Description

Extended Data

Birth Place

Bendigo, Vic., Australia

Biography

cartoonist and anarchist, was born at Bendigo in October 1865, He described himself as being English, French, Spanish, Arabian and African on his father’s side and English, German, Scandanavian, Hebrew and Greek on his mother’s, and grandson of a baronet who suppressed his title when he came to Australia. This mild, middle-aged leader of a very small band of Sydney Anarchists in the 1890s had been a clerk in the Victorian public service, but left after a dispute with the public service commissioner and turned to journalism, poetry and oratory. He preached and published broadsheets and pamphlets advocating civil disobedience in the face of perceived unfair laws and authorities, and the overthrow of capitalists by unionists. His publications included chunky woodblock prints done for his anarchist 'magazine’ (often just a pamphlet), Revolt: The Monthly Magazine of Anarchy , now bound together as part of the Andrews’s 'Anarchist Papers’ 1893-97 (SLNSW DG and DL) with a little novella in the style of William Morris. The images include three sleeping muses (Truth, Justice and Virtue) captioned 'The Unemployed’, a capitalist manipulating headless workers with printed exhortations to revolt ('Freedom … Slaves Obey’ c.1893), a man advocating revolution, a simple and successful graphic of boss raised on the shoulders of a circle of workers and several prints of words about anarchy and revolt only (cut letter by letter to make a woodblock 'poster’). Most have been repeatedly inserted throughout the bound Anarchist volume, much of which is hand-written. His magazine Revolt (issues mainly undated) was the main evidence produced by the police when Andrews was successfully prosecuted for sedition in 1895. (Coleman, pp.78-79, claims he had previously been sentenced to three months gaol — being unable to pay the alternative fine of £20 — in June 1894 for distributing his A Handbook of Anarchy without a proper imprint, i.e. a printer’s, although it did bear the words 'Issued by J.A. Andrews, late of Mudgee, and now of 491 Elizabeth Street, Sydney’. Andrews gave his version of the case in the Bulletin , 3 November 1894.) Cuttings in the SLNSW collection of Anarchy Pamphlets (DG Q335.8) are: 'The conviction of Andrews’, Daily Telegraph 22 February 1895: The trial, conviction, and sentence of the anarchist Andrews yesterday is the first case of its kind which has ever been carried to that extreme [word missing in photocopy] in this colony. In view of that fact, together with the apparently earnest fanaticism of the culprit, a mitigated punishment was inflicted… [jury found him guilty upon 2 separate counts of having violated the law; question is whether “seditious language” is unfair in law]... “In a pamphlet the accused argued that from the Chief Justice’s remarks union workmen whose liberty was threatened by employers refusing to accept the terms of the unionists were entitled to commit incendiarism, pillage, assault, and even murder… The document in question was headed “Revolt: The Monthly Magazine of Anarchy.” ... Accused further on in the article said, “I am, therefore, an advocate for pillage, incendiarism and murder if the freedom of the labourer cannot otherwise be maintained. The real criminals are the plutocracy and their minions, including the Chief Justice, and if the unionists had killed the squatters and the troopers who terrorised them their killing would be justifiable.” Would not, he asked, this have the desired effect of producing discontent and insurrection? The first count charged the accused with attempting to encourage murder, the second with libelling the administration of justice, and the third with attempting to create riots and tumults… Accused…said his sole idea in publishing the article was to draw the attention of the public to the present unequal social conditions. He denied the construction put upon it by the Crown… Found not guilty on the first count but guilty of the other two: see 'An Anarchist Sentenced. Trial of J.A. Andrews. His Honor’s Impressions of the Accused. “Prejudicial Doctrines” — “A Kink in the Brain” — Andrews’s Startling Speech’, Star 21 February 1895, which reported that when sentenced by Justice Simpson yesterday, the Prisoner said (before being stopped) that he was 'quite prepared in case of necessity, and I feel is my duty to everyone to say so, that in the event of a civil struggle being precipitated I should feel it my duty to take part in such struggle on the side of the labouring classes.’ [sub-title within article, 'AN ALLEGED ANARCHIST. J.A. Andrews on Trial. Charge of Seditious Libel.’] 'Accused is a middle-aged man, and his long hair, pallid face and restless eyes, that continually wandered about the court, combined to give him a decidedly weird appearance… Andrews had in his possession in the dock a number of documents, including several red-colored pamphlets or posters.’ When sentencing him, the judge took into account 'the obvious probability of the man having “a kink in his brain”... Every criminal is a more or less abnormal man… It is because “one fool makes many” that crime-preaching fanatics are a danger to the community.’ 'An Anarchist Conference. Their Mysterious Lair. Interpretation of Terms’, Daily Telegraph 13 January 1897: For alley-ways that are dark, and passages that puzzle, the Sydney anarchist is peculiar. If he were a cunning, dangerous customer, one would expect mystery as to his haunts, but he actually provokes publicity, and walks forth into the light — a mild and normal youth. There were half-a-dozen of him altogether last night, when our reporter arrived on the scene. They met in a small, stuffy, ill-lit room down the Haymarket way. The origin of the gathering is set down in a letter which was forwarded to this office some days ago. It states that “at a meeting of persons interested in the principles of anarchism, held in the Active Service Brigade committee-room, a conference was arranged for Wednesday, when among other matters for discussion will be the advisableness or otherwise of a distinct and separate anarchist party, etc., to be followed in the evening by a public social gathering, at which the proceedings will consist of speeches, interspersed with anarchist songs.” So ran the letter. [signed by Mr. Andrews] ... In front of the room where the anarchists met a 'wooden finger-post is labelled, “Isis Lodge, Theosophical Society, meets here”’. Another states 'that “Mr. Dwyer(?) of the Active Service Brigade, attends between 2 and 5.” Crossing the yard you mount another flight of steps and enter a dingy, uncarpeted room. Stretched against the wall is a huge red flag, and alongside a life-size framed head of of William Q. Judge, the American theosophist. The furniture consists mainly of a row of bookshelves, a deal table, and several ditto forms, a music-stool minus one leg, and an amateurish-looking chair. These are the anarchist headquarters [more likely the Theosophist ones, in fact]. At the table sat Mr. Andrews — as mild a mannered man as ever scuttled ship [rest missing or not photocopied by Craig].’ Later Andrews became editor of the Melbourne socialist journal Tocsin for which he wrote a series of articles in May-June 1900 about Sydney’s 'reign of terror’ in the 1890s. Writers: Kerr, Joan Date written: 1996 Last updated: 2007

Born

b. October 1865

Summary

Late Colonial/Federation era cartoonist and anarchist. Andrews preached and published broadsheets and pamphlets advocating civil disobedience in the face of perceived unfair laws and authorities that featured his cartoons and illustrations.

Gender

Male

Died

1903

Age at death

38