The Daily News. FRIDAY, JANUARY 6. THE ANARCHISTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 226, 6 January 1911, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, JANUARY 6. THE ANARCHISTS.

The extraordinary series of events culminating in the burning of an anarchist clubhouse in London, during which'the i whole available metropolitan police force i and details of the Household Brigade of i Guards were used, has been incorrectly ' described as a " fight." In reality, long ' suffering London has entered on a war of extermination, regarding anarchists ' not exactly as foes worthy of the steel of a soldier, the baton of a policemen, or the prowess of man against man, but as noisome vermin of the basest sort. For untold years the police forces of all European countries have dealt only with individual cases of anarchism, but have failed to destroy the organisation of the destroyers. The shooting of unarmed police, from the anarchist point of view, was a creditable proceeding, for the root reason of anarchism is to destroy every semblance of collective power and the protection of the community. The attack of an anarchist stronghold, the death of some of the anarchists, and the unexampled nature of the proceedings generally will do London good and the cause of anarchism greater harm than any event that has happened since Prudhon articulated his teaching of subversion. Anarchism is supposed to mean antitheism; it condemns power and authority of every kind, including landlords, employers, functionaries and the law. There is no reason why any body of persons should not hold extreme views on any subject, but from a propaganda of condemnation, anarchism has readied its most important stage in carrying out the dreadful "propaganda of deed." Thus the anarchist not only sets himself to the destruction of rulers, but varies the industry by slaying any who may represent authority of any kind, those who control industry, and those who work the will of the controllers. If the London assassins are real anarchists, the burglaries which laid the foundation for a war of extermination by the British authorities were merely a side-line. The anarchist, holding that owners of property have no right to it, probably concluded that theft was almost as satisfactory as' murder. Viewed broadly, it is a very good thing that the London burglaries occurred and that the shooting of some constables aroused the long sleeping vengeance of the police. During the existence of anarchy in all European countries, in America, and elsewhere, the general success and growth of the dreadful movement has shown that authorities recognised their weakness in coping with it. It needed just such a torch as was applied at Houndsditch to fire the people to a counter "propaganda of deed." The crimes repeatedly committed in London by foreigners do not show that the police and the authorities generally do not tackle the trouble that comes their way, but that British hospitality is too embracing. Now that a determined war of vengeance has begun against foreign criminals, there will necessarily be more deaths and certainly an exodus from London of many of the class. The London police have taken the matter in hand, not only as a duty but in order to get some satisfaction for the death of their comrades; and it is this element that is dangerous to foreign criminals, not only in Britain but in Europe. The methods and working of the London police form the pattern for the police of most nations, and authorities which have not before successfully coped with the. iniquity of anarchism will take heart of grace now that Scotland Yard has set the ball rolling. A peculiar phase of the British character is that it so absolutely depends upon ordinary law and the police supervision of anarchical suspects. The enormous number of unpunished crimes committed by anarchists prior to 1882 led European countries to take the sternest repressive measures, which were more or less mildly effective. At any rate, it is supposed that crimes of anarchy became fewer when European countries practically allied for the suppression of sporadic cases of anarchy. Isolated police successes, however, although they brought individuals to justice, weakened the mother organisations very little. But the fact that Britain showed a dependence on the existence and the cleverness of the police induced hundreds of foreign criminals to niitke London their home. Burglary and the mere murder of the humbler representatives of law and order do not represent to the anarchist the acme of great deeds, but the fact that the humble citizens may be the prey of anarchists has been proved time and time again. Bavaehol was executed in Paris in 1802 for killing inoffensive citizens with bombs. Vaillant went to the guillotine in the following year for slaying harmless people with picric acid, and in 1804 Henry, the bomß-throwcr, followed those two others for a like offence. But the deed de luxe of the anarchist is the slaying of rulers; The list is not well remembered, but it is sufficient to remind readers that President Carnot was assassinated by Caseiro at Lyons in ISM, that Canovas del Castillo died at the hands nf an anarchist in 1897, that Lucccni killed the Empress Elizabeth of Austria in 1808, that Bresci slew King Humbert of Italy in 1900, and that President McKinley was the victim of Czolgosz in 1901. It is clear that no orditi nary means are of use in dealing with a ' great organisation which is controlled by homicidal maniacs. The. average man would not wait until a mad dog bit a second person before he dealt with the dog. Now that the slumbering spirit of vengeance lias been properly aroused, it is hoped that the campaign may be carried against homicidal maniacs in all countries. The London police have not been fighting men, but a widespread disease, fomented by elaborate organisation and having enormous power of destruction. The London happening has been useful in awakening London to the criminal negligence of its own safety Irom imported murderers, and one lias laith

enough in the determination of the people of the Homeland to believe that, having put their hand to the plough, they will not look hack until there is no homicidal anarchist in all Britain.