Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-04
HOW TO DEAL WITH THEN.

remarking that if ever criminals deserved
death on the gallows for offenses, Most and
his followers are so deserving, adds the
thought that our society has shown the
capacity of its system to apply wholesome
remedies for ills within the calm of its es-
tablished system Of law. For here is Most
but mildly punished under the law he is
melted out the judgment prescribed, which,
because we did not foresee- such ofienses as
his, is really inadequate to his crime. In
a less well-tempered system fate would
have overtaken him upon the scafold.
The weaponry of the law, as the Times
well says, though blunted, is still evil
denee of the ability of society to do justice
even to those who seek its life. Punish
ment is reformatory, deterrent and vim
dictiye. The latter represents the rudest
state Of civilization, and is the edict of
passion and the grosser elements of our
natures. The second is intended merci-
fully to protect society by the force of ex-
ample, while the first is purely charitable
and testifies to the interest of society in its
members. The first cannot be applied to
Most. The last is incompatible with our
civilization, and so the deterrent remedy
is applied to the criminal mentioned. But
Is there any reason to believe that it will
deter in the case of Anarchists? We think
there is. The weapon of the Anarchist is
force, his purpose the destruction of sys-
TENS by might Those who preach it will
not be reached, therefore, by other rem
edies than those that inspire fear AS a
rule the martyrs to anarchism are few. The
leader, Parsons, at Chicago skunk out Of
sight when the conflict came to which he
had marshaled his followers Most fled
when the supreme moment to stand for his
principles" was at hand. On trial, he
and his associates appealed most illogically
to the very law they had outraged, for pro-
lection from its DEGREES. Here is system
then, that these men have been all along
declaring vicious, worthy of humiliation
and utterly without the worth of eensid-
Grafton by the new school. Yet when the
test was applied, they absolutely invoked
the safeguards that this assaulted system
has set up for good citizens, and
pleaded like whipped ours for the
protection of the very arm they en-
deavored to paralyze. We say, therefore,
that fear is a potent influence with this
class, and that the ignominy of penal pun
ishnent is for them deterrent. There is
no need to attach the severe penalty of
death in their cases. That would make
them martyrs indeed to the "cause" they
represent. What we do need is law ex-
preston defining such crimes as theirs, and
ahxing adequate penalties; but not such
as will ennoble their sacrifice Put the ball
and chain TO the legs of the leaders hold
them up TO the scorn and pity of men; de-
grade the cause of anarchism by ranking
1t with the offense of the thief, and it will
lose caste with the deluded and half-crazed
followers of the whole gang of Anarchists.
At the same time, while we feel that soci-
ETY. is equal to the task of dealing with
these fellows and should not be led into
applying penalties for their crimes that
viii elevate them to the rank of capital
offenses, yet We should have such prohib-
itory provisions as will exclude the whole
Anarchist crew from our shores on
the ground not only that they are danger
ous, but that we have other concerns too
important any commanding to warrant
wasting and precious moments in dealing
with the Anarchists as petty criminals
Let the countries that breed this kind of
Termin take care of them. In America
Te have better Use for our money than to
expend 1T in humiliating these miserable
wretches. If We read Alright the express
sions of society, this is the present de-
mand, and We believe it will be complied
with and that we viii soon have declared
the new policy, to wit, the exclusion of all
men from these shores who by expressed
belief are viciously antagonistic to our
system of government and our social
methods.