New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-11
THE PoWER OF 4SS4SSIYATION.
From The London Spectator.

LC1doT1
The Nihilism which uses the bullet has now ex-
isted seven years IL Russia and is TO all appearance
as strong as ever and there Is nothing IN RUSSIA,
except the Russian power OF seli-sacrlnee-or
rather not To misuse that grand word of self com
pression-whIch separates 1t by any vast lnterVal
from any other country. The tendency every
where for extremists 10 relecT az relsouS I'LL,
tends decidedly To increase all the crimes when
NAV be described those OF cOnsclencelesS lahaei
cism while there has occurred, from some cause OF
another perhaps from the spread OF disbelief ana
conseGnent relaxation in the check OF opinion,
visible decline IN the fear OF punishment. IL suSn
not for seventy and if it can secure one ecaclous
AGENT every quarter. why not one mOnth, or one
week. What guarantees Us against ASSASSINATION
becoming the most terrible OF all anarchlca forces
as fatal TO progress as party-feeng has been IN
many of the States of Spanish America, where
nothing adv ances because nothing Oh the pOllIcd!
kind ever gives men the assurance th"C IL VIII
We confess and it is very disagreeable confes-
SION TO make, that we 90 moi petceive VIII. e'HS
certain sense Of perception where the guarantee Is
II is certainly not to be found III terror breaking
on the wheel has been tried, and no more secured
the Kings who were the old marks Tor te ASSASSIN
than burning secured the spanish InqulsIIols
against heresy It is scarcely 70 be founu IN
watchfuness, or the Car would be securei Mnme
the ar1nor of innocent conduct ~ mace lIulcuious
Inv the last assasslnatiOns in Ireland. Assasslna-
ton can produce only negative result; Dut tueil'
may not that be the very object me NIhlLstis
usad TO say that anarchy was their object, ana
thouCh we see reason believe they have departed
from that theory, still, while 1t lasted and Was
true, it would explain persistence III tne emu was
attained Or might not the motive be hatred per.
pptually renewing itself! for some undylng thlng
The Irish Reds say that this Is their motive hatreu
of Britain; and it Is certain that the Cesarlst
hatred of the Christian Church, which produced
what were virtually aSsassinatIOnS, lasJeu, Wild
intervals of quiescence. for nearly two hundred anu
ffty years. That hatred. burning up TO the nassa-
cre-poiut existed, though not continuously from
Nero TO Diocetian. Continued unproductlveness
would daunt assassins, however extreme IN the
long-rln if they sought political change; but not II
they sought only revenge the provocat0n 10 which
never died Experience shows that theie 10 GER
tain security in the difficulty with which company
of men keep mp enthusiasm, or hatred. or blood
thrstiness 90 the height on tue immoral Daro-
meter. Some OF them are sure TO histe more tndH u
Others and in snch hatred is snre to break out
within the society itself, one stratum pronouncihg
another stratum tepid or mad and az there Il no
means OF securing victory save murder, the less
enraged would Kill out the more enraged remOrse-
| lessly. The French Ierrorlsts, VINO were very
nearly assassIns though most OF them were posslpF
uncon scous of their own impulses persisted ID
that way and ut last slaughtered one another out
the reyOlters having no intention OF putting the
Terror down. The difference OF degree III maze does
NOT however always occur. the tendency OF such a
society being 70 winnOw itself and on the whole,
the hest security we can think OF is that special
FIRMS of crime, and especially DlO0dtmrsly crime,
approxilnate IN their mptoms TO Diseases ana IKE
acute diseases appear after perceptDe PERIODS OF
| time to exhaust themselves. Mems minus VIII uoO
| remain at a certa height, either Of grandeur or
crmiuality for more than a certain period. ana a
society of assassins cOntnu ously prepared 10
assassnate is impossible as society continuously
| prepared TO lead fOrlOrn hopes. That source OF
security is however feeble one and we are forced
| to end as we began, with doubt whether, except
in the government Of II Divine Providence, tncre Is
any clear security against the rise OF assasslhs' IN
Snite of the horror of a world, to distinct and
| great disturbing power in political affairs.