The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-03-18
A NEW NAPOLEON.


poleou Before he could begin Ma
poconizing some one breathed hard on
his bubble and it burst. IT is reported
upou the veracious statement Of AdJu-
tant General Forbes Of the National
Guard of California that General
Kellev-s army was planning TO seize
the Federal arsenal at Rock Island, I'LL,
in order TO equip 100000 men with
arms and ammunition for a revolution
against the government
The spv who disclosed this chimeri-
cal plot shows that the leaders of the
hobo army actually believed that they
could concentrate at Chicago. arm and
equip the 100000 men, commander
trains and rush to Washington before
enough units Of the United States army
could be mobilizcd to check them. The
last stage in the revolution-the dash
from Illinois to Washington-really
would not be beyond successful achieve
ment if all the other stages could be
adequately provided for. The utterly
irrational nature OF the plan, however,
is revealed when one stops to consider
how impossible it would be for an un-
organized army to accomplish revolu-
tion in this country
First of all, no revolution can sue
ceed where civilization has been
comparatively stable unless it has the
sympathy of bulk OF the popu-
Iatiou. 1t cannot succeed unless II
has organization and organizing means
that secrecy must be cast aside. The
mere fact that publicity is gwen TO the
plot at the very inception of the
movement shows that the possibility OF
organizing on an efficient basis was out
Of the question, but more preposterous
still was the idea Of General Kelley
and Of his associates that 100000 men
could be armed. equipped and, above
all, fed while still retaining the char
acter OF a mob.
These are entertaining specuIations
because the idea of revolution III this
country is one that never seriously oc-
cupies the thoughts of the ordinary
citizen. II is like bearing some new
Arabian Nights tale. Few will be in.
clined to regard the proposed reyoIu-
tion as anything more than dream OF
the widest Missionaries. And yet the
Industrial Workers belong TO a world
wide movement toward revolution. The
syndicaIists are the European cxpon-
ents OF the general strike and the So
cial revolution. The imaginative and
i'll balanced minds which conceived the
idea Of genuine military revolution IN
this country perhaps had visions Of cX-
tending the revolution from the United
States 10 all the civilized countries. To
Americans. however, the idea of select
ing the United States for the first revo.
lItiou VIII seem like madness We have
III this country more powerful protec
ton than imperial armies. The SYM
paihy Of the great mass Of the people
for our Institutions is safeguard
which is absent in the countries ruled
by cars and emperors.
\ little familiarity with the revolu
,ions of other times would have con
yipccd eycu a General Kelley that
nothing could he accomplished in tn,
way Of ovcrturning mighty govern
ment unless the revolution were tho
outgrowth of public sentiment, 4 revo
luton il really an evolution. IL i;
merely the explosive phase of the cvo
luton. IT is the throwing Of tb,
lighted bomb after the social, industra
and intellectual forces have been work
ing up 10 the climax for many years
How far this country is from such /;
cIimax must bc apparent to all san,