The San Francisco call., 1899-07-31
THE REIGN OF LAWLESSNESS.


April 90 I8Qo destroyed property at Wardner ana,
in connection with that crime, killed man named
James Cheyne.
This simple fact proves that the ordinary admins
tration of the law amply sufficient to deal with t
situation produced at Wardner by the MOB winch
perpctrated the outrage thus partly redressed ana
fy iustifes the comments OF The Call upon the reign
of terror established through the cooperation OF e
civil and Of the military authorities In the hrst "
stance in order to overawe and control SO lar
BODY Of men. only portion OF whom seem to have
been actual participants in violence, there proDaDiy
was sufficient excuse for temporary military 1nerer-
ence But it is now quite apparent that the declaration
and the maintenance of martial law the censorship
over the press and the telegraph the arrest OF nun
dreds of citizens without the formay OF accusation
or warrant the exertion OF undue pressure 1or inc
production of testimony and all the other arbitrary
proceedings that have been so widely criticized
THROUGHOUT the country were absolutely without pos
sible justification palliation.
The deeper and more alarming condition. now
ever that the proceedings in Idaho illustrate is the
growing prevalence Of lawlessness throughout the
United States Believing it does, that the Republi-
can party especially in these days OF socastc tuslon
represents Amercanism IN its highest sense, The Call
has persstentv maintained the inherent rights OF clti
zens and insisted upon the administration OF our pot
ical system in strict conformity with fundamental law
as interpreted and applied for nearly century and
quarter For years the breach between capital ana
labor has gradually widened and there have been pre-
montory symptoms OF disturbance that could only
be met by that equality before the law which, IN the
centers OF political corruption has come TO be treated
as cant But after all there is balance IN our lnstl-
tutions and a self-adjusting element in our people
fully commensurate with any exgencies that existed
before our war with Spain, and which, 1t may be
added will most likely be adequate to control existing
and new complications.
The situation however is dangerous and perplex-
ing Concidently with the development OF imperial
istc tendencies contempt for the law has enormously
increased Thomas Babington Macaulay than
fifty years ago predicted that, before the end OF the
century, there would be bread riots in New York
This prediction has not been literally, but 1t has been
substantially verified brief allusion to few OF the
incidents that have transpired within the last few
months will induce serious reflection and may result
in strengthening the public opinion that rues this
continent more effectively than any other part OF the
civilized world
The lvnchings that have been so prevalent in the
South-in both the Carolinas in Mississippi, in Geor
gia in Texas and in other States where the equib-
rum between the whites and the blacks is barely
maintained-rest on their own peculiar ground. The
outrages that provoke them and the lynchngs them
selves are evidences OF lawlessness suggestive OF
race antagonism and of a problem that ought to
produce some hesitation among the advocates OF Ha-
waan cheap labor and OF the conquest Of the Fiipi-
nos The worst feature of these departures from law
and order are the insecurity they establish in the 10
calities where they occur and the injury they infct
upon popular government The United States has
already paid an indemnity China. 1t is about
to acknowledge the legality OF the claim for the lives
OF three Italians summarily taken at Taulah Louisi-
ana These experiences valuable, because they
show that by universal recognition law is the essence
OF civilization,
But the most significant breaches Of that discipline,
without which great populations cannot live together
in harmony and in prosperity, those which involve
Our white citizens and result from the intense antag
onism OF labor against capital 1t has been recently
observed by the Iron Age of New Yor1 that the
slightest pretexs are seized upon as justification for
strikes and that labor is both and uneasy In
dustria and capalistc unions, held within the just
limitations OF the law equally unobJectlonable
Their policy is thing-theT legality is quite
another Associated capital in some OF its FORMS has
sought to control legislation influence the courts
and to rule the national policy Imperialism, to the
extent 10 which it really exists is product of this
tendency. The accumulation OF money, by honest
means is merely proper but laudabe. This truth
is almost universally admitted among American citi
zens OF all classes including the preponderating
bers in labor organizations But capital, employed
corrupy, works silently, insidiousy, remorseessly
and without force except when it needs military
sstance, and, in those emergencies, it usually
keeps within the techncaes OF the law. 1t thus pro-
vo1es coarser violations OF peace and of order Lat
terlv almost every strike even against the protesta
tions of its leaders, has been accompanied by violence
The public is becoming familiar with the of dyna
mite, with attacks upon property that harm the inno
cent more than the guilty, with state OF menacing
evaporation that necessitates relief
The examples of these propositions are too numer-
ous and too recent for recaptulation. New York
Ohio Illinois and Kansas are among the most impor
tant In Illinois and in Kansas the attempt subst
tute negroes for white aborers added fuel the fire
In Cleveland the strike for brief period almost as
sumed the proportions OF instruction 1t is true
that these nsubordinate exhibitions have been thus
far suppressed But they have been most destructive