Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-05-21
MODERN JAcoB1NTsM.

TIE kind of influence exerted by political
societies. The Jacobin society is the
most famous, or, correctly speaking,
Infamous, Of all. IL was founded In the
name of liberty, for the resistance Of OPP
preston, the correction Of evil laws, the
redress Of grievances, and the propa-
gandism Of "advanced ideas" For five
years It ruled France, aud its rule is
memorable as the bloodiest in the history
Of country whose history is chronicle
written In blood. Robespierre, Marat
and Danton were its servants and its
apostles. The guillotine was its sign,
atheism its creed. In the name OF liberty
and equality the rights of the people
were trodden upon, and the only equality
was in the grave. No abuses were too
monstrous for those in power,
whose careers ended only when a
more ferocious iyraut overthrow them,
chopped their heads off, and ruled in the
same way. The saturnalia shocked the
moral sense Of the civilized world, and 1t
was not abated until Bonaparte seized
the control of the nation and made him
self more absolute despot than the king
whose tyranny had provoked the revolu-
ton. After twenty-five years OF blood
she'd and terror, the popular effort IN be-
half of liberty left the country just
where it began.
Who can doubt that there is spirit
among the Knights Of labor which, If not
restrained by wholesome fear, would
repeat the history of the French revolu-
ton in this country? The boycott Is as
vicious an act of tyranny as any ever or
dered by the directory that stopped short
OF bloodshed, and the boycott is blood
less because those who make use of it
dare not go so far What difference is
there between starving man into sub
mission and torturing him into submits
sionp Both come from the violence OF
tyrannous hearts, and both were enacted
in hename of liberty so as to make liberty
a reproach and by-word
The Farmers alliance, tied to the
knights of Labor, is drifting toward
Jacobinism. Some of the alliances APP
proved the boycott. We find others con-
verified into political agencies for the CON
troll of the government, They say they
have wrongs to redress. The French
Jacobns had greater. If they should
ever get control of this government, In
their function of secret society, they
can maintain themselves only by dis
abling all opposition and sacrificing the
liberties of the people that they set out
TO preserve To do otherwise, to allow
freedom OF action and opinion, is to en-
courage an independence that will speed.
lily lead to their overthrow as govern
Ing faction and political entity. If they
would initiate the Jacobius in gaining
political power, they must initiate Jaco-
bin methods in retaining that power,
There need not be bloodshed to give such
imitation It's effect. The spirit of this
age and of this people revolts at bloc d
Laws may he made oppressive and tyrants
may secure themselves without the gull
lotinc and the bastile; but the restraint
OF liberty is no less CALLING, the oppres-
sion OF the mind no more welcome, by
being less barbarously sustained.
Making a political instrument of the
alliance is turning it into a modern
Jacobin society, which will lead 1t In the
same paths and to the same end that the
Jacobins OF 1889 went. Pause before the
irrevocable step is taken, count the cost,
and take wiser course.