The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-26
TYRANNiCiDE'
Can killing Eser ceas' TO be Ndrder III
ih- Case of King.

| NItrt tut III lu' lhAAhf-h'fF -
criticised by us from the literary point oil
| view elsewhere. in denouncing the horrors
| Oi the Russian prisons and the wlckeunees
of those who permit such wrongs 10 man
and insults 20 God, declares that IN the
night Of misTule tyrannicide IS The zone reu
star and he may therefore fairly be taken
TO Justify by anticipation. If not actually to
suggest, "the execution OF the Car. Can
the evil deeds ofthe Russian Sovereign, as
sumiug. Of course. that the Emperor Is
aware Of aud responsible for what goes ON
| i'm Siberia. Justify such an attitude!
And are there special circumstances ~
the case Of Kings which alter the ordinary
moral law and make "kliiing no MURDER
That is the question which we desire to con-
slider on the present occasion, both from the
point Of view Of abstract right and from that
/ Of expodioncy. In our opinion. it IS impos-
sible that tyrannicide can. under any cir
cumsiances whatever, De morally Justlha-
| BILE. But by tyrannicide we mean deliber-
ate. cold-b.OodCd assassination, and not the
killing Of a tyrant i'm battle. in moment OF
| impulse inspired by an instant wrong or
outrage Of personal kind. or after due con-
sideration and by legal process-lneauing
bv the last phrase not necessarily 10y law
! which the tyrant recognizes, but by one in
conformity with the general sentiment OF
/ humanity in regard 10 Justice.
When Cromwell told his timorous col
leagues WHO were debating what IT would
I be right 10 do IL Charles himself appeared
| i'm the field. III met the King in battle, ]
would fire my pistol at him AZ az another,
he was without question taking up posi-
ton that no one has the slightest right To
object 10 as intrinsicallv immoral. man,
| too. who should strike down "a sovereign
whom be found in the act of committing
/ ffg hl
blame. again. whatever we may think Of
the oNpedlcncy Of the particular act. the
Judges Of the Count Of High COM
mission, and the officers of the court
martial which tried MaXmiiian were
| i'm no sense guilty II conduct
that can be c0ndemmed as essentially wrong
lul. such acts, per Sc, have nothing IN
them which can be declared contrary 10 the
moral law. In other words, the Ute OF q
kiugmay righinllly De taken IN The ways
in which an ordinary mans life Is taken.
and i'm nO others. The attribute Of soy
erei.ntY does NOT deprive its p0ssess0r Of
the rights Of the individual in regard 90 the
eni0lmen Oi life. TIE very foundation Of
society il the immunity rom sudden as,d--
sinatiOn which is intended to Doe secured %
all its members. ID is argued. no doubt.
and with some show Of FEASIBILITY. that
the right i'm question does not belong 10 "a.
tyrant. because, since be claims to un
higher than tine law, there Is no means
of reaching him by the way in which
an ordinary person can Doe reached.
Justice viii never hear You. am
Justice was the blasphemOus taunt OF
the Roman Emperor when the women he
had wrOngcd appealed 20 Justice against
his inipuitics. But il the tyrant thu. stands
outside the usual obligations Of humanity
does ne not also stand outside the pr0tec-
ton afforded to mankind by the moral law,
He claims 10 be above The law. and by
making and exercising that claim iOrIelts
his RIGHTS as AN ordinary man. such Is the
argument in favor " tyranicidc. II there
still exist persons who believe in the abso-
lutte right OF Kings and accept the theories
Of auiocracy. 10 may perhaps De difficult for
them to meet tie contention that tyranny
must i'm the last extremity be tenn
pered by the practice Of assassination.
since if is impossible iu their case to ad-
NIT that Sovereign can ever be-
made amcnahle 10 human Justice. Those
however, Who consider King or Emperor
as I'm ~ sense different from any other
man. have perfect answer 10 this secm-
ingly logical plea for urannicide. They
simply demand that be shall De treated like
any other human being. xiii the King i'm
battle. on il You can capture him, try him
and execute him for Is crimes, as You
would any other guilty person. but do rot
give in ~ ab-0iuti-t theories 10y admitting
that he is more than mana person apart
and armed with special privileges.
