Arizona daily citizen., 1901-09-20
THE TREATMENT or ANARCHISTS.

In his admirable address at the
Mckinley memorial services yester-
day, the Hon Marcus A. Smith
called pointed attention to the he
cessity of thoroughly safeguarding
the rights and liberties of American
citizens while making provisions to
exterminate anarchy and suppress
murder societies. This, was char
acteristic of the sound Democracy
of Mr.. Smith, and his ability at all
times to maintain level head.
In the effort sure to I've undertak
en- at Washington next winter to
erect new safeguards against the
crimes born of anarchy Congress is
likely to find one suitable piece of
legislation already made. to hand
and subject to no constitutional
doubts or difficulties.
This is the measure prepared in
1894 by John G. Carlisle, then sec
retary of the treasury, authorizing
the exclusion and deportation of
alien anarchists. In its original
form it passed the Democratic House
at the first session of the Fifty
third Congress, In the Senate it
was amplified by the Committee
on Immigration, Of which David
B. Hill was then chairman, and
was reported and passed by unan-
imous vote.
Unfortunately i'll the rush and ex-
citement of the struggle between
the two houses, then drawing to a
close, over the schedules of the Will
son-Gorman Tariff bill, all lesser
non-political legislation was crowd
ed tethe wall, and the Senate S sub
stitute failed to reach a final vote in
the popular branch. In the next
Congress which was Republican the
subject attracted no attention. and
the Treasury's project of stopping
professed or suspected anarchists ol
alien allegiance at our doors was re-
legated to the limbo oflegislative sug-
gestions admirable enough in them
selves, but lacking the vitality and
urgency to impress themselves on
the statute book.
Many suggestions have been
made recently in regard to the treat
nent of anarchists. 1t has beer
proposed that they be deported te
some out-of-the-way place-some
spot as uninviting as Devils Isl
and, where Dreyfls was imprison
ed. Other persons of all original
turn of mind propose that all out
spoken anarchists should be adjudg-
ed lunatics, and confined for the
rest of their lives in asylums.
1t is highly improbable that the
United States will establish a penal
colony for anarchists or send them
in a body to madhouses. Nothing
could be more absurd than the theory
of the anarchists, that the world
can get along without government.
But as long as a man is satisfied
with the mere belief in his theory
and does not attempt to put it into
practice, it would be a crime to
modest him. He is entitled to hold
any belief he chooses. The only
restriction which is imposed upon
him is that he must not permit his
theories to interfere with the rights
and privileges of others. If the
mere belief in unusual or absurd
doctrines justified proceedings in
lunacy, it is impossible to estimate
the number of persons in the United
States who would be regarded as
proper candidates for admission to
asylums for the insane There are
a great many admittedly queer peo-
pie in the world, and the strange
thing issthat they regard everybody
who does not agree with them as
hopelessiy Z unbalanced mentally.
There are some very worthy people
who have notions and superstitions
which to others seem siadness. 1t
would be a dangerous thing to make
eccentric beliefs the basis for lunacy
proceedings. There Is no telling
who would escape the asylum with
! such q test.