L E T US B E J U S T.
(An Open Letter To Liebknecht.)
BY
W. T C H E R K E S OF F.
---
LoNDON :
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY JAMES TOCHATTI,
“LIBERTY” PREss,
Chiswick, W.
1896.
Price One Penny.


FREE
LIBERTY:
A Journal of
CoMMUNIsM.
-
Communications for Faſtor,
o o
Monthly–0ne Penny,
o o
º
or Publisher, to be ad.
dressed 7, Beadon Road,
Hammersmith, w,

lºººoo tºo
Let Us Be Just.
(Open Letter to Liebknecht)
---
SIR.
Your two articles (“Justice”,
Aug. 15. and 29., 1896) upon the Socialist Con-
gress of London, dwell a good deal upon anarchists.
Of all that you, in your capacity of connoisseur of
our party, affirm, 1 understand that the anarchists
“have no more right to sit in a Socialist Congress
than the Czar or Rothschild”, that “there is noth-
ing in common between anarchism and socialism”,
that “in all countries the anarchists are petted by
the bourgeoisie”, that they are your enemies and
calumniate you, “throw mud at your head''....and
for this reason you make an emergetic appeal to
your friends, saying, “We have to fight the enemy!
We cannot allow the enemies to enter our army.”
You are indignant 1....With reason, if the anar-
chists are such monsters. Only I cannot quite
understand to whom you are applying your epithets.
In your articles, you speak of Stirner and his pupil,
your colleague, Eugene Richter. I assure you, sir,
that these persons and their works are strangers to
our party. You who know the anarchists “in the
Old World and in the New World”, can you inform

4. Let us be Just.
the public what fraction of anarchy is represented
by your colleague Richter in Parliament? Since
when have anarchists adopted the stingy tactic
of parliamentary legislation ? And, then, could
you inform me for what anarchist paper your
“colleague” wrote 2 At what international congress
he presented himself as an anarchist delegate 2
Above all, sir, I should be much obliged to you if
you would inform me of the names of some of the
works of Stirner and his pupil, your colleague
Richter in which they developed communism
autonomous and revolutionary, that is to say,
anarchy 2
You indicate nothing thus. “Stirner—Individ-
ualist,” and Richter, “chief of the Socialist-killers”,
are mentioned by you solely for the purpose of
demonstrating to your friends that the anarchists
are not socialists. Perhaps, for your friends, this
seems clear, but I am afraid, sir, that men of sense
will find your arguments slightly illogical. Follow-
ing your method of argument, I should have the
right to say:
“Liebknecht, and the Social-Democrats are
always at war with the anarchists; from another
quarter, these latter are persecuted by Crispi and
other governments—"ergo' Liebknecht and Crispi,
the government oppressors, and social-democracy
are the same party.”—This is monstrous you say.
Yes, monstrous, but not more so than your own
course of reasoning. I do but imitate it.
You wish to show that the anarchists are not
socialists? There exists a very simple method,

Let us be Just, 5
that of demonstration; it is enough to compare
ormulas, the professions of faith of the true social-
ts, and of the anarchists. Do you wish to do so?
etus take the communists of the great Revolution,
he socialists of 1848, the international Association,
nd compare them with the anarchists' professions
f faith—not forgetting your own programme.
You know, sir, that the Convention against which
Babeuf, Buonarotti, and the “Egaux” conspired,
proclaimed all sorts of “libertes politiques”, and
hat national edifices bore the device, “Liberty,
Equality, Fraternity.” But the people remained
the same state of misery. What was the cause
f it 2 asked honest men. “The cause” said
juonarotti, “is to be found in the inequality of
rtunes...in individual proprietorship”....It was to
btain economic equality that the ‘Egaux' conspired
gainst the Convention. -
“There is no liberty”—let us read the proclama-
ion of Blanqui, in 1848–ºfor him who is in want
bread Î
“There is no equality when opulence parades
*self side by side with misery ||
“There is no fraternity when the starving woman
of the people drags herself along with her children
o the doors of the rich
“The tyranny of capital is more merciless than
hat of the sword, and the censer ; it must be
rushed.
“Let us have no more empty formulas !
“The economic emancipation of the working
classes is the principal aim to which all political