That is the reasonable republican dOctriU.
and those WHO bold il cannot consistently
argue that a tyrant may lawfully De stab
bed in his bad. secretly poisoned or blown
TO atoms in bis railway carriage.
u will be said. perhaps. .iy those who
agree with our line OF argument 50 far, that
we have not really managed 10 show that
all tyTanuicidc j. wrong. W have specially
allowed. 10 may be urged. the killing Of a
fvrant I'm battle. l,ut tlc taking oil Of "a
t,rant is merely an act Of war. Therefore
10 is allowable 10 assa-sinate tlrant
Those who argue thus ale deCeNing tneil-
selves. Calling murder au act Of war
does not make 10 one. \ state OF war Is "a
perfectly definite and Well-undcrsto0d Soc
cial condition. and when 10 exists an hui
man relation, become modified II, now
ever. it does not exist. the allegation that
things are So BAD ITS practically o. constitute
state 81 wax. or 10 Justify one. is mere
sophistry. /, is playing with words. 4
state Of war cannot De lei-nod ln order t0
make matters easy or TO relieve from re-
spOnsinilty those who ori tinale SOB ser'-
OTIS % thing as revolution. The condition 90
iolli-rrlucs either exists az ID does not, and |
b. y
the killing OF the sovereign.
liza body OF Russian peasants were % rg-
volt openly aud tahe up arms. ana the Car /
were To- assist in person in putting down
the rising. the lu.ur-eut sharIshoOteI who
tired his rife 40 the Emperor ana killed
him would morally Doe no more guilty OF
murder than the regular soldier Of foreign /
country. The fact that the dead R0man0ll /
was a sovereign would NOT, under the cir /
... fIItr
ever. a disconnected citizen obtained the /
place OF gardener no (i0tschna, made an
excuse 90 offer a poisoned strawberry to the |
CzaI, and so k.il I'D hm-that man would /
most assuredly DE guilty Of a base and /
c1ld-hlOOdtd murder. aO matter how good |
bis motives in The abstract II any more |
direct proof is wanted 90 show that the |
secret murder az even despOt I
cannot Dee justified, Dc is 20 he found |
in tAs fact that tie first impulse |
If mankind is ALWAYS To condemn |
tgrannicilo. Let any ordinary Englishman /
ask himself: "Could /. il had the power, /
killed the car while he was asleep, o. /
when be was not prepared for an attack |
However great The Indignation he feels go |
reading The accounts Of the fortunes en- !
dured hy the Russian prisoners. the answer /
can De but one: II would rather die than DO |
such thing !. is all very well for poets |
in English dfaNing-roOms 10 talk IN the /
abstract about the nobility and virtue OF
yrannicide. but il they wer0 brought face |
To face with the notion. they would shrink |
from the necessary action as SOME
thing involving pollution. We have |
mt the slightest doubt that MIR. |
swiuburn would defend a barricade |
for a cause be believed 10 be Just without |
msgiying or hesitation; bat we feel per-
cctly certain that. tor all his savage words,
Go would never poison the most hateful |
tyrant in the world. Charlotte C0rday's is
the extreme case. and yet who does not
feel that unless Marat had attempted TO
treat her with outrage which i. not alleged, |
she had nO right TO kiil him by stealth and /
treachCry for. ian spite Of the goodness Of
her intentions, these were the means which
She had 10 adopt in order TO carry out her
object
p ifyrannicide is TO De condemned IN ALL
stract grounds, il Is sill more To Doe con-
demned iof reasons OF eXIsdieucy. tits not
100 much TO say that the murder Of a tyrami
has never brought about the changes de-
sired by the mnrderers. Cpsar's death, in
gfa4d pf irnqiuv tho world riyofat .u4fg