Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1904-09-30
LET INCENDIARIEs BEWARE
sIanderous, Firebrand Methods Again
Cominx-Into Vogue.
baltimore Americana

AOmfn into v uEucs
baltimore Americana
IT would seem to the person Of a fair
degree of perspicacity that the lesson
taught by the incident Of Leon Czolgosz
three years ago was sufficiently forceful
TO have lasted longer than the present
actions OF certain persons and publica-
lions would lead us TO believe il has last
ed. A hue and cry was raised against
President Mckinley along the line of al
legged militarism. The absurdity of that
cry was admitted by everybody even
before the great statesman had been i'm
augurated. But the seeds of sedition lived
and throve in the poisonous soil of an
archy. In the soul of Czolgosz and his
murderous advisers the harm was done.
The crop grew and bore fruit He had
read the papers which falsely and trail
torously declared that President Mckin-
ley was a mere puppet in the hands of
those who would turn the republic into
an empire. He had listened to those who
fanatically professed to believe this pail
pable lie. Murder was born in his little
mind. And they whose deliberate and
crafty lying had nerved him to the deed
were more guilty than he who did that
which would have been almost justihable
had their words been true These people
who melted the murder were properly
and thoroughly castigated at the time.
Btu the lesson has not lasted Now,
that the heat of another campaign Is
upon us the old slanderous. irebrand
method is again coming into vogue. Ger
tain newspapers and certain periodicals
are picturing Theodore Roosevelt as an
emperor: as one who is itching for an
opportunity to exercise tyrannical power
and take away the dearly bought and
dearly held liberties of this people They
who make these claims know far better
than many who are influenced by their
treason how false these representations
are. They know that Theodore Roose-
welt is the embodiment of patriotism and
loyalty to their government; they
know he has fought throughout his ca
reer to secure for the people broader and
better privileges and has stood between
them and those who would have robbed
them of the full enjoyment of those pre-
negatives that Americans hold sacred.
They know he has done this unselfshly
and bravely and regardless of the effect
they might have on his political pros
poets. They know, furthermore that he
end of the chapter and that he seeks to
have about him only such men as are
true to the cause of the great common
people as allied against the classes, po-
litical tricksters and demagogues.
If some weak minded individual should
accept seriously their preaching and feel
himself called upon to prevent the yoke
from falling upon the neck of his fellow
beings-shonld follow in the footsteps of
the ill-starred Czolgosz and take the life
of the President. either before or after
his re-electon-those papers and period
Gals would hypocritically drape their
columns in mourning and fulsomely pirate
OF the marvellous virtues of the deceased
statesmen. They would tell to the world
the truth they not only concealed, but
brazenly denied, during the lifetime of
the man in whose murder they assisted.
They would heap anathema upon the
head of their poor dupe. who knew no
better than to believe their traitorous
catch-penny mouthings and insist that
ne be given a speedy quietus.
Now is good time to have a care.
1t is a good time for such publications
to call halt and think moment of
what might be the results of someone's
accepting as truth the exaggerations and
barefaced lies they are now eagerly and
ruthlessly promulgating.
Have a care, incendiaries, have a care.