The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-29
A DOUBTFUL DISTINCTION.

causes WHICH might lead indirectly to the
bloody deed of Czolgosz more than one
prominent public character has referred
to the influence of chronic conditions of
law1essness, represented by prevailing
mob law, corruption in office, the cor
rupt evasion of legal obligations by in
diVfduals and other notorious tendencies
to set law and morals alike at defiance
By some these tendencies have been re-
garded as mere incentives to anarchistic
opinion and action. BY others they have
been treated as representing the condition
of social and political chaos which we
are told it is the tim of homicidal mantacs
of the Czolgosz type to call into exist
ence
We are unable to distinguish any con-
dition, however Immediately violative of
law and order it may be, temporarily
existing in American society which can
be made to do duty in palliation of the
murder of William Mckinley, or of the
depraved moral sense which will uphold
doctrines having as their contamination
| or tending in anywise to promote, such
an act of bloodthirsty cowardice But
we cannot and do not lose sight of the
truth that such lawless deeds as we have
witnessed in different sections of this
country from time to time have a direct
and immediate tendency to unsettle the
minds of individuals and to lead up to
the acceptance of the wicked tenets
which lie at the basis of all anarchistic
teachings.
There is nothing reprehensib1e in max
ing the iamentable occasion of the mur-
der of our president the text of public
addresses directed against the debased
conditions which are represented by the
substitution of mob violence and blood
shed in the place of the authority of
organized society, as represented by the
agents of the law We do not believe
that any healthful mind will discover in
such addresses anything which merits
public or private, condemnation
Our respected confer porary, the Louis
vile Courier-Journal, seems in recent
issue to have taken a different view. 1t
takes as the text of an editorial entitled
Missing the Mark the remark of Judge
| Lewis, made in the course OF. the trial
| of the assassin, that mob law is more
| dangerous than anarchy and the follow
ing words of Senator Dolliver used in
his address at the memorial services re-
| Gently held in Chicago" Legislators eat
betray the commonwealth judges who
| poison the fountain of Justice, govern
ments that come to terms with crime
| are reglar contributors to the campaign
fund of anarchy" u
Our contemporary is, at, great pains in
| it's eolumn-long article to show that
| those who speak as did Senator DolIiver
| and Judge Lewis miss the mark in not
recognizing the exceptional character of
the anarchistic propaganda. It's article
reaches conclusion in the following re-
| markable utterarce:1 r.
There are many evils in the world be-
| Sldes anarchy, and they must receive
| attention. But in the effort to convert
all sorts of evils, real or ina ginary, into
anarchy, we are in danger of losing sight
| of it's distinctive character, a correct ap-
preheEsion of which is necessary to its
proper treatment A universal respect
| for law by the masses of the people
would not convert a single confirmed an
archist, though it would make others less
| inclined to listen to his rawlings. The
| prompt and orderly enforcement of the
| law is always to be commended, and in
1t must be found the security of the cit
izen, but this will not plaeate an anar-
! chist; it is precisely what he does not de-
! sire
| We do not pretend to urge that our
! contemporary seeks to minimize the in
fuence of the full enforcement of the
law by saying, as it does, that such en-
forcement will not p1acate the anarchist,
or that it is just what the anarchist
does not desire. But no Intelligent reader
| of the article in question, however mis-
placed and unadvisable he may regard
the suggestion of Judge Lewis-which
after all is little more than an attempt
on the part of the defending lawyer TO
say something for his client when there
was nothing to say-can fail on a perusal
of our contemporary to discover in it's
utterance perhaps an unconscious ten
dency to make light of those conditions
of lawlessness which have been referred
| to. 5tt =
As if to give additional point to the
bad taste and decidedly. mischievous ten
| dency of the article to which exception
| is here taken. there is printed side by side
with it another article entitled "The
State Must Enforce, Order" reciting the
conditions of absolute law1essness which
prevail in Hopkins count NnKentucky, and
to put an end to which the governor has
been compelled to call out the militia.
Here is a quotation from this last men,
| toned article of our contemporary:
The action of the governor is to be
| commended, since the county authorities
| have shown themselves unable to MAIN
| tain order. Conditions in what was for
merly one of the most law-abiding and
| progressive communities in the state have
| been approaching anarchy. Armed bodies
| of men have been assembled and have
| been marching, concentrating, forming
| hostile camps and exchanging shots in
| utter defiance of the county authorities