Equal Rights

By Albert Parsons

Entry 5937

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From: holdoffhunger [id: 1]
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Untitled Anarchism Equal Rights

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(1848 - 1887)

American Anarchist Leader and Haymarket Martyr

: ...Parsons spoke at the laborers demonstration in Haymarket Square on May fourth, 1886. That morning at around 10 a.m. 180 policemen arrived at the scene and told the crowd to disperse. At this point, a bomb was thrown at the police from an alleyway. (From: Evan Kelley Bio.)
• "In the growth of individualism (especially during the last three centuries) we merely see the endeavors of the individual towards emancipating, himself from the steadily growing powers of capital and state. But side by side with this growth we see also, throughout history up to our own times, the latent struggle of the producers of wealth for maintaining the partial communism of old..." (From: "Anarchism: Its Philosophy and Scientific Basis as....)
• "Thousands of volumes have been written to record the acts of governments; the most trifling amelioration due to law has been recorded; its good effects have been exaggerated, its bad effects passed by in silence. But where is the book recording what has been achieved by free co-operation of well-inspired men?" (From: "Anarchism: Its Philosophy and Scientific Basis as....)
• "...the very next step to be made by society, as soon as the present regime of property undergoes a modification, will be in a communist sense. We are communists. But our communism is not that of either the Phalanstere or the authoritarian school: it is anarchist communism, communism without government, free communism." (From: "Anarchism: Its Philosophy and Scientific Basis as....)


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Equal Rights

We continually have it harped in our ears that we are free and equal. That every avenue is open alike to all and all can climb to the top. The road to wealth is open alike to all. This is the sophistry the rich are continually giving to the poor to arouse their hopes and make them contented with their down-trodden condition. The doctrine is both false and stupid. There is no fool stupid enough to think everyone can get on top, though he has a perfect right if he can. Everyone knows that by the very nature of things not one in ten can possibly get there, and not one-tenth of that number can stay there after they get there.

What, then, does all this twaddle amount to about everyone having a perfect right to climb to the top of the pile, if it is not intended solely to quiet those underneath, so those on top will enjoy more safety and quiet while standing on them? Suppose some of those underneath concluded to use a little dynamite to blow off their burdens, might it not be possible that some of these ambitious ones on top would then conceive of some safer way to gratify their ambitions without taking a fellow creature for a footstool to climb up with? When every man finds his fel-low man an explosive footstool he will stop trying to use him for a footstool to boost himself up with. Gunpowder brought the world some liberty and dynamite will bring the world as much more as it is stronger than gunpowder. No man has a right to boost himself by even treading on another’s toes. Dynamite will produce equality.

Every man has a natural ambition and a natural right to climb, but he has no right to climb at another man’s expense. Those who haven’t sense enough to see any other method of climbing, let them stay on the dead level, there is room enough. The idea that no man can get all the luxuries of this world with-out standing on the necks of other men is too ill-founded to be longer sustained. One man has no right to live on the profits of another man’s labor, under any excuse whatever. He who stands on what another man produces, stands on that man. No matter what the pretext, he is standing on him wrongfully. The under man should knock off the burden and not be longer bamboo-zled with the idea that he should be patient, for perhaps by and by he may be on top. Down with such nonsense! No man has a right to live on another for one single minute, for any reason whatever. Don’t be gulled with this stupid perhaps, pretty soon, by and by business any longer.

From : TheAnarchistLibrary.org

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January 9, 2021; 5:41:36 PM (UTC)
Added to http://revoltlib.com.

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January 6, 2022; 9:46:49 AM (UTC)
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