Evening star., 1901-09-11
THE RISE OF ANARCHISM
GROWTH OF THE CULT SINCE THE
BERNE CONVENTION.
Born of the Revolutions of 1S4S In
Teuton and Latin
Europe.
From the Philadelphia Press.


Contrary. perhaps. to general belief. the
rise of anarchy distinct sociological
belief is quite recent phenomenon. An
archism principle. If the idea be not
contradictory. and anarchists as enemies
Of the existing order bark back about
twenty-five years II one accepts the date
of the Berne convention, 1885, when the in
surrectionary propaganda was approved Of
as the critical date.
Leaving out the question of formal dates
for the moment. ,anarchism is really the
child of the revolutions Of 1S4S in Teuton
and Latin Europe. with the forbidding
spirit of Russian nihilism In the person OF
Michael Bakunin as it's evil genius. But
whatever the various revolutionsts of 1S4s
planned to accomplish, were they dream
ers, poetical believers in impossible uto-
pias or fanatical men imbued with a hatred
for governments or not, there ensued for
twenty years a period of loose and form
less national and international agitation.
During this period. however. there was a
tendency toward capitalization around the
revolutionary socialism of Proudhon. 1900
1S6S; of Lasalle. 1S25-1S64, and OF March,
1s1S-1SS3, and about the nihilism of Baku-
min. 1S14-1S76. At the close of the period
OF confused welter. Of impossible doctrines
and formulae such as Proudhon's famous
property Is theft with the organizations
OF international societies. ostensibly in the
interest of workingmen. a new set in
which lasted for fifteen years. from 1865
to 1880, and whatever else 1t developed
socialistic ideas from the extreme anti
social philosophers of schemes OF violence
advocated by the exponents OF anarchy.
Anarchy's Campaign Plan.
The extremists. II Is true, had always
existed In the various associations and
they had begun to map out a campaign OF
violence long before 1879, when It was ap-
proved at Berne. but 1t was not until the
Lcndon convention of 1881, no matter what
had been done elsewhere in any OF the mats
fonal centers. that the real plan OF cam
pafgn" peculiar to anarchism as IL Is
known the world over today was officially
adopted. 1t Is one Of the ironies Of fate
that the capital Of Great Britain. which
had harbored the various European revo-
lutionists for thirty-three years. should by
this convention OF extremists OF 1881 be
forever associated with the origin Of a
propaganda OF assassination which had for
its first victim the Czar Alexander H. in
1882, and its last King Humbert In 1900.
Whether Great Britain could have scotched
anarchism in its very infancy Is a ques-
tion, but there Is no questioning the his
toric fact that it did not, and that the re-
pellent leaders. like Bakunin and his satel-
lites, and then Most and Kropotkin. found
the freedom of England their opportunity
and made the most of 1t.
Instigator of Assassins.
struction Of all rulers was decreed as an
act Of faith, Most and Kropotkin were the
leaders the latter man Of thirty-nine.
and 1t Is curious commentary on
affairs that Most today, after having done
more than any other one man to encour-
age assassination the world over, has now
quieted down into a kind of harmless bar
room fixture in New York, while Prince
kropotkin assumes the airs and privileges
OF philosopher and philanthropist and
finds maudlin admirers even In our own
colleges, who view him as some profound
thinker and prophet Of redeemed human
ity. AS matter Of fact. Kropotkin's hands
are red with the blood of murderous
by him, and as his philosophy regards a
return to the conditions Of even such primi-
tive savagery as exists in TERRA del Fuego
as an ideal existence its worthlessness
Kropotkin differs from Most merely I'm ed
ucation and tastes, for from 1880 to within
recent years they were equally blood
thirsty. equally the enemies Of society. no
matter whether 1t were an autocracy or a
democracy. and Kropotkin's reception In
this country last spring a piece OF
absurdity that was almost criminal In it's
stupidity.
The Haymarket Murders.
Until 1886. when the anarchists in Chi
cago attacked the police. few years after
Most had arrived here. having found even
LONDON TOO not Tor MIN, most Americans
indulged themselves In the pleasing Illusion
that the anarchists were downtrodden for
eigners who were trying to rid the world
Of rulers admittedly tyrants. And even
after the hideous Haymarket murders there
was more or less complaisant belief prev
alent that while the anarchists might not
like the American police they were not con-
spring against the institutions Of the
United States or against those in executive
place, and that for the most part they were
embittered foreigners who would soon learn
better and ''get over It," And then there
were these who pretended to see something
in the philosophy of anarchism as expound-
edtby dreamers like Reclus. the geographer
and the adroit Kropotkin.
AS result Of this, and In connection with
the growth OF spirit that might we'll be
dubbed Altgeld1sm. the real significance of
anarchism has been overlooked here And
as a consequence of our refusal to believe
these enemies of society were all that they
painted themselves we have the Paterson
plots and the Buffalo attack and an ugly