The San Francisco call., 1905-03-19
TERRoRISTIC ACTS.
Sad Necessity Compels the Use OF
Force.

Sad Necessity CompeiS the Use or
Force.
THE method OF fighting of the party
is by means Of word, proof and convic-
ton, and this is the only means of agi-
tation which the party has and upon
which the party is conducted.
THE sad necessity of terroristic acts
falls on the party wholly taken up with
peaceful fight.
''Terroristic acts are necessity
which suddenly fall on the party as
something irrelevant and foreign to
its original aims. The programme of
the party declares such acts detrimen-
tai. and we would never have resort to
arms but for the unlimited freedom of
action allowed to the chinovniks, the
acts of whom force us to 1t. Only force
is answered by force. Only in those
cases when the Ministers and chinov-
niks refuse US the right TO speak YER
bally do we speak another language.
Onlv when all other means are ex-
hausted we answer by death. Only
after insufferable tortures, awful hu-
initiation Of citizens and revolutionists
do we go to extreme measures.
THE activity of the Fighting Or
ganization' is only called into play on
special occasions. The acts of the
Fighting Organization are of re-
character of the impulse
Look at what the Fighting Organi-
Zation' has done up to now9 You will
see that it has never had resource to
{ arms as special independent means
of fighting the present system. The
Social Revoluticnists more than any,
body else understand that an idea can
not be done away with by means of
bullets, and that bombs do not break
dOUn CNGfQnC N jdnQ ha
quered and destroyed, but system
falls only when the foundation which
upholds it is rotten and broken down.
In order to show the real character
of our terroristic tactics, remember the
Party of the Peoples Will. which our
party considers it's foster mother The
theories of that party and we, their
children, are the same, but the condi-
tions under which the members of the
| Peoples VIII lived and acted are diff
ferent from the conditions of the pres
ent day. Then the Government ter
roriZed, now we. Then the people only
just freed from serfdom were illiterate.
Habit of living and thinking independ-
emily was stamped out of them during
centuries. In one word, the nation had
hardly got away from slavery and was
in it's infancy. The members of the
Peoples Will were persuaded by ex-
PSitciiCe Tia u luiIIl the QlIllCuIl MIS-
sion of agitating socialistic ideas
among such an unconscious people, and
having before them the ghost of the
white terror, was an unproductive ac-
tion. Losing hope that the people
would fight independently for their own
interests or come to the help of their
champions, the members of the Free
WIFI by means of the red terror de-
cided to conquer or die. But they were
forsaken alone on the field of battle and
had to fight like Titans.
1--WE Social Revolutionists, children of
the twentieth century, do not feel our
selves alone; on the contrary, We feel
behind US the peoples strength. Since
the monarchic regime was mortally
wounded fcrty years ago the nation has
grown intellectually. 1t already has
wants, and Is able to think and govern
| its own destinies. The members of the
party of Free VIII dreamed of pre-
senting the nation with free institu-
tions as a present obtained from the
Government in single combat. We have
no such broad aims We are much
more modest. The system is already
falling under the pressure of national
needs which it now ceases to satisfy,
and under the pressure of national dis
content with it. The nation has prob
lens and demands. If we followed the
example Of the members of the Free
Will, and If we have taken to arms, 1t
is only because representatives of a
| Government which is dying out have
taken charge of the autocratic power
and have gone quite out of the bounds
of humanity in their dealings with us
revolutionists and the dissatisfied
people. We are treated like hunted and
beaten animals. For this reason we
have barred our teeth and taken to
arms.