1848 Revolution
Translated: from the original tract for marxists.org by Mitchell Abidor;
CopyLeft: Creative Commons (Attribute & ShareAlike) marxists.org 2007.
When the people go hungry, no one should eat!
– Blanqui at the High Court of Bourges.
We come before the people to pose the principles that will regenerate the old, collapsing order. Our doctrine, which all men of good faith are adopting, is not new: it is the truest of revolutionary traditions. In all times it has had the most eminent men as its apostles.
Every day this doctrine makes inroads on human reason. The discoveries in science render indispensable new developments whose evidence is demonstrated by arguments equal to these discoveries.
We recognize in all human beings an anterior right that pre-exists society itself: that of life.
By living we mean the complete development of all our faculties and the complete satisfaction of all our needs.
It’s the general gathering of all beings, associated in a common interest that is the criterion for the truth of our principles. Henceforth, no more tyranny, no more fratricidal struggles: our social order is the community!!!
We recognize the principles of communism beyond the seditious and oppressive majorities, and in the presence of a social order that is dissolving it is necessary that a vigorous hand, a man of principle, determined and capable, leads society down the path of truth and depose his power only when we will have established absolute equality among all men.
We do not take into account any transitory ideas, like progressive taxes: what would this be in a world where everything belongs to all?
We want the family and property, but exempt from their abuses and prejudices.
Communists! We need to unite. Vote together and may our candidates go to the national Assembly to support our ideas and make the principles of the universal community triumph.
The President of the Committee of Revolutionary Communists
Rasetti
The Vice President The Secretary
Gohe Turgard
NAMES OF THE THREE CANDIDATES PRESENTED BY THE Committee of Revolutionary Communists
Fomberteaux (Eugene) editor of the Commune Sociale
Page, Jeweler
Gibot, bookseller
In publishing this program our intention is not to bring division into the socialist camp, as many have had the charitable thought to say. Nor is it our intention to split the Central Committee. Nevertheless, we have had made no commitments to anyone, we who don’t want to make the least concessions on principles and who furthermore don’t want to rally to a man who once insulted us by seeking to condemn communist ideas, are we not free to pronounce ourselves and to reject any form of solidarity with men who profess ideas that we consider retrograde? We declare loudly and clearly that there are names on the list of candidates for the Committee for whom we can never vote. What is more, public opinion has manifested itself with sufficient clarity for us to be sure that we are not alone in acting in his way. In any event, we presented candidates prior to the operations of the Democratic Socialist election Committee.
When in electoral meetings we pose this question to all candidates: If the constitution were to be violated, do you commit yourself to call for the resistance of all citizens, and when it is upon the response to that question that depends the consideration or the rejection of a candidacy, is it not ridiculous to present the names of men who have for a long time participated in that violation at the National Assembly and have done nothing? Or to present others who are not in the Assembly but whose names don’t inspire any more confidence in us? For these reasons the Committee of Revolutionary Communists is maintaining its list at three names, and invites those citizens whose intent is to suppress a few names on the list to give them their votes.
The Secretary,
TURGARD