Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-09-21
Much Ado About Nothing.


a few days ago tv the application Of
patron ii the oIANnAhr Job-printing
office to have some slips printed of
names purporting to be list OF mem.
bors OF the \. F. A., or the Ammo
recns. as they call themselves in the
lodge room. BY some means the fact
became known that such list had
been prepared. and that it was in the
hands Of Il printer. This was enough
to create at once quite a. much inter
est in the list al ." suspects" az in the
objects and aims Of the order itself.
Several whose names appeared on the
hist, denounced its preparation as an
outrage upon themselves and their bust
ness and threatened the most dire ven
geance upon the party, or parties, who
had caused their names to be listed.
should they become known Under
these circumstances. it was of course,
e1pedient to withhold the name OF the
patron who had, perhaps unwittingly,
done an act which had, if the threats
made were sincere, placed his life in
jeopardy. So the name was not given,
and the antipathy seemed, for time
to be transferred to the writer of these
lines, who was threatened with prose-
cution for alleged damages, resulting
from showing the paper to few per.
sons, at their own request, whose
names appeared in the list.
Very innocently, therefore, the edi-
tor of this paper became the target for
considerable abuse for another's act,
whose motives probably were equally
as devoid OF offense.
The list purports to be simply the
names of gentlemen who were sus-
pected of being members of q secret
political society, having for its object
the ostracising of portion of our conn.,
munity on account Of their religious
faith. 1t was, we understand, based
upon knowledge of persons seen
going to and returning from the
lodge-room of that order. No claim
has, 80 far as we can learn, been made
that the evidence was more than pre-
sumptive, or that it should be taken as
conclusive without corroborative proof.
The simple denial of several friends of
the writer, who have taken umbrage,
was sufficient to relieve them from
any suspicion of completely with the
midnight league, although it is said to
be an obligation of the order to deny
all knowledge of the A. P. A. to the
outside world.
1t is not very difficult to determine
in small community like this, who
can and who cannot be made Access
series to such an unjust, un-American,
lproscriptive organization, and very
little damage to reputation or business
can result to those whose conduct has
been such as to build up a character
for probity and honor. Such men
need have no fear, if by inadvertance,
they may like odd Dog Tray" be-
come associated, by mere inference.
with those whose acts are condemned.
True character can withstand such an
assault, when it is made with the oh.
ject of promoting public benefit and
requires but specific denial to obvi-
ate any possible evil consequences.
1t is the secret nature of the organi.
cation which makes it necessary, in |
self-defense. for those who are to be |
injured by its operations, to band to.
gether and obtain such knowledge as
may be possible by close observation.
If there is any blame, it should attach |
to those who make such . course nee.
essary.