The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-09-20
THE TREATMENT OF ANARCHISTS

THE TREATMENT OF ANARCHISTS
The Fairmont Sentinel thinks that
all this talk about on anarchistic plot
for the assassination of President Nc
Kinley has been SANDER on America
and that thus far at least there has
been no evidence that organized anar-
chists had anything to do with it.
True nothing has been given out to the
public as vet to show that there was
plot. just what the authorities who
have the matter in hand have in their
possession, they very properly decline
to impart to the public. The authori-
ties may not be able to secure suffi-
cient evidence of kind that would
either satisfy or justify court in con-
victing men of being in conspir acy,
but nevertheless there are some things
that point very suspiciously to the fact
that one did exist. The Sentinel says
that it is far pleasanter to think that
| the deed was committed by a half
witted or insane degenerate than to
believe that our land is the home of
any great number of organized muir
derers of great Americans. True. But
the facts will not allow of any such
thought. The assassin confesses that
he is an anarchist, and that he did the
deed in behalf of anarchy, and further
that he was inspired to commit the
deed by that arch fend of anarchistic
creation, Emma Goldman. Further,
the deed has been applauded by nests
of the vipers in many of our large
cities.
Continuing the Sentinel lulls itself
into the belief that there are very few
blood thirsty anarchists in America
and that since the Chicago hanging
the only place in which they have
aourished has been in New Jersey and
until proof is brought out it does not
want to believe that such an organiza-
tion exists in the United States 1t
is such disposition to shut our eyes,
and float along the stream of time, to-
tally oblivious to the dangers growing
up around US, that has plunged us in
to the great grief which now rests up
on US. 1t is not true as the Sentinel
asserts that the only nest of anarchists
flourish in New Jersey. The Chicago
hanging quieted them down in that
city, but it did not exterminate them
by any means, and of late they have
been more or less aggressive there.
And the act of Czolgosz has brought to
light the fact that there is nest of
them in Cleveland, Ohio, and another
in st. Louis Pit5sburg also has few,
and Buffalo and Rochester are not
without them. There is large colony
of them in New York city, while the
nest at Paterson, N. j., has been no.
torious for the past year or two.
From these various nests go out the
agents of anarchy to SOW the rank
poison, which lodges and bears its aw-
full fruit in the minds of such weak
minded individuals as Czolgosz. 1t
spreads most among the ignorant, the
unthinking and in disconnected classes
who grasp at it as a straw in the vain
hope that it will afford them relief
But it will not It's blood thirsty sue
cess would simply plunge them to
greater depths of gloom and misery
The problem which now confronts
the American people is how to handle
this question, how to prevent the fu-
ture spread of the doctrine of anarchy
here. 1t is most delicate question to
deal with. The shutting out of anar-
chists from the outside world is COM
paratively easy matter, but the restrict
ing of those here is more difficult There
are no laws, either federal or in any
of the states, by which their unbridled
license and abuse of free speech can be
adequately met. 1t is even dou btful
under the federal constitution whether
Should it develop that nothing can be
done then the constitution should at
once be amended so that proper pro-
lection may be afforded and the abuse
of liberty cease In the assassination
of President Mckinley we have paid
an awful penalty for our thoughtless
disregard of and liberation of this
blood thirsty doctrine in the past. If
the terrible lesson is not needed by
such action as will tend to protect
society in the future, then will
great life have been cruelty sacrificed
for uaught, and the nation will in
years to come reap the terrible punish
ment which Indifference invites.
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