New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-17
4 HILD C4LIFORNIA PLOT.

The story that comes from San Francisco
about the discovery of Socialist plot to assas-
| sinate some twenty of the most prominent
citizens of the Golden State would be less
applicable and more surprising if we did not
know that premium has been put upon all
sorts of "crankiness" of late in San Francisco
by the implied Endorsement of 1t Involved III
the election of O'Donnell, Coroner of the city.
This man. both before and since his election,
has been making the most incendlary and
boodthirsty speeches. He has advocated NOT
only the slaughter of the Chinese, but OF all
white men supposed to favor them. few
DAYS ago he marched through the streets at the
head of a procession of tramps and loaiers
whom he called Socialists. Denis kcarncy
and O'Donnel have accustomed Californians to
torrid kind Of rhetoric which, while 1t has no
effect upon sensible people, is calculated to IN
flame the Imagination of those who are ill-bal-
anced ana tainted with Socialist doctrines. a
few months ago such 4 "Crank," fired by
ODonnelrs lurd defamation, started ont on
an incendiary tour, and before he was caught
had burned many thousand dollars worth OF
property in the ncighbOrhOOd of san Jose. As
to the men now under arrest, they seem to be
all Germans, and presumably have I'M
ported their Socialism. The list OF citl-
zens prescribed by their society Is. how
ever, enough to prove the utter unIcason
and wildness of their plans, for while some of
| the intended victims have been pronounced
! anti Chinese in their views, the majority ale
| simply substantial citizens who have been
! largely instrumental in building up the state.
w r. Coleman is known as the leader Of the
old Yigilantes, and solid man, always ready to
| perform civic duties faithfully. Congressman
Morrow is an anti-Chincse Republican poll
tician. popular, genial, friend of the working
men and in line with progress. General w. H..
L. Barnes is an able and joval lawyer. Posi-
| bly, his connection with Sharon i'll the divorce
! trial may have marked him ont for prescription.
| Mayor Bartlett is pioneer, in no sense IA
yorer of the Chinese, nor a "blOated mOnOD-
| olist" Judge Lorenzo Sawyer is an eminent
and upright iurist, not to be swcrved from
convictions. stern against lawcssnesS, and there
fore obnoxious to Anarchists. Senator Leland
Stanford and Charles Crocker are, OF course,
doomed because they are railroad men, and
partly because they object to letting men
like O'Donnel manage their business for them.
| In the case of Governor StOncman there does
seem a kind of Nemesis, for there can be no
| doubt that he has done much to encourage
crime of late by his reckless and indefensiblo
distribution Of pardons to the inmates Of the
PenitentiarY. 1t may re that among those who
put his name on the list are some of the very
men he has been sending in squads to prey on
the community.
But it is tolerably clear that this egregious
plot is only the gauge Of the effect of O'DOn-
nellism upon weak minds. The constant ham
merng of murderous suggestions into ignorant
and unstable heads is sure sooner or later to in
cite to overt acts of violence. Perhaps the So
cialists who framed this plot had the idea of
killing of the men most likely to put down
lawlessness though it is more likely that they
simply made their list from the most famlia
names, without analysis and without intcllgi-
bic motive. We do not anticipate the develop
ment of any serious and deeply ramihed con-
spiracy in San Francisco, but the business men
of that city may be brought by this discovery to
realize that such people as O'Donnell cannot be
elected to Office without creating the conviction
in many minds that the doctrines they preach
I have also been indOrsed at the ballOt-bOX.