The Methods of Revolution – Unknown, 8/18/1888

Republished from Lucifer’s sister publication Fair Play

The present time is an ominous one. The war-cloud in Europe is darkening; a painful suspense is being manifested
by those who are watching the pulling of the political wires; and the usual gloomy speculations are being indulged
in as to the probable fate that awaits the several nationalities which may at any moment be engaged in the terrible
struggle for military and political supremacy, and the subjection and spoliation of their neighbors. England, France,
Germany, Austria, Russia, China, even Australia, are among the theater grounds upon which it is anticipated the
great drama may be enacted. These are the worst impending dangers in the eyes of the Republicans, Democrats,
Monarchists, and all others who see no vital danger except in the instability of political institutions. These constitute
the great political party. Meanwhile another party is viewing the social fabric—a party that sees no national distinctions
between man and man, that views all warfare as crime, all political diplomacy as chicanery, all the prevailing political
schemes as fraud and plunder. It has imbibed the spirit of the old “International,” the Christian catholicity which
sectarianism and priestcraft have elsewhere all but obliterated, the broad spirit of humanitarianism which has
inspired the thoughts of the wisest men of all ages—which inspired Confucius, Jesus of Nazareth, Thomas Paine,
Proudhon, and every other enlightened mind that has pondered on the bitter wrongs inflicted upon man by his
fellows in the name of country, caste, and creed. This party repudiates all national jealousies, and affirms the kinship
of humanity, the unity of race, of clan, of faith. They assert the common interests of mankind the world over; and
whether known as Anarchist, Communist, Socialist, State-Socialist, or by the other distinctive titles, they have all
one common end in view: the overthrow of the present barbarous system of plunder, rapine and destruction, and
the establishment of a purer, truer, nobler system, in which equity, harmony, order and happiness shall prevail.

These constitute the great revolutionary party. The political party are interested in the preservation of privilege;
the revolutionary party are seeking to free labor from the bondage of privilege. Between these two the real battle
of the future will be fought. But it is not our present intention to consider the claims of privilege. We are for revolution;
and are about to discuss its methods. The workers, the world over, are slowly awakening to the fact of their
unbearable slavery. In spite of the intimidations of Church and State, knowledge and literature are growing apace
among the masses. Persecution, imprisonment, exile and death are losing their terrors, as the still more terrible
evils of our villainous civilization become understood. The workers are muttering threats of vengeance against
their oppressors, and the latter are aggravating them into the committal of deeds of violence that they may
spread consternation into their ranks and defeat them. The State Socialists, who daily grow stronger, are seeking
to seize and divide the wealth of society by means of that vilest of all vile institutions—the State; and our Communist
friends, in Australia as elsewhere, are advocating a forcible uprising and the expropriation of the usurpers who
have stolen their birthright. They both assert, and rightly, that the wealth of the world is not in the hands of its
rightful owners—those who have produced it—but that legal machinery has robbed them of it and made them
the slaves of idlers, and by brute force holds them in that degraded condition. That they are more justified in
regaining their stolen products by force, than the present possessors have in holding them by the existing force
-methods, no one but a rogue or an ignoramus could deny. They are not the aggressing, but the injured, party,
and it is their right, in self-defense, to choose their weapons. But the weapons of force are the most foolish, as
well as the most suicidal, that the workers can possibly employ.

A forcible uprising would end, as usual, in the rebels finding the old conditions still existing; those who had been
dispossessed would scheme to regain power; the old economic system would still linger, in fact, if not in form; the
politically-fostered evil dispositions of the people would remain as bad, if not worse; those who had conquered by
force would need conquering themselves, millions of innocent lives would have been sacrificed that might have
been spared. The failure of past rebellions shows that bravery without intelligence is but wasted effort. The liberties
they have won have been as transient as the advantages they have afforded. New methods are wanted for the
future. Then if revolution be impending—and it is certain that the present self-destructive system cannot hold
together much longer—on the heads of those who support the present system of theft and brutality will rest the
blame for the evils that may overtake us. If they choose to stand aloof because our cause is unpopular, because
it may affect their business relations, because they have the ax of privilege to grind, or because they “haven’t time”
to trouble about such matters, or if they endeavor to thwart our attempts at labor co-operation as they have done
in the past, they will be directly responsible for the disruptions and the bloodshed which prophets are everywhere
predicting are to speedily overtake us. It is for us, Anarchists who believe in individuality, to stand firmly together
to enlighten the people, that they may avoid the mistakes of the past, and that general destruction may be averted.
We are few, and must stand the closer together. The political press are too wrapped up in immediate monetary
gain to aid us: they will in all probability seek to hasten bloodshed, as they did in America recently at the instigation
of the money-monarchs. The Christian priesthood and the laity, for the most part, are too craven and commercialized
to side with the oppressed, and although they cant about “daring to be a Daniel,” they would be the first to join
in the Pharisaical cry of “Crucify him! crucify him!” as they did when our Chicago comrades dared to raise their
voices against the now sanctified crimes of slavery and usury. It is time for the friends of peace and equity to
come out of their hiding places and with us confront the emissaries of authority and plunder!