The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-07-05
.eHlERICAN s,OmmUNIsrs.

AMERICAN COMMUNISTS.
Views OF Gen. Grant and Victor Hugo.
Correspondence New York WOrld.l
PARIS, June IL have lately talk
French and American, on the labor
troubles in the United States and
on the revolutionary agitation sup
posed to be at the root of them.
Though America has been oar first
subject, the whole world has usual
Iy been our last, for this social af-
Fiction is visiting all the leading
nations in turn. The question has
grown under discussion. One days
kilograms have brought news of q
socialistic attempt on the life of the
German Emperor, another days of
the burning of mills and wrecking
of houses in England as mode OF
arbitration by lynch-law in dispute
as to wages, TO say nothing of the
home reports of strikes in the
French iron trade and of a threaten
ing turnout of ali the printers in
Paris, which is the present terror of
the great publishing houses and of
the Journals. 1t will be of no less
interest to You, however, to hear
what was said about other countries
than what was said about your
own. l shall, therefore, as rule,
confine my notes of conversation to
the subject of the United States.
Gen. Grant thinks that there is
no cause for serious alarm-just be-
cause the vigilant inquietude of the
public mind in the States is in itself
sufficient security against the dan
ger of revolutionary, or, as more
people prefer to put it, eommunistic
excuses. If the General could be
guilty of an epigram, he might say
that you have no ground for uneasi-
ness because you are very ill at
ease, and this, in Hibernian fashion,
would be the expression of q pro-
found truth. The American peo-
pie, he says, have evidently opened
their eyes in time to the proceed
ings of q knot of agitAtors in the
Union who would like to make
capital out of the present distress
in trade-though they seem to be
opposed to capital iii every other
form. These men will be locke
after, and they will be prevented
from doing serious mischief. Their
treacherY to one another will tend
to supply the defects of public
watchfulness; they may be relied
on not to keep their own secret If
they have any motive of vanity or
greed for divulging it. The Gener-
al finds much comfort in the refec-
ton that most of them are foreign
ers they will be the more easily
traced on that account-and that
the few Americans who have join
ed are demagOgues of no standing
whatever in the country.
A day or two after hearing this !
found an opportunity OF taking
Victor Hugo's opinion upon the
question. The substance of his
counsel TO the States: delivered
with much earnestness, was: "Don't
lose your heads. Be moderate" be
said, Sin dealing with the authors
of the national scare. Suppose you
have communlstic agitators among
you; we'll, it is a misfortune, it ii
an evil, but do not give them the
triumph, and your brother republI-
cans of Euro pe the ahame, of seeing
you forget your self-possession
The world expects this example
from you. You are bound to it by
your own past,-by the noble pFin'
ciple of mercy and forbsarance IL
dealing with misguided men or
which you acted at the close af {
memorable struggle. You mus
show them that q real democracy
can be as generous as 1t is brave
You have shown it in q great civi
| tab r.
fail to show it in what at the wors
. is but political conspiracy. 1 an
sorry to hear of the alarm of TIT
} public and the general outcry in thu
, journals. A people in that frame
of mind are apt to think that it ma!
as we'll be cruel just once for thu
sake of the example. Any despo
t can persecute, fine and imprison il
the name of order; only great ant
wise government, strong in the sup
port of the people, can temper tn
force of repression with pity anC
liberation. You have q grand Op
portunity and responsibilities t.
match; you are called on to deal
for the first time in your history
with the social danger; you mus
; most strenuously take care for al
: our sakes that you do nothing IN
> worthy of yourself. Europe ha
r often looked to you for something
/ new; give it an American novelt
in this highest department of in
a Vention-the art of governing
through the self-control of gov
!: erners.
(: care all the workingmen in Anne
!. rica, he continued, "under the lead
: ership of the elite of the nation2
> express no opinion ask the ques
= ton. There ia no danger in a de
mocracv so otficefed; there is ever
a danger hen the best men in th
/, country do not strive to take thei
O proper place in the direction of al
> fairs. The strength of the presen
:, republic in France lies in the fac
i that all the most considerable pei
a sons in our society are Republican
0 l do not mean the mere men c
: rank and money. mean the bel
blood of France in the best sense
= say, if you like, the best braiI
: That lie the true guarantee for mod
\ Grafton, the only one. At the fl
= neral of Theirs I saw how this ad
. mirable population of Paris, 8
n much maligned, may be Quoted b
a sign. Theirs was not altogethe
e favorite of the Masses It we
their faith in others alone that CAV
them faith in him. They had some
y thing to pardon to his memor.
. and there were cries here and theI
q that were not exactly cries of affe'
ton as the hearse neared the GENE
o terry gates. A single gesture of or
d in whom the people had confidenC
IS sufficed to hush them. We have q
y fears of popular trouble in Franc
and ] repeat that it is because tt
French democracy is under Il
: guidance of tie elite of the nation
i WHERE GOLD WAS ALMOST On
e KNoWN.-There was Q queer an
: interesting sight at Willimant
n Saturday. 1t was payday at ii
lt WilImantic Thread Company