Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-09-10
THE LESSON TAUGHT.

tory the NnleI magistrate OF tllc
American people has been smit
ten down by the hapd of an as
sassin. Not the assassination Of
Lincoln nor of Garfield gave the
people a greater shock than they
experienced when the telegraph
flashed the sad news to every city,
town and hamlet in telegrapllic
reach that President Mckinley
had been fatally shot. It was
stunning. With blanched cheeks
and speechless lips men looked
questioningly i'll each others face,
loath 10 believe, yet fearing the
truth. 1t is safe to say that no
president has beSu closer 10 The
great heart of the American peo-
pie. An able and wise executive.
a man of unblemished character,
of most humane and kindly dis
position, the highest type of a
christian gentleman, most ad.
mirable product of American in
stitutions, President KeKinley is
beloved by all classes. We can
lily spare such men. 1t is hoped
he may recover. Thousands of
devout men and women fervently
implore the Eternal Arbiter of
life and death that he may live.
Whether the president survives
or not we must learn the lessons
of the hour. No longer may our
chief executive safely travel from
place to place and meet and greet
the people. He must be contin-
ua1ly attended by an armed guard,
and unknown citizens must not
find access to him. If he partici-
pate in any public function it is
at peril of his life.
Who is responsible for such a
state Of affairs? The people are
We have given an asylum here to
all men, scarcely denying the
privilege to any. We have be-
lieved we could assimilate and
Americanize races and men the
most diverse and incongruous.
The anarchist came. We gave
him, poor, oppressed man, an
asylum, vainly believing that
here, where there is no political
nor religious tyranny, nor titled
class, he would become a happy
man and useful citizen. We
now discover our mistake. We
learn that the anarchist is a des.
perate, vicious character, whose
hand is ready to strike at every
organized form of government.
He is grouped with others such
as himself. They are in con.
slant communication with thei1
fellows wherever they are organ.
lied. Assassination of rulers,
utter destruction of all forms o.
government is theif purpose. The
most humane and broad-1ninded
executive Of the most liberal gov.
ernment on earth is as obnoxious
to them as the veriest tyrant OF
an absolute monarchy.
What shall we do? No man
fitted for the presidency of the
American people is willing to be
surrounded by Gordon of fixed
bayonets and loaded rifles. The
people will not long calmly en-
dure such a condition. We are
not anarchists, and anarchists
shall not long impose such con-
dition Upon us. We will make
ouf immigration laws more COM
prehensive and rigid, and we will
enforce them. No longer shall
our fair land be a dumping place
for the vicious and undesirable.
No longer shall Southern Europe
be permitted to voznit her human
refuse upon our shores. We will
enact laws which shall enable us
to pursue anarchy into its secret
haunts and drag its devilish dis
seminators to prison Or the gal
lows. Lawfully, orderly, surely,
remorselessly we shall snlite an
archy to death and extirpate it
foot and branch. We must do
more. Public sentiment must
be calmly and firmly arrayed
against the expression of any TN.
lawful purpose, whether by indi-
vidua1s OF organizations. We
have long been too patient, too
lenient, too Indifferent to wild
appeals to lawlessness, and to
abuse of our laws, our customs
our institutions. We must be
Americans and insist that others
shall be Americans OF make
haste to quit the country.
We must cease our indiscrim.
mate abuse of public men. A
just and righteous criticism of
public measures and official con-