St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-17
KILLING ANARCHY.


KILLING ANARCHY,
rrIvate Versus Public Executions and
the Cars Method With Nihilism,
In European practical politics, or practical
government, whichever we choose to term it,
there seems to be but one method Of dealing
with anarchy; that of killing anarchists.
Accessory to that are stern methods of re-
preston and many means of annoyance and
persecution for those suspected of being in
fected with anarchistic ideas, but the one
great cure is the swift and stern execution of
every one connected with an anarchistic plot
which has eliminated in an overt act of at
tempted destruction. The basic idea of the
system is terror, and, to make the terror as
great as possible, it is necessary to strain
point of law now and then to include in the
executions persons who could not be con-
victed on strictly legal evidence; the theory
OF this being, that when the Government is in
danger you should practically, though per-
haps not avowedly, reverse the rules of evil
dence and give the benefit of a doubt not to
the wellnigh omnipotent individual who is
believed to have attacked the social order,
but to- the poor, weak, struggling, innocent
and extremely useful Government, on the
continued existence of which in its present
shape the dear people necessarily depend
for their lives, fortunes and sacred honor.
So far the system has not been extremely
successful. Anarchy is undoubtedly increas-
ing, and this fact is met by a theory that the
anarchist who proceeds to an overt act is a
misanthropic Individual, whose great love of
notoriety overcomes his fear of death, and
that the notoriety of the executions therefore
tends to increase the number of overt acts.
We are now told that France and Spain have
both at the same time hit upon the same
method of meeting this unexpected condi-
ton, and that plan is to have the executions
as quiet as possible. Henry, the French
anarchist, was brought out at four o'clock on
Monday morning and quietly guillotined, at
Paris, and at the same hour Of the same day
six Spanish anarchists were brought out at
Barcelona s'and as quietly shot to death"
Evidently, while other nations have been
experimenting on smokeless powder the
Spanish government has invented noiseless
guns, and this shooting match at human
game at four o'clock in the morning, at
which platoon of soldiers discharged their
rifles more than once, was 'sas quiet as the
gliding stroke of the knife at Paris. But
passing this trifie, it is triumphantly stated
that 'There is absolutely nothing alluring to
the notoriety hunter in this mode of death
Napoleon said that he had not often met
with three o'clock in the morning courage
To be wakened at that disgusting hour and
hroy1 hi ont 70 ho Iii
sleepiness and fear he has forgotten his
speech, and when there would be nobody to
hear it but a few sleepy reporters, is fate
from which any anarchist would shrink
1t must be confessed that this reasoning
has somewhat limping gait The event
proved that Henry had four o'clock courage
and this was also true of the Spaniards. The
chance of proving such people towards by
making the hour of execution earlier, is ex-
ceedingy small, and if the proof were really
obtained, its value may well be doubted. The
man who would deliberately face the odds
that the revolutionary anarchist prepares to
meet would never believe it possible that the
hour of the day or night at which he would
be done to death could make him a coward
He would do his deed just the same for all
that.
The theory of quiet execution in such
case is just as illogical as that the bravery or
courage of a revolutionist turns upon the
hours of the night. The chief end of the ex-
ecution is to strike terror into other revou-
tionists. To that end its horrors should
have the widest possible publicity. This,
however, is the very thing that has thus far
utterly failed.
The same excellent authority from which I
have already quoted says that the anarchists
are circumvented with increasing efficiency
as the qualifications of anarchism extend, and
with them increases the facility of getting
police spies into their councils and of bribng
the weakened anarchists to turn inform
ers." From this it would clearly appear
that anarchy is increasing, and that as it in
creases it can be more easily circumvented.
So, of course, smallpox can be more easily
circumvented the more its ramifications ex-
tend, because when it is everywhere we can
spy it out with less difficulty.
Russian nihilism is akin to anarchism in
that it is also revolutionary force. The
Gar has fought it for many years, and mas
much as he has not yet been comminuted
like his father, he may be said to be a sue
cessful sovereign. The mysteries of Siberia,
no trial, no publicity, everlasting oblivion,
are his answer to nihilism. What pity that
all the other powers cannot trade off all their
suspected anarchists to the Car.
FRANK WELLS.
The most densely populated place on the
face of the earth is the island of Malta in the
Mediterranean, and its people are a mixture
Of all the races bordering on the Mediterra-
mean. -
An English society periodical tells US that
the paper on which letters to the Queen of
England are written must not be folded.
There is usually some reason for even the
most absurd forms of etiquette or ceremony,
but We fail to see any good reason for this.
There are 5,925 lighthouse stations scat
tered along the coasts of all civilized lands.