The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-02-14
Some GrOundless Fears.

While dynamite is exploding all
around the horizon and anarchiSm is
farming and driIling,"a great many
conservative people are alarmed and
take very gloomy views of the future.
Even thinkers sometimes give eX-
preston to the darkest forebodings.
Prof. Ely, the political economist at
the Johns Hopkins University, and
the author of a work on Socialism,
recently said in public lecture:
II believe we are just beginning
to enter on a terrible era IN the
worlds hiStOry-an era of internal
and domestic warfare such as has
never been seen. and the end of which
only the Almighty can foretell."
This seems to be II somewhat emo
tional utterance for a philosopher of
so Unconditional a science as political
economy.
People who feel thus may have
very adequate and accurate under
standing of the dangers that menace
our civilization but we think that
they do not keep fully in view the
enormous conservative forces of that
civilization. Let society once become
alarmed at the progress of anarchiSm,
and the immensely of its physical
force and its merciless severity will
make themselves felt. 1t may be
true that government and ordinary
police may be inadequate to deal with
secret societies of dynamiters and
Anarchists; but suppose conservatism
organizes secret societies to extermi-
nate anarchism, and brings to it all
the finest intelligence. the physical
power, the wealth, the science Of civ
ilizatiOn? Let society become really
alarmed for its own safety and it will
do this. The spirit which admins
tiers lynch law in this country is Il
bad one but, bad as it is, it is terror
to etil-doerS. And if that spirit
should organize itself on vast scale,
and feel that it had law and justice as
well as public necessity on its side,
and it would become irresistible in
its might and a. pitiless as the grave.
Let our civilization once become ter
rified at anarchism. and it will be
dark day for Anarchists.
There is sort of charm in mystery,
in secret societies and in plotting ter
rible deeds and filling the world with
terror. The dynamiters are enjoying
the monopoly of that sort of thing
now. 1t is comparatively safe to do
so. But, let these pl0tters become
convinced that thousands Of intelli-
gent eyes, sharpened by fear and
wrath, are watching every move
ment, and the fun of dark-lantern
meetings will subside. BOastful an.
nouncements of what the Anarchists
intend to do will be heard no more.
We hear now that bodies of Anarch-
ISIS are arming and drilling at Pitts
burg also, that.they are arming and
drilling in Chicago. But, is society
to be terrorized by few hundred
cranks? In America there are ten
men whose interests lie in the pres
ervatiOn of order to one whose inter-
ests lie in destroying order. 1t is just
because society is not in the least
alarmed that Anarchists are permit
ted to issue their proclamatiOns and
hold dark-lantern meetings.
Yet there are some conservative peo-
pie " no feel alarmed, and, with char
acteristic American self-reliance, be-
gin at once to act. News comes from
Chicago that the business men Of that
city are organizing against anarch-
ism. Several business houses have
organized their employees, and armed