New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-20
THE SOCIALIST ENEMY.
WHAT HIS SHARE IS IN THE AGITATION
AMONG THE POLICE AND THE
GRENADIER GUARDS.

content in the Police Force. When he announced
that the polceman's lot is not happy one, tnc
discovery a novel one 10 this excellent Dooy OF
men. There had been content among them oe-
fore; there has been discomfort since, ana uhaV
large class of the community to whom notiihs
is so precious a logical fallacy Will ten you
that no demonstration could be clearer buV
have not heard that Mr.. Gilbert has been arres'eu
nor has the Press which Lord RoSebery considers 80
licentious, yet fastened this fcspoiDSi0iiiU9 "P
the author of Pinafore.
The grievances of the Police are not, IN IacN
very numerous or very distressing. They want
more nav and Encouragement of their pension
svsten-not much else so far as one hears these
are not reasons sufficient TO set an army aname, or
TO Justify a strike or to hand over city OF FIVE
Millions Of people TO the Masses or TO the GRIM
inal section of that large body Of people on whom'
so far as they not criminal, Mr.. Gladstone Is
disposed to lean.
The causes of such trouble as there is must be
sourbt elsewhere They are not, ! think, De
partmental The present Home Secretary has
done much TO demoraize the Police and TO foment
disalfection, but not enough TO account for what
has happened Probably no act OF his was so uh-
popular as his dismissal of the late Ohet commas
sioner Mr.. MOnro,-for dismissal 1T was-ln iact,
though in form a resignation. MI Matthew's SoU
rid of Mr.. Monro when he found that he was not
willing 10 sacrifice the interests Of the Force To
the arbitrary instincts Of the Home Office, OF
rather of Mr. Matthews himself, since it is only
during Mr. Matthew's reign that the friction
between Whitehall and Scotland Yard has become
intolerabe Yet the dismissal of Mr. MOnro pro-
voked no outburst among the men; devoted to
him as they were. He fell their champion and
defending their interests; standing between them
and that strange mingling of indifference and
aespotism which characterized the Home Secretary
They regretted his fate; they showed their sym
pathy with him in various ways, but not word
was then heard of a strike.
1t has 10 be said that Socialism is at the
bottom Of the present disturbances. l should BE-
sorry to say it if the failure of the Socialist
effort had not been, at least for the moment, so
marked. The gentlemen who wish to rearrange soci-
ETY. have carried for some time past very
assiduous propaganda among the police, and not
among the police only. Their attention seems
10 have been specially directed to this quarter by
the incidents of Trafalgar Square in the winter
Of 1887. They made at that time a definite effort
TO take command They collected, from time to
time mobs numerous enough. rs they thought.
to insure obedience t. sher wishes They found
however that between tloIa and their object
stood first the police and secondly, the troops.
Their schemes went all to wreck against these OBJ
stacles They perceived that society in its exist
ing form was selfish enough 10 interpoSe these
defences between itself and its enemies. Having
tried To storm them and failed, they abandoned
that method too dangerous and unprohtaoe'
and they set themselves TO undermine the walls
OF the fortress tley were too weak. TOO some
thing else, to carry by force. AS they could not
enter by storm. they would proceed by sap.
IL is almost three years since this decision was
taken land it is startling enough 70 see the results OF
a plot so deliberate and sustained 1t IS even more
startling to see them break out 50 suddenly
in two quarters at the same moment. Inc most
sugqth intelligence wakes 12 at the news OF
strike in the Police and a mutny in the Guards
on the same day. There is no avOwed connection
between the two. There is no evidence Of any
concert between the military indictments and the
civil 1t is rot at all probable that any measures
were agreed on between them. that either was
even aware of what the other meditatcd; except
that the Guards must have known what everybody
knew through the Press and otherwise. The cN-
planation is that the same agencies were al Work
on both, and produced results not identical, Dul
similar
In view Of what is happening, one is tempted
though not too strongly-tO sympathize with inc
esregious Mr. Game in his hostility TO the I'M
happy publican 1t appears that one BODY OF
these Socialistic emissaries work through the
public house. That is, in the case OF the GUARDS
the seat Of the mischief The private solder
will do much for beer; he will even listen TO the
incendiary dronings Of the disciples OF Mr. Henry
George and Mr. John Burns and Mr.. Hyndman,
and other leaders Of the movement. Hall the
pot-houses in Kensington are SO many separate
nests Of social revolution; small scale, no
doubt, but no great space is needed for hatch
ing mischief The officers know it, have long
known it, and seem to be powerless TO interfere.
They tell YOU freely what they hear; some of it
they hear from Tommy Atkins himself, for IL ap-
pears that man may be private soldier and
nevertheless have honorable feelings and an at
tachment to the existing order of things
different game has to be played with the
police uniformed policeman inside a public
house discoursing revolution with East End
roughs would not long retain his uniform. But
there are Socialists in the force itself, and even
were there not, the whole life of the guardian OF
public order is not passed in uniform. There
are areas and friends female and other, down the
area-steps, and London contains great. many
corners, and the policeman has not as yet earned
character for dislike to gossip, or friendly chat
with the casual pasSer he remains, surpris
ing as it would be to Mr.. Matthews to hear OF
it, human being even when lettered and mum
bered and 334 has shown himself capable OF
human emotions. The Socialists themselves are
good witnesses. They and their organs have foi
some time past been limiting, not too obscuply
that something would shortly happen in the
police force which would astOnish those who be
lieved that the police force was 10 be relied or
in every emergency Their organs have lost NJ
occasion of eXaggerating police grievances, Of
provoking passions, of provoking characterization
So far the police are concerned, the net re
suit Of all this secret scditOn-preaching has beer
the refusal Of thirty-nine men TO obey orders;
refusal followed by their dismissal next mornin.
by SIR Edward Bradford, the new Chief Com
missioner. Between that and the general strk,
Of the whole IA, 900, which was so freely fore
told on Monday, the difference is considerable
There has been some danger of a much wide
outbreak but ii seems TO have been avertcd TIN