6 Let us be Just.
action should be subordinated”—adopted by the
first International Congress, in 1866.
You see, sir, that economic equality, economic
emancipation, the “crushing” of the tyranny of
capitalism”, are the base of socialist claims; that
political rights without economic equality are
“empty formulas” for revolutionary socialists. And
you, as supreme head of “scientific” socialism
how did you formulate your claims? >
In your article: “The Programme of German
Socialism” (“Forum Library, New York, April,
1895, page 28) you say:
What do we ask for 2 -
Absolute liberty of the press, absolute liberty of religion
universal suffrage for all representative bodies and in the
Commune; national education, all schools open to all, the same
opportunities of learning and education for all, abolition of
standing armies and creation of national militia, so that every
citizen is a soldier and every soldier a citizen : an international
court of arbitration between different States, equal rights for
men women, measures for the protection of the working classes
(limitatiron of hours of work, sanitary regulations, etc.)
These are reforms already brought about, or in
course of being realized in advanced countries; and
they are in complete accordance with democracy.
All these freedoms, or abolitions, are magnificent
and it is not we, the anarchists, who are against
them. It is precisely in order to guarantee to
humanity all the joys of liberty that we wish to
destroy what is so dear to you—the State. But
in your claims one does not find a word about “eco-
nomic equality” and “economic emancipation”
proclaimed by the Socialists. So that your formula
repeats that of the Convention qualified by the

Let us be Just. 7
Socialists of “empty formulas”.
What about the Anarchists?
While your extremely loyal friends, Will Thorne
and Dr. Aveling, were applying themselves to the
task of thrusting the anarchists from the doors of
the Congress with the help of the agents of the
police, the anarchists were holding their conferences
and drew up, among others, the following declara-
tion:
“The Anti parliamentarian and Anarchist Con.
ference, considering that the subjection of the
working classes to the ruling classes is based on
the exploitation and economic submission of the
workers, and that this economic exploitation is
the source of all evil, and of political, moral, and
intellectual oppression, declares that the principal
aim of the working class movement should beecon-
omic and social emancipation, and that all political
action should be subordinated to it.
Considering that legal and parliamentary tactics
are not the only forms of political action, the
Conference declares itself against all attempts
at reduction of the socialist movement into a mere-
ly electoral and legal movement which can only
create division among the workers.
Considering, moreover, that it was by revolution-
ary struggle that the people have in all times,
gained any amelioration of their social and economic
conditions, the Conference declares for revolution-
ary political action against the State, which is the
incarnation of all injustice, economic, political,
and social. -

8 Let us be Just.
As an honest man, you will admit that, in this
resolution, anarchists repeated the claims of Babeuf,
Blanqui, and the “International”. They have but
extended the claims of these brave predecessors.
That being so, why do you, who know them so well,
declare that the anarchists are enemiesofsocialism 2
I am very desirous to know your reasons.
I am no less desirous tc learn from you, who,
among the well-known anarchists, calumniated
your party, your friends, or yourself?
Was it Bakoumine, with whom you had an affair
of honour 2 In your articles, you merely name
E. Richter, who is just as much of an Anarchist
as Crispi is of a social-democrat. Let us look into
your affair with Bakoumine. Perhaps it was he
who calumniated you.
In the “Memoire', presented by the “Federation
Jurassienne' of the International Association of
Workers, we read:
“We cannot pass over in silence, apropos of the
Congress of Bale (1869), a personal incident of
great importance. Bakoumine had learnt that
Liebknecht, while speaking of him, had represented
him as a spy of the Russian Government....The
jury was composed of ten members....Paepe, Palix,
Sentinon, Fritz Robert, Moritz Hess, Eccarius, and
others. The jury declared unanimously that
Liebknecht had acted ill in repeating infamous
“calumnies”. Liebknecht, taking Bakoumine by
the hand, declared that he looked on him as an
honest man, and a good revolutionist. “I have
been deceived myself with regard to you” said he,

Let us be Just. 9
“I have helped to spread calumniating accusations
and I owe you reparation.”(P.84) As reparation,
Liebknecht engaged himself to publish in his
paper an article of rectification. “Bakoumine,”
continues the Memoire, “gave him the article with
his own hands. What did Liebknecht do? He
never published it.”
You say, that the anarchists calumniate the
social-democrats, “throwing mud at their heads,”
then one must suppose that in 1869, Liebknecht,
the anarchist, calumniated Bakounine, the social-
democrat You are an honest and impartial man;
do then, explain to me this flagrant contradiction.
A last question, sir. What does this phrase of
yours mean * “In all countries the anarchists are
petted by the bourgeois.” Are we, as individuals,
“petted” by isolated members of the bourgeois or
or are we “petted” as a party by the capitalistic
organization of the State that defender of the bour-
geoisie 2. It is evident that you speak of us as a
party “petted” by the entirebourgeoisie and by the
State. And you could write those lines, you a
journalist, a politician *
What I don't you know that the prisons and con-
vict settlements of Italy, France, Spain, Portugal
are full of anarchists? That even in England, and
in the United States there are anarchists condemned
to hard labor. And in Germany, where a stupid
reaction pursues you and your friends, was it not
there that the anarchists, Landauer, Dr. Gumplo-
viez, Grunan and others submitted to 18 months'
imprisonment 2 Take no matter whom among

