The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1912-05-17
Anarchy vs. Law and Order.
Editor of The Herald:

ing polltlcai campaigns for speakers
to be Missed and howled down by
some person or persons in the audi
ence who oppose them. In reply to
such howl, speaker recently said:
Down with you anarchists! South
Carolina will never bow to anarchy
so long as she has a true son alive
to fight her battles" On reading this
the question arose: "Has anarchy in
vaded South Carolina?"
The Standard dictionary defines
anarchy" as meaning "absence or
utter disregard of government, an un-
regulated and chaotic condition of
society, social and Political confusion
and disorder" The definition given
of anarchist" is ga malcontent re-
specting all existing institutions, re-
garding them as essentially tyran-
nical. One who would use violence to
destroy the existing social and civil
order of things"
Then the asarchist, considered
from the political standpoint is the
man who believes in no law and or
der; who believes in no civilization:
who believes in no purity; who be-
lieves in no government. 1t would be
difficult for the mind to think of a
more dangerous character than the
man who believes such doctrine and
who stands ready to sacrifice his life
can have no well defined belief in
God, and therefore must be an Athe-
lst ,else he could not so ruthlessly
tear down and trample under foot all
obligations imposed upon him by hu-
man and divine law, and stand brist-
ling, like porcupine, against all law
and order. Such a one is the very
personification of all that is repulsiye
in human nature.
Selfishness is the foundation stone
upon which anarchy rests. So far as
IN him lies, the anarchist endeavors
to crafty every evil passion and ap-
petite at the expense of law and or
der, civilization, purity and good gov
ernment. The drink shops and the
gambling hells are the frequent re-
sorts of all such. 1t is hard to con-
ceive how lust could attain to greater
depth of degradation. Such selfish
ness, which is always armed to the
teeth, leads to riot and bloodshed.
The anarchist is rebel, and as
such should be treated by all who be-
lieves in law and order 1t is not a
question of better government with
him, but a desire for no government
for himself and readiness to crafty
his desire by the seal of the ready
pistol, dynamite and Internal ma
chimes.
|. He cannot be classed with the la
boring man nor with the man ofyca III
tai. He embraces with a kiss the
man who runs the spindle and the
loom, and holds the plow, but the
man so embraced should understand
that it is the kiss of a Judas which
is given him with the purpose of
making him an agent of crime.
No law abiding citizen should be
unwilling to declare himself publicly
and boldly for the vindication of the
majesty of the law. All should be
supremely interested in seeing to it
that the laws which protect the God
given rights of the people are re-
spected and obeyed. Against the as
tendency of anarchy, all good men
should take stand, and if need be
in the battlefield and to the bitter
end. All good citizens should have
such high regard for law and order
that they will see to it that all the
laws on our statute books are en-
forced, and that no man or set of
men shall trample them under foot;
that they will see to it that men who
are paid by the public to protect life
and property and enforce the law,
shall not wink at crime of any char
acter nor draw salaries for their
fidelity in shielding the lawless; that
they will see to it that every officer
of the state, from governor down to
coroner, shall understand clearly that
it is his business to put down lawless-
ness and crime of every kind and
maintain law and order.
If anarchy, "the abomination of
desolation," the demon of destruction.
is ever permitted to become supreme
in South Carolina, commerce will no
longer furl her white sails to the
breeze; the manufacturer will no
longer hear the hum of his spindles
and the machinery of his workshop;
the farmer will no longer reap the
golden harvest in abundance from
his soil, for the land will be filled