The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-11-06
CURRENT COMMENT
"Swat That Fiy?" Nope!

MANY people with a less calm, judicial frame
OF mind than our editorial selves might hasten
to declare Detective Burns a base unmitigated
falsiier absolute deliberate liar, and several
other ad1eetival descriptions of nendacity for
asserting that Eugene v Debs has called for
200 to assassinatc him.
We dwell rather upon that statement with
complacent satisfaction and approval that has
never been evoked by any OF his previous ut
terances. 1t implies that Detective Burns is him
self fully satisfied that the only way to get rid
of objectionable elements Is to murder them
Nor can he be accused of not acting up to his
principles" in that respect, as witness the Nc
Namara brothers. And we believe that II De.
tective Burns were in Debs place. that is the
very thing he would do. 1t would naturally
commend itself to him the only sensible pro-
ceeding under the circumstances Otherwise ne
would not have suggested or rather, asserted
Under other circumstances it is possible that
socialists might resort to assassination, but
hardly In this case. 1t would be worse than
crime. 1t would be blunder OF the first mag
nitude, useless and foolish
We won't trouble to clear Debs of the charge,
He can take care of himself without any assist
auce from us and though a humane and kindly
disposed man. might be inclined to resent It.
as such defense would be. unlike Burns charge,
a serious insult.
But we do not mind admitting to Burns that
Debs and the rest OF the socialists have prae-
ticaIly resolved to do away with him, and all
like him, but not through assassination. 1t can't
be done that way. 1t is this way, Detective
Burns. The socialists regard you and your brood
much as a scientific sanitation board regards
tinguished, to be sure. but that cannot be abol-
ished by the swat. swat. swat method
While people depended the swat policy.
the continuous assassination OF single mosquitoes,
malaria and yellow fever remained before.
1t was not until they drained the swamps and
dried out the breeding places OF these noxious
pests that they did away with them.
Even II Debs any other socialist did as
sassinate you, your place would be taken -
other disco Sc carrying insects. who would bless
Debs for giving them a chance to step into your
shoes and graft the capitalists. Debs knows
that and therefore you need never fear q swat
from him or the 200 whom you imagine II re-
qures to adequately swat such an important In
sect as yourself
But they are going to do away with you
not Debs or his 800" but the entire working
class-and all your breed. by draining the nox-
ious and poisonous swamp Of capitalism in which
you spawn and terminate, and whence crowds
now flying to infect society with your poison
and feed fat on the class struggle that exists
within 1t.
That's how they going to do away with
you, Detective Burns.
And II you think that's treason to such a
formidable bug as you imagine yourself to be.
why, make the most OF Ii. The malaria mos
quito didn't like II either. but his feelings were
not consulted In the matter
But the socialists know that whether 1t il
treason not 1t Ia reason anyhow, and they
are going to make the most Of It, They are
not going to pursue any swat that fly policy
with you. They going to put You and your
kind out Of business permanently by the most
up date scientific methods Of social sanitation
New York Call.