The San Francisco call., 1896-08-23
i LEEF FROM THE PHST
Editor Danas Critics Republish Some Of
His Old-Jime Utterances
10 Prove That the Eminent Journalist Has Undergone Serious
Change in His Views of Late Years

PRoUDHON AND HIS "BANK OF THE
PEoPLE:" st Being reprint Of newspaper arti-
cles written by Charles A. Dana, editor Of the
New York sun Published BY BENJAMIN R.
tucker, New York (box 1912.
One OF the most amusing pieces of campaign
literature that it has been our privilege to in
spect this year comes from q New York
publisher. casual glance at the title-page
on its arrival disclosed the name of Charles A.
Dana, the veteran editor of the New York Sun,
as its author. A little further search, however,
showed that Mr.. Dana is not responsible for its
publication least, not just now.
Journalists are subject to the same natural
laws as other people. Like the rest of human
kind, Mr.. Dana was once a young man. At
the early age of 80, this stripping found him
self the occupant of the editorial chair in the
New York Tribune Office. This was in 1S48,
at about the time when Pierre Joseph Proud
hon made considerable stir in Paris on account
of the ardor with which he threw himself into
the socialistic propaganda. The revolution of
1S4S was in full swing.
Then up rose Charles A. Dana, and pro-
ceeded, with all the might of his editorial pen
to eulogize NJ. Proudhon. In November, 1849,
we find him expressing sympathy for the
revolutionist in this wise: property is the
right of possession; at the,same time it is the
right of exclusion.
Property is the reward of labor; and at the
same time the negation of labor.
Property is the immediate product of soei-
ETY.; and the dissolution of society.
Property is an insti tuition of JUSTICE; and
PROPERTY IS ROBBERY"
These were the principles advocated by
Proudhon.
"Bravop quoth Dana. (As we have said
Mr.. Dana was a young man, And then he
continued at a Later period: ''Would to God
that this hot and bloody struggle were over
and that peace might come at last to the
world And yet l invoke no seeming peace
that the weaker may ever anew be plum
dered, but peace with Liberty, Equality, and
honest mans and not robbers Order for
lis condition. What is the way to such
a place? Through war and destruction
through such war as that at Rome and that in
Rungary-perhaps, too, through such as that
of June, 184S, in Paris.'' = 'Let others give
aid and comfort to despots. Be it ours to
stand for liberty and justice, nor fear to lock
arms with those who are called hotheads and
demagogues when the good cause requires"
(Mr. Dana was at this time still young man.)
Time passed on. The stigma of youth was
gradually obiterated from the sympathizer
with Proudhon. The New York Journalist got
possession of the Sun, a Democratic organ.
Mr.. Dana continued, with few intermissions,
in full sympathy with the principles of his
party till the present year, when he ''bolted,"
giving as his reason an inability to stomach
the platform as formulated at the Chicago con-
vention.
And now appears on the scene the party of
the second part-one Benjamin R.. Tucker.
Said Tucker is a good deal of a wag. In an
eccentricaIly printed little pamphlet he repub-
fishes Mr. Dana's vaporings touching socialism.
These he places side by side with some
of Mr.. Dana's recently published utterances.
Herein find Glover Cleveland sneeringly
characterized as "The Proudhon of Buzzards
Bay when as Mr.. Tucker observes, "The arti-
cles here eollated prove beyond doubt that,
in Mr.. Daua's real belief, to liken a man to
Proudhon is to bestow on him the highest
honor"
Mr.. Tucker opines that Mr.. Dana will not
greet his efforts to permanently preserve his
editorial utterances while in the heyday of
youth with any cordiallty. We entirely agree
with him on this point. We make bold to say
that we should like to witness q meeting be-
tween the two gentlemen named to.hear what
they had 10 say. 1t would be worth listen
ing to.