The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-01-24
TrMroRIzING wITH kIOrs.

| lulufN 10 lDe luuOCcht 90 WI -
the guilty is no unfamiliar feature u
the daily and nightly trays.
We learn from the news of the hour
from Brooklyn that the militia have
done some seemingly careless shooting
Ii is claimed that persons in TO way
identified with the rioting have beei
shot.
These are pitiabe incidents but th'
tendency TO berate the militia on that ac-
count is neither wholesome nor fair
Tendency aud the insidious effort to ex-
cite popular opinion against the soldiers
is to be deprecated.
The position of the military forces in
a state Of affairs like that which has ex-
listed in Brooklyn City for the past ten
days is delicate one. They are looked
to to suppress violence and to maintain
order. But they are never wholly
in authority. The civil government re-
mains supreme. The military are simp-
ly an adjunct. a last resort, and although,
as in the case in Brooklyn, the out
break against the peace may as
sumo such proportions that
all other authority absolutely collapse
in the face of it, the military are still
controlled by tight rein and curb
bit.
| The result is in Brooklyn, as II invar-
iably is, that the entrance of the militia
on the scene of combat carries with 1t
little OF moral force and prestige. The
mob feels instinctively that the least act
of recklessness, that any losing of head,
on the part of the militia,
that the sending astray OF u
bullet will not be tolerated. They know
that bullet from the armed soldiers
must have the fullest justification be-
fore it is fired. In word, they feel
that they may regard the militia with
contempt, so long as they do not carry
their contempt to the point of overt acts
directed against the lives of the soldiers.
| That arrogant rioters have very good
reason for thus regarding the military
Of the State is usually demonstrated by
the time the first shot is fired. Rioters
may beat to death tine victims of their
wrath. Strikers may belabor ncn-union
men legitimately seeking employment
in the places made vacant by
the strike, and burn and de-
stroy the property of the companies
or individuals against whom they have
grievances and while public opinion does
not support these criminal acts, public
| opinion is too likely to cry out against
the soldier whose bullet strikes some
body in crowd of rioters who,
while among them. may not be OF
| them, The blood of the innocent
has been shed by the militia and public
opinion is prone to regard the act with
horror. The one unfortunate act of
this kind is more deprecated in many
quarters. a greater hue and cry is made
over it, than all Me murderous assaults
made by the styikers on the men against
whom their violence is directed. Effort
is made to hold up the armed forces OF
the law to contumely and contempt; to
discredit their services as simply the
work of authorized murderers.
In this way, invariably, is the attempt
made to cloud the public vision of the
merits and dement's of situation like
that which exists in Brooklyn to-
day. We are asked to forget that.
mob law, that untrammelled violence,
that irresponsible and arrogant riot
leaders are seeking to rule in the city of
Brooklyn, and that they have SO far sue
ceeded that an overwhelming force and
the convincing influence of bullet alone
can prevail to restore peace and order and
again establish condition that will
guarantee protection to the citizens and
property of that municipality. Inno-
with the mobs and the mobs are warned
that the military are on duty to preserve
order by force, If necessary.
1t is probably an unfortunate thing
that the military usually, themselves,
encourage the feeling that they are
on duty to temporize with mob.
As was the case in Brooklyn,
lots OF bullets are fred over the
heads of the rioters and after the first
scare the latter acquire new confidence
and feel that the militia do not dare to
shoot at, rather than over, them They
become emboldened and the task of the
forces of law and order become more
difficult accordingly, until the shots are
fiually sent direct and the casualties
that result are usually more numerous
than would have been the case had the
first shooting been done "for business"
Yet it is probably true that were mill
tary force to shoot into mob at
the first assault, public opinion might
not sustain the actor it is human
nature 20 always hope for some less
| haroic method of satfliuo tbasa disp,,tas