10 Let us be Just.
my anarchist friends, and you will see that they
have, everyone, been “petted” in prisons, during
transportation and exile–Cipriani 16 years, Louise
Michel 14 years, Borda 5 years, Kropotkine 5 years,
Martin 5 years, Merlino, Malato, Faure, Grave,
Pouget, Reclus, Malatesta, Nicoll,—all, absolutely
all of them, have been submitted to long years of
imprisonment, transportation, exile....And that is
what you call being “petted l’’
Perhaps you were not aware of this? Let us
assume so. But you knew perfectly well that, du-
ring the last twenty years, capital punishment for
political offences’ in civilised countries, has been
applied only to anarchists.
You knew of the execution of Reinsdorf and
Caserio, for, whether at your personal instigation
or not, your paper excited against them the hatred
of the government and of the bourgeoisie.
You were perfectly well aware of the executions
of Parson, Spies, and other Chicago anarchists, of
Vaillant, Pallas, Henry.... -
You know perfectly well that it is the anarchist
party which is persecuted, martyrised....
And you could set it down in black and white
that the anarchists are “petted” by the bourgeoisie?
—Let all honest men, let the brave German work-
men in whose name you love to speak, now judge
of these literary proceedings of yours.

Liberty Bookshelf.
Any of the following Pnblications may be obtained by sending
the amount in stamps, or by postal order. to the Editor. Carmagnole
House, Hammersmith, W.
By P. KROPOTKIN.
AN APPEAL TO THE YOUNG. 1d.
ANARCHIST MORALITY. la.
THE COMMUNE OF PARIS. 1d.
THE PLACE OF ANARCHISM IN SOCIAL-
ISTIC EVOLUTION. 1d.
REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT. 1d.
REVOLUTIONARY STUDIES. 2d.
By ERRICO MALATESTA.
A TALK ABOUT ANARCHIST COM-
MUNISM BETWEEN TWO WORKERS.
Price Ja.
ANARCHY. 1d.
By will IAM MORRIs.
USEFUL WORK. V. USELESS TOIL. 1d.
TEIE TABLES TURNED : or NUPKINS
AWAKENED. 6d.
TRUE AND FALSE SOCIETY. 1d.
MONOPOLY: or, HOW LABOUR IS ROBBED
Price la.
By D. NICOLL.
ANARCHY AT THE BAR. 1d.
THE WALSALL ANARCHIST.S. 1d.
THE CHICAGO MARTYRS: Their Speeches
in Court.
With an Appendix by J. P. Altgeld, Governor of Illinois.
Price 6d.
ANARCHISM AND OUTRAGE. d.
Revolution: its Necessity and its Justification.
By SAMUEL H. Gordon, 3d., free by post.

Liberty Pamphlets.
PRICE ONE PENNY FACH.
Environment and Character. By “Ireland.”
Anarchism and Violence. By L. S. Bevington.
Anarchist Communism in its Relation to State
Socialism. By AGNES HENRY.
Definition of Crime. By A. HAMON.
Common-Sense Country.
By L. S. BEVINGTON.
Socialism in Danger. Part I.
By F. DOMELA NIEUWENHUIS. Translated by R.
Grierson.
Socialism in Danger. Part II.
By E. DOMELA NIEUWFNHUIS. Translated by R.
GRIERson.
Jones' Boy:
Dialogues on Social Questions between an “Enfant
Terrible” and his Father. By “SPOKESHAVE.”
Liberty Lyrics,
By L. S. BEVINGTON.
The Ideal and Youth.
By ELISEE RECLUS.
An Anarchist on Anarchy.
By ELISEE RECLUs.
In Defence or Emma Goldmann and the Right
of Expropriation.
By WOLTAIRINE DE CLEYBE.
A Plea for Anarchist-Communism. By. H. H.
DUNCAN, of Aberdeen.
The Why I Ams: First SERIEs.
Why I Am a Socialist and an Atheist, by Conrad
Naewiger; Why I Am a Social Democrat, by G. Bernard
Shaw; Why I Am an Individualist Anarchist, by J.
Armsden.
The Why I Ams: Second Series.
Why I Am a Communist, by William Morris; Why I
Am an Expropriationist, by L. S. Bevington.
Agriculture. By PETER KROPOTKIN. Translated
from the French by Miss Roche. Price 2d. -