The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-20
A SCHOLARLY AGITATOR

A SCHOLARLY AGITATOR
Ex-Governor Altgeld has been deliv-
ering another of his characteristic
speeches. this time before the Good
Government Club of the University of
Michigan. At such a place we might
expect a patriotic, well-tempered ad-
dress from a man who is known to
possess personal magnetism and the
power of oratory in marked degree.
Not so.
He spent much of his long speech
in an attempt to throw the blame for
anarchy upon the commercial spirit of
the United States. This is his answer
to the proposal to enact more stringent
laws against anarchists. He is shrek
ing in horror at the detention of few
suspected anarchists held in Chicago
just after the assassination, when the
police were on their guard against an
archists in all parts of the country He
says:
Nov you have a reputation of being
lawabiding and patriotic, but l am
greatly mistaken in your character if
you would submit to having your T.
year-old children handcuffed like fell
Ons when they were guilty Of no crime,
and to having your wives and 16-year-
old daughters subjected to outrage by
brutes in uniform, without a feeling
of resentment in your heart The pro-
posed legislation would produce har-
vest of just such Outrages.'
He does not even want the avowed
anarchists restrained. He pretends to
believe that the man, who is preaching
anarchy and talking loudest is not
dangerous himself and that the dan
gerous criminals are not encouraged by
this sort Of thing. He says:
"A little examination also discloses
the further fact that talk is the worlds
safety valve and that rarely ever is a
violent act committed by men who talk
freely, and rarely ever is a premedi-
tated murder committed by men who
attend meetings and listen to the talk
Of others"
AS to Czolgosz himself, he would
have us believe that the influences
tending towards anarchy,-yellow jour
nalism and the speech of Emma Gold
man, the hysterical and incendiary
documents that have been allowed to
flood the country-have not been read
by him; hence, have not influenced him.
He would have us believe that Czolgosz
has originated the idea of anarchy and
put it into execution.
This is utter nonsense. It is not
necessary for this assassin to have
read the New York Journal or even
to have listened to Emma Goldman or
read her speeches, to have been in
fuenced by their ranting against per
sons in authority and institutions and
the government of the country. This
is what Altgeld says:
TT was first charged that he was
connected with anarchistiC societies
and was carrying out their decree but
this failed utterly. Then it was
charged that he had heard a woman
make an incendiary speech An enter
prising newspaper in Chicago managed
to secure that speech and published it,
and it proved to be the most harm
less document imaginable, it deprecat-
ed all violence. Then il was charged
that he had listened to the criticisms
upon the government by Mr.. Bryan
and his friends, and that therefore Mr..
Bryan and his friends should be held
responsible for the assassination of the
President, but further Inquiry devel-
oped the fact that Czolgosz and his IA
Their were Republicans and not only
had not supported Bryan, but did not
go to that kind of meetings; that they
lived in Cleveland and voted the Re
publican ticket not only at the general
elections, but attended Republican pri-
maries, therefore if political speeches
had anything to do with his act, the
leaders of the Republican party must
he held responsible, Thus the absurd
ty of all this wild talk becomes ap-
parent. and it also becomes apparent
that while repressive measures may do
infinite harm they viii not serve the
purpose that is aimed at in this case
We ought to be able in this country
to draw the line between free speech /
and gross libel. and even between Sc
we're and unjustifed criticism of pub
lie offices and the PRONUNCIATION Of an
archy the encoura cement Of violence
and crime
One needs not to tamper with the
freedom of the press or with the free
dom Of speech to eliminate from ordi-
nary conversation and from the public
press utterances Of violent criminals,
of lunatics, Of depraved persons.
There are many things that common
decency refuses to class as a priv
ilege under our Constitutional permits
sion for free speech. We are going to
add to this list of unpermitted ideas
some of the preaching of Herr Most
and Ex-Governor Altgeld.
It is probably true that the out
pouring of the agitator or an anarchist
is taken far less seriously than the &C
cusations put forth for them by a dem
agogue seeking for their political sym
pathy and support
The ingenious casuistry of the elo-
quent politician encourages crime much
more effectively than the unmasked
and rabid utterances of an irresponsi- /
bic and perhaps insane agltator.
HOLIDAY FLOWERS