The Portland daily press., 1886-05-10
the RoCKLAND OPINION AND
THE ANARCHISTS.

In letter published elsewhere the editor
OF the Rockland Opinion takes exceptions to
the inference that that paper was extenua-
ting the offenses Of the Chicago Anarchists
which the PRESS drew upon from an article
phbiaRed in the Opinion last week. The
PRESS hasllsdesire to do the Opinion an in
justice or misrepresehtit in any way, and it
accepts the declaration of its editor that it
has no sympathy with the Anarchists as con-
elusive on that point. Nevertheless we think
the PRESSES inference from the article in
question was not an unreasonable one. All
the dispatches we had seen concurred that
the Anarchists were the aggressors and that
the first assault was committed by them.
Therefore when we saw the affair served
up in the Opinion after this fashion 1--WE
quote the 6pfnich's language
The people were returning home, and the meet
ing mad dWindled from some 10 600 to less than
1000 persons, when band OF 200 policemen
who had been assembled at neighboring station
dashed iuto the square and charged on the crowd
shooting right and left. The attack seems to have
Deen Witnoug any Justl1cation, as the crowd was
not committing any violence and were exercising
speech.
1t looked to us very much as if the Opin-
ion was seeking to extenuate the Anarchists
crimes ymisrepresenting the facts. And fur
ther on in the same article was the following
paragraph which seemed to point in the
same direction:
Thousands Of workingmen who are peaceable,
law-apialng cltlzens, are about tired of seeing
tnese neeuess slaughters by officers of law. II
the peace IS 10 be broken if murder is to be COM
mon thing, they argue, why should the poor and
the humble be the only victims? The rich and
powerful are more TO blame than these-why
should they never suffer anything? In the pres
ent condition Of things 1t is of the utmost impor
lance tnat justice shall be done through the law
ful tribunals tnaJ the masses of the people shall
BE protected and not oppressed by government.
Otherwise, they will secure justice more summary
manner and will protect themselves.
We are glad to be assured that we mis-
understood the Opinion.
Having set the Opinion right, we now
want the Opinion to set the PRESS right.
Mr.. Otis accuses us Of fighting the Knights
of Labor. The aims of the Knights of
Labor as declared by themselves are as fol-
lows:
/. To make industrial and moral worth, not
wealth, the true standard of individual and Ma
tional greatness.
ii. To secure to the workers the full enjoy
ment of the wealth they create, sufficient leisure
in which to develop their intellectual, moral and
social faculties; all of the benefits, recreation
and pleasures of association; in a word to enable
ing civilization.
:, IN order to secure these results we demand at
the hands of the STATE:
ell. The establishment of Bureaus of Labor
eessannstlcs, that we may arrive at correct knowl
dge u tne educational, moral and financial con-
u.ioh OF the laboring masses
naono That the public lands, the heritage of the
pthapre pe reserved for actual settlers not an
ali iaa aSre for railroads SPECTATORS and that
taxed 70 their full value y fN'
eoual,1 ne abrogation of all laws that do not bear
q unjust atpDn SSaptsl and labor and the removal
''v u1 ~ " she administration OF Justice.
tbe has Inc adoption Of measures nroyiding for
SA''A ana safety Of those engaged in mining