| The choice posed most clearly by libertarians in the last century, to wrest power from those who have it, or remain powerless for ever, continues to be the choice to be made today. In the event, the failure of the anarchist movement last century, more particularly of the communist-anarchists, is the failure thus far of the labour movement as a whole. |
D.A. Andrade, 'What Is Anarchy'. Originally delivered to Australasian Secular Association and the Melbourne Anarchist Club, in 1886, reprinted in Benjamin Tucker's 'Liberty' (Boston ) on May 28, 1887. (Extract).
A founder member of the Melbourne Anarchist Club, editor of the Club magazine, 'Honesty' and author of the bulk of the Clubs publications 1886-1888, including 'Money', 'Our Social System', 'An Anarchist Plan of Campaign' and a series of leaflets.
After the Club's second major split, at the beginning of 1889, and while still involved in the anti-Symes (President of the ASA) struggle, he became more involved in direct agitational work and personal life-style change e.g. vegetarianism, hydrotherapy etc. He completed a major work, "The Melbourne Riots" in 1892 and in 1894 moved his family to the Dandenongs to put the co-operative land-use scheme outlined in the book into practice.
In 1895, the family lost everything in a bushfire and Andrade succumbed to the loss and was institutionalised. He died in 1929.
". . Anarchy is Individualism consistently carried out and put into practice. It is the doctrine of autonomy, laissez-faire, independence and liberty. It is the doctrine which accepts all the social principles of that most advanced school of thinkers of which Herbert Spencer is at the head, and does not fear to carry them to their logical conclusions, even though the greatest expounders of those principles may fail to do so themselves. Anarchy, in short, is to politics what atheism is to theology. Atheism says: we shall have no divine rulers; Anarchy says: we shall have no temporal ones either. Atheism says: be not a slave to a god; Anarchy says: be not a slave to god or ruler either. Atheism says: cast off all allegiance to all laws divine; Anarchy says: cast off all allegiance to all laws both divine and human. Atheism says: defy the priest, who robs you under the authority of a god; Anarchy says: defy the ruler who robs you under the authority of a State, as well. Atheism says: be free in your thoughts; Anarchy says be free in your thoughts and actions too. Atheism says: face the gods like a man; Anarchy says: face all existence like a man; Atheism says: from the gods be free; Anarchy simply says: BE FREE!
As Atheism means "without God," so Anarchy means "without Government". It rejects all authority, whether emanating from gods, goddesses, kings, queens, popes, priests, presidents or parliaments. It refuses to be crushed out by the rule of majorities or minorities, by monarchies or republics, by aristocracies or democracies, and by law-makers and law-executors of all kinds whatsoever. The only authority it recognises (if it can be called authority) is the authority of the individual conscience. The only law it recognises is the law of equal freedom. The only right it recognises is the right to live - the right of self-preservation - the right to live as best the intelligence dictates, exercising every function of one's nature to one's best ability, and taking upon one's self the necessary responsibility of every action so performed. Its watchword is: "The equal liberty of each, limited by the equal liberty of all". And all the tyrannies which have so cursed this world in the course of its painful development it wages war with to the death . . . "
