The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-12-08

reducing themselves 10 level VIII
the criminal.
Incendiary Speeches.
Be it remembered, further
more, that the individuals who, wheth-
er from folly, from evil temper, from
greed for Office or in spirit nf mere
base demagogy, indulge in the int1am-
matory and incendiary speeches and
writings which tend to arouse mobs
and to bring about lyncihng, not only
thus excite the mob, but tend by what
criminologists call suggestion" great
ly to increase the likelihood of repe-
tition Of the very crime against which
| they are inveighing. When the mob
| is composed of the people of one race
and the man 1ynched is Of another
race, the men who in their speeches
and writings either excite or justify
the action tend, of course, to excite a
bitter race feeling and to cause the
people of the opposite race to lose
sight of the abominable act of the
criminal himself; and in addition, by
| the prominence they give to the hide
| GUS deed they undoubtedly tend to ex-
cite in other brutal and depraved ma
lures thoughts of committing it. Swift,
relentless and orderly punishment un-
Ger the law is the only way by which
criminality of this type can permanent
| ly be suppressed.
| In dealing with both labor and CAPT.
| tai with the questions affecting both
corporations and trades unions, there
| is one matter more important to re-
member than aught else, and that is
| the infinite harm done by preachers OF
mere discomfort. These are the men
| who seek to excite violent class
hatred against all men of wealth. They
seek to turn wise and proper move
ments for the better control OF cor
pcrations and for doing away with the
abuses connected with wealth, into a
campaign of hysterical excitement and
falsehood in which the aim is to in
flame the brutal passions of mankind
| The sinister demagOgues and foolish
| Missionaries who are always eager to
undertake such campaign OF destruc-
ton sometimes seek to associate them
selves with those working for a genu-
inc reform in governmental and social
| methods. and sometimes masquerade
as such reformers.
the mechanics, farmers, merchants
workers with head or hand, the men
to whom American traditions are dear,
who love their country and try to act
decently by their neighbors, owe 1t to
| themselves to remember that the most
damaging blow that can be given pop
| ular government is to elect an I'M
worthy and sinister agitator on plat
form of violence and hypocrisy. When
ever such an issues is raised in this
| country nothing can be gained by
| f;nching from it, for in such cases
democracy itself is on trial, popular
self-government under republican
forms is itself on trial.
The triumph of the mob is just as
evil a thing as the triumph of the
plutocracy, and to have escaped one
danger avails nothing whatever II we
succumb to the other. In the end the
honest man, whether rich or poor, VINO
earns his own living and tries to deal
| 1ustly by his fellows, has as much 10
| fear from the insincere and unworthy
cemagogue, promising much and per
| forming nothing, or else performing
| nothing but evil who would set on the
mob to plumber the rich, as from
the crafty corruptionist, who. Tor MS
own ends, would permit the common
people to be exploited by the very
wealthy. II we ever let this govern
ment fall into the hands OF men OF
either of these two classes, we snaii
show ourselves false to Americas past.
Moreoverifthed emagogue and the cor
,uptionist often work hand In hand.
There are at this moment wealthy re-
actionaries of such obtuse morality
that they regard the pubic servan'
who prosecutes them when they vio-
late the law, or who seeks 10 mar ~
them bear their proper snare Oh tno
public burdens, as being even more oo-
iectionable than the violent aglta.ol
who hounds on the mob TO plunuer
The rich. There is nothing to choose
hetween such a reactionary and sucn
an agitator; fundamentally they are
alike in their selfish disregard OF the
rights of others; and it is natural that
they should join in opposition to any
movement of which the aim Is fear
lessly to do exact and even justice
to all.
Eight-Hour Day.
i Call your dtISAIAOA " SAO ASSu
of passing the bill limiting the num-
Der of hours of employment OF rail-
road employees. The measure is q
very moderate one and can conceive
CT no serious objection to it. Indeed,
so far as it is in our power, it should
be our aim steadily to reduce the num-
Der of hours Of labor, with as a goal
the general Introduction of the eight
hour day. There are industries in
which it is not possible that the hours
Of labor should be reduced; just as
there are communities not far enough
advanced for such a movement to be
for their good, or, IL in the tropics, SO
situated that there is no analogy be-
tween their needs and ours in the mat
ter. On the Isthmus of Panama. for
instance, the conditions are in eyery
way so different from what they are
here that an eight-hour day would be
absurd; just as it is absurd, SO far as
the isthmus is concerned, where white
labor cannot be employed, to bother
as to whether the necessary work is
done by alien black men or by alien
yellow men. But the wageworkers Of.
the United States are Of SO high q