New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-13
Nonsense and Liberty
A Short and Simple Method Of
Kidding Ourselves of Anarchist,
TO the Editor OF The Tribune.

Sir: The letter Of Henry Kelly :, r..
Tribune Of September 10 would b. 81
amusing were it not tragicsl to see a mind
devoid Of logic. judge he is sn Iri.br..
and that race is notorious for It's bad I,u,.
The advocates of anarchism are Away, cur.
Gus specimens. The only thing tina, t..,.
them out Of the insane asylum is N. g..
that they can make their living, and III. al.
thing that keeps them out Of the penit.n,i,,.
is the restraint on the liberty Of other "a,
PIE who would invariably put them ther. =,
on the galows.
Mr.. Kelly says he SHOULD have been ola,
If America had retaliated two and hi,
years ago. against Germany, and then com.
plains that the war we now wage did ~.
come from mandate Of the people. Ifitbs
been declared two and half years ago !,
would have been as much without this NAV.
date AS now. Moreover, why was n "a.
waged with that mandate? Repres.n.a.,.
government is "a much by the manda.. a,
the people as a referendum, az it involve,
comforting on the representatives the DOVE,
and right Of judgment which the majority
do not have Of such things. Think o.
mandatory appealing to the ignorant, LABOR.
ers in 1t to control the purchases and sal.,
Of the product. Government aims, whe,s.,
it succeeds or not, TO get the intelligent ma,
to decide its problems, and any other polcv
such as involving the mandate OF the n.o.
ple.' which must either be a represer,a.i,.
system or the referendum, would only mes,
that no intelligence is required in govern.
ment and that it should be abandoned
Now, Mr.. Kelly, in demanding freedom n,
liberty. as he does, accepts that conclusion
and ! FOR one am quite willing to give him
his own medicine. You cannot give Mr.. Keuy
bis liberty without giving the inmates o.
Sing Sing their liberty. There is no use "a
say that they ere outlaws, for liberty mean,
that no ore can be regarded as an OUTLAW
The only safety Mr.. Kelly has in h. cor.
munity comes from laws which protec. AIM
against the liberty of others. He certairly
has no sense Of humor in this matter.
The fact is that all this talk about li5erf7
and freedom Is silly. In that statemen,
meant to take the bull By the horns and a..
firm that | have 10 confidence in any civil
ization founded on liberty as that is talked
about in this age. And am not pro-Gernar.
| am quite the reverse. But liberty is no,
an ideal on which 20 found any sane cy.liza.
ton. Mankind must be saturated with yery
different ideal If it expects to make progress
1t was not liberty the Puritan sought, bq.
specific thing quite different from liberty. L
was liberty Of conscience and worship tina,
he sought, and this was very different,
thing
Liberty of Desire
Since We have lost our conscience and our
religion. the idea of liberty has taken on
very different meaning from what il rad in
those day. Il Is not liberty in the abstract,
which includes the right TO do wrong a, well
as right. II is liberty of desire, no; liberty
70 obey conscience. Conscience may be mis-.
directed also, but it always aims ~ an
ethical ideal. whether it successfully attan'
it or not Liberty of desire does not ain a;
an ethical ideal and cannot be expected %
reach il.
What peorlo are always talking sbou, 70.
Gay is abstract liberty, and abstract ideas are
the most dangerous ones you can put into n,
head % the average man, as he has neither
intelligent judgment nor logical acumen to
handle its application to the concrete. Il
was this that gave the power to the doctrines
of Professor James. lie was always insisting
on testing abstract principles by their ap2l-
cation to the concrete facts of life, and it
must be so with ell talk about liberty. The
abstract idea does not distinguish between
the right and the wrong, and it is that dis.
tirction that must be made by any term that
will lead Us out Of the wilderness into order.
Lot h.r Ill F,-
in his scheme: he is defending the con
scientious objcctor' against being compelled
to go into the war. He does not respect the
"siacker" or coward pretending to be con-
scientious 70 save himself from the accuse
ton Of cowGrdice. but how will he select the
conscientious man in this situation? Liberty
to him a. defender of anarchism i prior
to conscience and includes the privilege Of
doing wrong as we'll as right. If il Is not.
prior action must be restrained IN some way
TO meet the demands Of conscience, and his
liberty is lost. lie cannot defend anarchism
and the conscientious objector" az the same
time, for the men who are not conscientious
directors" having the liberty which Mr.
Kelly wants given. would hang the "slacser'
Oh The FIRST tree they found, and no condem-
nation could be assigned for il.
Perhaps some day we shall find that all
this talk about liberty and Saving demoe.
racy' Is ronmy-rot, though We would fghtG
vigorously against German militarism a:
against its ant 0odes, anarchism.
| think we can rid ourselves of anarchists
very easily. Lee the law give them all the
liberty they desire, and then give all other
members of the community equal liberty to
deal with them as thty see lit. II is not
logic but liberty that will cure them Of
their Illusions. JAMES H. HYSL0P.
Boltoa-on-Laac George, y. Y, Sept. 10, 1911