The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-31
KING HUMBERT'S DEATH.

About ten years ago, at Geneva, in
Switzerland. an international congress
of anarchists assembled. In the ad-
dress which they issued to the world
was advocated what they termed the
propaganda of deed"
What did it mean? Some of the less
discreet of the leaders present declared
that it meant the assassination of rul-
ers. The assassination of President
Carnot of France, Of the empress of
Austria and of the prime minister of
Spain and the attempts on the lives of
President Faure, the Prince of Wales,
the Gar of Russia and other potentates
followed in rapid succession to reach
climax in the murder of King Hum
bert of Italy, upon whom frequent at
temDts had been made before.
The propaganda of deed" is certain
ly progressing.
An impression was created by the an
nouncement of the convention at Gene
va that a series of assassinations had
been Dlanned-a series which has not
been completed Whether. this conclu-
sion be true or not matters little. The
propaganda of deed will be traced to
the anarchists and the popular notion
will be that all these crimes are de-
liberately and cOncertedly plotted from
secret center.
And yet. the idiocy and Ineffective
ness of this sort of work precludes the
possibility OF an intelligent organiza-
ton being behind it. Assassination has
everywhere been an unproductive in
dustry. That of Abraham Lincoln hurt
the south and increased the severity
of the terms under which southern
states were allowed to return to the
union-albeit the south had nothing to
do with the act of bravado by which
the dramatic maniac at Fords theatre
plunged a nation into mourning. The
assassination of Alexander of Russia
in 1881 nullified the granting of con-
stitutional legislature which he was on
the point of insuring to the empire.
The murueF of Cavendish and of Burke
in Dublin only intensified English Bit
terness towards Ireland. The death of
Canovas was followed by the greatest
humiliation and suffering the people of
Spain have endured for a century. And
the murder of Humbert has removed
from the throne one of the most toler
ant rulers the Italians have ever
known
Anarchists are fools as well as Grim
inals if they sanction assassination as
an agency of reform. 1t never was. It
never will be.
Many of these attempts are made bv
halt-crazeo individuals or desperate ex-
tremists seeking notoriety. When the
young man who tried to kill the car
at Harsko Selo a few years ago was
taken in custody he was asked for mis-
motive Il wished to kill him" he
said. that 1 may be immortal" The
boy who essassinated the empress of
Austria laughed at his captors and told
them that his name would live in his
tory
Whether these murders are directed
by powerful societies whose instru-
ments are cunning fools who take the
whole responsibility upon themselves.
by misguided patriots, by frenzied ia
natics or by seekers after notoriety.
may not be soon discovered. But the
death of a person of rank does not de-
stroy the hated title to which another
and another may succeed. each taking
precautions a little more stringent un-
til assassination eventually builds I'D
a stronger despotjsm than anarchy
would have torn down.
Murder is not a means of reform.
The history of the world proves its fail
ure. The sentiment of mankind is
against il.
That kind of statesmapship- is not of
this era.