The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-02

The Strikes ana the SldnuihS Ahhss
The way in which abusers OF liberty
undermine their w privileges Is we'll
illustrated by the movement in favor
of an increased standing army which
has grown out of tho recent strikes.
The violence and destruction of prop
erty. the sweeping threats and the
real evident peril of the situation
which confronted the people last
month have scared all the nervous
elements in the country and they
make up a big and influential portion
of the population.
Now it may be doubted whether in
virtue of our standing as a nation
and our complex foreign relations, we
should not maintain a larger standing
army. We may get in trouble some
day and be sorry we have not a
stronger nucleus Of professional sol
diers for u land forces. But, how
ever that may be, the proposal &c. in
crease the national army as a protec-
ton against internal uprisings is
about as alarming as anything we
can think of. 1t is very rank despot-
ism, indeed, when a government
maintains an army against the peo-
ple-to overawe the citizens and keep
them under control. For a few years,
such an army may be i%nnocuous IN
practice; but it only needs an am
bilious clique and a critical situation
to make is=fatal to liberty. An oc-
casion sucho as the Tilden-Hayes i'm
broglio of 1876 might prove the end
of popular government if the idea
once became pretty firmly established
that the army was maintained for the
purpo of holding the people in sub
lection.
This idea should be resisted at any
cost. As a simple matter of fact, the
sscent strike proved that the present
forces are ample for all emergencies
that are likely to arise. We are
hardly likely to have much worse out
breaks than these of Chicago, Ham
mond and Oakland. But even If the
mobs had proved much more com
bative and determined than they did,
there was ample force to suppress
them. Indeed, in this case they
simply melted away at the sight of
the troops.
If we want anything in the way of
a preventive force against riot, it
should be some better aud more com
prehensive form of police organiza-
ton. Governor Abbett's State Police
idea was just the right thing. Like
almost everything else proposed by
that able and statesmanlike leader,
this measure r~econciled the force
which the State needs with the rights
of the people. This State has seen
more than one crisis in which this or
g~anization would have been of the
highest value. Long may it be be
fore another such occasion arises; but
whenever it does. the people will ind
reason t % condemn the blind and reck-
less partisan jealousy which abolished
this most useful institution.
THERE is Just one thing that excites
our sympathy with James Smith. Jr.,
the Judas Senator from Essex-7ran at
tack on him by the New York World
When one considers the part played
by that slleetin the betrayal OF Leon
Albeit andithe creation of the Smith
boom. onescannot but regard it as
bitter that2the same paper should 0
no back onsthe man whose chief ac
eomplice itIwas in the blacklist cpl
sode in his life. For bad as his be
rrayal OF the Democracy is now. il
hardly equals in personal turpitudt
the treachery to Governor Albeit
whose adherent Smith SO many times
proclaimed himself to be.
THE New York State Constitutions
Convention talks of submitting th'
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