222 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



Republics of the independence guaranteed to them after a former unjust 

 annexation ; a crime aggravated by hypocrisy in the pretence that British 

 subjects were treated as " helots ; " whereas their own committee of inquiry 

 into the war has now demonstrated that it was a pure war of conquest in 

 order to secure territory and gold-mines, determined on years before, and 

 only waiting a favourable opportunity to carry into effect. 



The United States, against their own " Declaration of Independence " 

 and the fundamental principles of their constitution, have taken away the 

 liberties of two communities, the one — Porto Rico — by mere overwhelming 

 power, the other— the Philippines — after a bloody war against a people 

 fighting for their independence, the only excuse being that they had 

 been purchased — land and people — from their former conquerors and 

 oppressors. 



Russia itself, the originator of the Peace Conference, forthwith per- 

 secutes Jews and Doukhobors on account of their religion, and takes 

 away their solemnly guaranteed liberties from the Finns — a people more 

 really civilized than their persecutors. 



All three of these governments, as well as Germany and France, 

 invaded China, and committed barbarities of slaughter, with reckless 

 devastation and plunder, which will degrade them for all time in the 

 pages of history. 



Such are the doings of the official and military rulers of nations which 

 claim to be in the first rank of civilization and religion ! And there is really 

 no sign of any improvement. But, for the first time in the history of the 

 world, the workers— the real sources of all wealth and of all civilization — 

 are becoming educated, are organizing themselves, and are obtaining a 

 voice in municipal and national governments. So soon as they realize 

 their power and can agree upon their aims, the dawn of the new era will 

 have begun. 



The first thing for them to do is, to strengthen themselves by unity of 

 action, and then to weaken and ultimately to abolish mihtarism. The 

 second aim should be to limit the bureaucracy, and make it the people's 

 servant instead of its master. The third, to reorganize and simplify the 

 entire legal profession, and the whole system of law, criminal and civil ; 

 to make justice free for all, to abolish all legal recovery of debts, and all 

 advocacy paid by the parties concerned. The fourth, and greatest of all, 

 will be to organize labour, to aboHsh inheritance, and thus give equahty 

 of opportunity to every one alike. This alone will establish, first, true 

 individuahsm (which cannot exist under present social conditions), and 

 this being obtained, will inevitably lead to voluntary association for all 

 the purposes of life, and bring about a social state adapted to the stage 

 of development of each nation, and of each successive age. 



This, in my opinion, is the ideal which the workers (manual and in- 

 tellectual workers alike) of every civilized country should keep in view. 

 For the first time in human history, these workers are throwing aside 

 international jealousies and hatreds ; the peoples of all nations are be- 

 coming brothers, and are appreciating the good qualities inherent in each 



