THE DANGERS OF ANARCHISM.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 March 1921, Page 3

THE DANGERS OF ANARCHISM.

WHEN EVERYBODY DOES WHAT HE LIKES. i ADVOCATES OF violence. Society is a' partnership. The unfortunate thing is that wo have so many persons who are more sleeping partners. Apathy and indifference is responsible for more social abuses than anything else we know of. There aie such numbers of good people who never wake up to what is going m around them until a social or industrial earthquake occurs and the house is so to speak, shaking about their ears. “There is no danger of Anarchism in our fair land” is the placidly ignorant assumption of such largo numbers of people in New Zealand. Whilst the whole world is seething with the most disquieting occurrences our people draw the blankets of a completely s ,.|f satisfied egotism around them, yawn and go to sleep once more. Where is the dangerf you say. AY by, it is just here, that the deadly apathy is encouraging the spread of Araeiiistio thought and the indifference of the people is an invitation to the petty tyrants of Anarchism tfr extend their boldness and increase ‘heir power. Anarchism. what means if ? ft means “no Authority”; that everyone be free to act just as they please. Tbe (-lid of it is th,. subjugation of the peaceful and law abiding and Hie reign of tyranny and brutality. There is a close connection between thought and action. Those who are educators should realise their special responsibility. It is n time for inculcating discipline, the sense of < (duly rule, moral obligations, the duty of veracity and the truths of human association. We regret that instead of doing this there are men drawn from educational institutions who feel justified hi speaking to please the prejudices of their bearers, talking lightly of respect for any established institution and toying ' with the idea of “revolution” ns if it ■ wer,. a mere matter of the study or the fireside. It is impossible to divorce the spread of thoughts from the effects in action which these thoughts prodm-e. When “revolution” is suggested as being necessary however the teacher may clothe his expression the result will aris,. not from what he academically means but from what his hearers think he means, or wish him to mean. There seems, therefore, to rest upon our Educators a serious responsibility that they shall not use th,. terms which may have a sinister and destructive meaning to their hearers. REVO LI ■ Tl< >N—TH E AIE A N ING OF IT. Socialists and other labourites conI stnntly present “revolution” as meaning just peaceful change in the social order. This lino of argument draws many people to support the idea of revolution who would shrink from the idea of violence and bloodshed. Tbe • people who make revolutions bav,> no such sentimental or dictionary meaning for the term. For instance, Enge's, coworker with Marx ffrr the establishment of socialism, defines the word thus, ‘•Revolution is an act in which an,, section of the population imposes its will upon the other bv rifles, bayonets, guns and other such authoritarian means.” j There is no “pacifist nonsense” in that ! affirmation. The Executiv,. Committee of the Moseow International in replying to the British Labour Party made clear that by revolution they meant civil war by saying plainly “the workers hnnld prepare not for an easy Parliamentary victory but for victory by a heavy civil ( war." The historical meaning of this t word “revolution” has undoubtedly a t setting of bloodshed and rapine that r cannot be overlooked. Those who play* ’ with the idea that our whole social order can be at once (‘hanged without , any appeals to physical force are but , helping to lead the masses into a dream land of illusion from which they may , waken to tb ( > most dangerous mood of despair The instilling of false hopes f may help in producing not :(ie fanciful t revolution of a scholar or poet’s dream but the real tiling that carries on its wings a peroration of death and desB Iruction. j PLAYING WITH EIRE. ! Some recent events show that in New . Zealand there are people ready and wil- | ling to play with th,. elements of National danger. Tn Wellington we have had prosecutions following the introduction of venemoiis literature directed towards promulgating th,. devil’s gospel . ! „f violence. We arc afraid that whilst | j police activity is chocking some ot the \ the flow of this most pernicious matter j there is a great deal being don secretly iin circulating these poison germs i through the body politic. In AVelling- ■ ton tlier is a Committee called the “Lar- | i kin Release Committee.” '■ liis Com- | | mittee is composed of or at least as- () ‘ sisted by leading Labour men and it is ir I formed to raise funds as a neans of ” | securing tbe releas,. from prison of a : man named James Larkin. From the j records we find that oil November 11th., j 191.9, Larkin was arrested in New York !on a charge of criminal Anarchy, He * • was com erned in circulating a papei ' named “The Revolutionary Age” which II advocated the forcible overthrow if Guj vernnient. On Alay -Itli. Larkin was i found guilty ol Anarchist Conspiracy 1 and sentenced to an indeterminate senicnee of live to tell years imp. isonment with hard labour. , On many occasions the State lias found it necessary to incarcerate men • who criminally conspire against its existence. We are faced with serious ‘ ’ position when in this country there are responsible Labour men who ad.ncato turning loos,, such criminal charactcis upon Society. ;,s All this rests upon the propaganda of the blind anarchist passion which ornes tests that everyone should be licensed to say and do anything they like. Violence and suffering must follow iron: 1 such propaganda. It (may be Industrial or political but violence : ncl desS ti-uction is sure unless the permit: wala to the duty of driving this ccim.na spirit right out of the couum.'K ' (Contributed by the N. Z. Welfar. >r.