The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-26
THE FALL of ANARCHIsM.


Those excellent people whose lives have
been saddened by the belief that sooner or
later this country will be involved in
bloody revolution through the growing in
fluence of those who have preached anarch-
ism should be relieved by the recent per-
Torrance of Mr.. Debs. At meeting in
st. Louis a few weeks ago this person met
with Sovereign and other mouthers in the
expression of revolutionary sentiments. The
meeting attracted wide notice and doubt
less gave the timid fre III alarm. At the
time these utterances we're cheered to the
echo. Two or three weeks passed, during
which Mr.. Debs's followers in his organza-
ton in Chicago, called the Social Democ-
racy, assumed his role and made incendiary
speeches at the Sunday meetings of the
clubs. Millionaires were to be shot and the
dwellings of the aristocrats were to be fired.
In the heated imaginations of these speak
ers bloody revolution had been begun. Ex-
cept in the manner of expression the
harangues of the Chicago Social Democrats
were not different from that of Debs in St.
Louis. But they seemed TO attract more
rot forgotten and where most of those in
this country reside. 1t cannot be ascer-
tanned, however, that public protest was
made other than that contained in the
newspapers. Nevertheless it reached Mr..
Debs that the preaching of violence and
lawlessness is generally distasteful. How
it reached him does not appear. The fact
lob or
CARNATIONS Possibly Mr. Debs had himself
soberly considered the matter and as the
result arrived at the conclusion that Social
Democracy is incompatible with incendi-
arism and assassination.
Whatever the cause Mr.. Debs has sud-
denly changed his mind, or had it changed.
The torch and the sword are no longer the
instruments of the social revolution he
would bring about Education is the agent
to be used to recruit the ranks of his new
organization. The change is most signifi-
cant because it seems to mean that those
who have been leaders in disturbance have
disavowed it. 1t seems to mean that the
or less in sympathy with Debs and Sover-
eign have learned that lawlessness and vio-
lence are the deadly foes of those who work
for wages 1t seems to be notice to those
who would represent the masses that an
archism must not be advocated. In effect it
means that those who have maintained
sort of threatening attitude toward law and
The larger and more important of these
camps is filled with those who accept the
latest dictum of Debs, that there must be
no violence nor the preaching of it. The
smaller is composed of a few Insignificant
persons whose anarchism is strong, but
whose influence is insignificant and harm
less unless it should lead the mentally I'M
balanced to attempt the life of some prom
inent person. In short, Mr.. Debs's latest
avowal has practically destroyed whatever
of danger there has been in the preaching
of anarchism in this country.
There is now but one other class of mis-
chief-makers to be dealt with-those whose
vocation is to make a large class of people
believe that under the laws and their adj
ministration their rights are ignored. These
demagogues are fond Of telling the people
that the flag which is the emblem of nation
ality stands for the oppression of the
masses and the privilege of the few. This
is heresy which would poison the minds
of millions and eat out of the hearts of
the people that love of country which makes
nations and upholds civil government The
man who asserts that the poor do not have
the same rights in the courts as the rich UNI
consciously advocates heresy and falsely
assails the bulwarks of the security of So
ciety. The assertion is a lie; if any have
the advantage in our courts they are the
poor.