The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-03-20
MIUSI JAIL A HALT
Veteran Editor Oenounces One o.
the Most Dangerous Of Modern
Tendencies.
ANARCHY AND NEWSPAPERS

W iTue PATRIOTISM anu Love OF
American Free Institutions in the
Press Of the Land.
Following is the text of a paper
read by Mr.. C. w. Stivers, editor of
the Liberty, Ind, Herald, before the
Republican Editorial Association at
Indianapolis, on the subject of AN
archy and Newspapers:
The theme assigned to me for con-
sideration before this association is
one of such pertinence TO the times
in which we live and the profession
OF newspaper editing that / approach
its consideration with no small degree
of reluctance, lest / shall not rise to
the requirements of the theme and
subject. That there has been an
archy in the newspapers of America
needs no reiteration here. Within
the past year We have witnessed one
Of the results of anarchistic teaching,
and the whole world stands aghast
at the deed of an assassin who claim
ed to be an anarchist and who was
inspired by the teachings of false
leaders and their emanations in news
papers and publications, which are
permitted TO circulate freely through
the mails of this free government.
Webster defines anarchy as: Alb
sence or utter disregard of govern
lot nd oh
dition of society; social and political
confusion and disorder An anarch-
list is defined as A malcontent re-
specting all existing institutions, re-
garding them as essentially tyranni-
cal, either as aristocratic or pluto
cratic; especially one who would use
violence to destroy the existing social
and civil order Of things: one who
advocates anarchy or absence of for
NAL government as a social and politi-
cal ideal Among the synonyms for
anarchism are chaos, communism,
confusion, disintegration. disorder, in
subordination. lawlessness, rebellion,
Surely these definitions of anarchy
need only to be stated to insure the
opposition of all sane minds to any,
thing in the nature of anarchy; never
theless we witness men and newspa-
pers tacitly encouraging and promot-
ing anarchism by indulging in intern
pcrate and incendiary speech and pub
LEGATION through the press. But I am
reminded that / must not attempt to
discuss every phase of this subject;
be 1t mine to consider more particu-
larly that form of anarchy that grows
out of political discussion and contro-
versy through the newspapers. An
archistsc malignance often has for its
basis the unjust and defamatory de-
punciation of speakers and newspaper
writer's who Il charged with pronot-
ing anarchy, would deny it with every
manifestation of innocence. The de-
nunciation of Mckinley as an imperi.
alist and q puppet in the hands Of
blutocrats and millionaire trust mag
mates in partisan newspapers was the
basis for the denunciation of the be-
loved president in snarchistic socie-
deserved death. Emma Goldman's
misdirected denunciations that devel-
oped the assassin in Czolgocz was but
the logical echo from the utterances
of editorials in certain yellow news
papers of bitter partisan cast, helped
along by vicious caricaturists.
A Political Murder.
"Lincolns assassination was a poll
teal murder, plotted by desperate
traitors to the government; but the
assassin's arm was nerved and his
brain guided ty newspaper denuncia-
tons that the great and good Lincoln
was tyrant-a bloodthirsty usurper
who deserved to be removed by vio-
lence.
"Garfield's murder by a partially in
sane, disappointed place-hunter, was
the result of bitter factional newspa-
per controversy and vicious ideals of
party subserviency; at least, Guiteau
was melted to his crime by vicious
newspaper denunciations, thus illus
trating the danger of unjust, unwise
and inflammatory newspaper utter
ance. Hence the necessity of modera-
ton and reason in discussing all
questions through the press. AS an
illustration of anarchistic speech and
sentiment / will quote the following:
1.-The capitalists of this country
have no business to involve us in
war with Spain. The common people
do not want wer. The blowing up of
the Maine is no excuse. 1t is no crime
to blow up -arships. All of them be-
long at the bottom of the sea. So
called patriotism is nothing more than
idiocy or slavery
ITO newspaper readers there is
something familiar in the sentiments
of that paragraph. and you can't just
make out which spellbinder used 1t In
the last presidential campaign. When
/ tell you it is quotation from an ad-
dress delivered by Emma Goldman at
Cleveland in the spring of 1898 you
are probably surprised, but you know
that very similar expressions were
made by the Bryan school of orators
in the fall of 1898 and 1900, and you
are willing to be qualified that you
saw sentiments equally as vicious in
the Metropolis Sentinel. Lakeago
American and the Tigertown Journal
in the same campaign.
Turning to another phase of an
archistic sentiment from the same