/ in Switzerland, in Scandinavia, and in
| Holland and the United States, as in the
nature of a political creed. In fact,
many people, probably the majority,
| confound it with socialism, and some OF
| them even with the labor movement.
And in these countries just mentioned it
| always has been regarded as one of the
fundamental principles of the national
| constitution that no one should be pun
/ ished or ever prosecuted for his political
| opinion or for his religious creed.
q succeed con-
| vincing the powers in question that an
| archism is not a political creed, but a
| cult of crime, an association formed
| with the avowed object of outrage and
! murder; in short, that there is nothing
| political about anarchism, but that it
| is solely and entirely criminal, then a
! great step will have been achieved to-
| wards the suppression of these foes OF
! our social system
| For even in England and the United
| States. as we'll as in the other countries
| above mentioned if individuals can be
] proved to have conspired together to
| commit crime, they can be punished for
| the criminal conspiracy, even if they
/ have not had time or opportunity. to put
| their nefarious designs into execution.
| Once this established the authorities
| will find it far more easy to deal with
| the problem. For as soon as it is unan-
/ irnO1lsIy agreed that anarchiSm is not a
| political conspiracy, but q. criminal one,
| then Anarchists can be hunted down
/ wherever found and placed under lock
and key.
This was always the opinion of the
| late Prince Bismarck, who, at the time
| of the assassination Of President Car
not drew a most interesting parallel
| between an Anarchist and the Indian
( thugs. The thugs, as every one knows,
We're a religious sect in India who were
| taught to believe that the only way to
| propitiate their sanguinary goddess,
! Vishnu was by killing people in her
| honor, Irrespective of their age, rank,
! or sex. Every new victim was regarded