Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-09-17

\ new n Tragedy MAJ have occurred,
! whether accidentally or by some dia-
bohcal generalization. The explosion
may have been the result Of an acci-
dent which may be considered 'prac-
due to inexcusable carelessness with
out any malicious intent. Or it may
have been the result of a murderous
plot intended to accomplish what was
actually accomplished. and more. The
facts may become known in time, or
they may never be brought to light.
Naturally such an event, occurring
in one of the most crowded spots in
the world, where the slightest depart
ure from the usual may cause thou
sands to consregate at a moments no.
tice, calls in the first place for the e1-
clusion from the premises by the .po-
lice Of all but public officials and per-
sons who have business directly reaAt-
ed to the occurrence. Effective news
gathering becomes impossible for the
must expect to read the most wildly
contradictory stories Of the affair told
by excited individuals who happened
to be in the vicinity.
The impressive thing at this mo-
Ment is not the tragedy itself. but the
fact that the first and almost univer-
sal impulse is to ascribe It to the de-
'liberate act of some criminal OF group
Of criminals. An impulse of this kind
does not create itself spontaneously.
It is developed out OF certain facts.
And the facts in this cas- are amply
sufficient to explain the impulse and
to account for the act on the basis of
criminal intent.
The explosion took place IN Wall
street. in or in front of the offices of
J. Pierpont Morgan & Co., adjacent
to the United States sub-treasury, and
in . district packed with the offices
of great financial corporations.
Through the ranting of asitators for a
generation or more the American pub
lican public has become familiar with
the picture Of Wall street az the lair
or the giant octopus whose tentacles
reach to every part of the world. The
business Of the banker and money
changer has been held up to o and
derision, and to the indignation Of
the incensed masses. The firm of
Morgan in particular has been made
the. target of the verbal missiles of ev-
cry agitator, and the language has
drawn on to the limit for oppro-
bious terms to hurl at this institution.
The fact that one of the governments
great repositories of money was Just |
across the way, in the very center of
the Wall street district. has been cited
in support Of the charge that there
was a close and malign connection be-
tween the government Of the country
bleeding the country to death. And. !
on top of all this, with scant attention
from public officials, n with little
hindrance beyond local ebullitions
which, though often illegal we're quite
natural, there has been in progress
a continuous and widespread propa-
ganda Of violence, sometimes. thinly
disguised under a veneer Of hare
Drained theory and bogus philosophy
and often appearing in it's own proper
and hideous nakednes.
Accepting the existence of these
conditions-and their existence is in
eontrovertible-whAt is TO be expect |
ed? Naturally and inevitably, that
someone will take the agitators at
their word and apply in practice the
doctrines that have been so insistently
preached. The bomb, the gun, the
stilleto and the torch are ready to ev-
cry mans hand. How can it be sun
posed that some man, intellectually a
little weaker, or morally a little more
depraved than his fellows, will not
seize n means most readily available
n destroy that which he has been
taught. is tit only for destruction?
That which has just occurred in
New York ma be due to other causes
than those suggested. If so, accident
has merely foresta1led elaboration
for the preaching Of anarchy. with
which this country has lately become
d~eplorably familiar, is bound sooner
or later to bring forth it's appropriate
fruit.
HTT Kn0~YC aNy~