The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-07-08

The Intolssant Spirie.

Political assassination. q ezsm-
plified in the murders within : |
brief period Of Field lfasshal Sir |
Henry Wilson and walter Rathe-
nau, Cermany's foreign minister, II |
made the occasion Tor expressions |
Of regret and apprehension BY
American editorial writer's that the
danger Of intolerance cannot be
viped out. There ID an evident |
similarity In the reasoning behind
the crimes, the editors point out, |
despite the fact that Wilson was
murdered by the men who believed
that he stood in the way Of an ALI
Ireland republic while Rathenau
was slain because he was an OBJ
stacle to the monarchist plotters
OF Germany. In both instances It
"a insisted the result will be seri-
Gus for the cause supposedly rep
resented by the assassins.
The murderers. the Socialistic
New York Call declares. shows
that the mark Of the beast IL not
confined to any class, or any party,
or any nationality. The men who
murdered Field Marshal Wilson
did 1t In the name Of patriotism,
lust as those who murdered DR..
Rathenau will claim that they did
It for love Of their country ViQ-
lence begets violence; murder be-
gets murder. II the race is ever to
take the first step toward human
happiness the mark Of the beast
must disappear" In the view Of
the Raleigh News and Observer,
both crimes are striking remind
ers Of the danger of intolerance
while the Berlin murder shows how
powerful the militaristic spirit still
is in that country" The Pittsburgh
Leader is convinced that the roy,
alistic cause in Germany was shat
tered by the assassination and now
"the contemplated 'putsch' has no
more chance to win that would the
former kaiser have single-handed.
Should Chancellor Wirth be the
next victim, as he is said to anti
cipate. the monarchists may not
need to start the fighting. The
aroused republicans may rise and
drive them from the country"
"Senseless fanatics like those
who have caused these two muir
ders," the Baltimore Sun points
out, "can always set ablaze brands
of suspicion and hate that other
wise might be extinguished by the
efforts of capable leaders. Rath-
cnGus death has more international
significance than Wilson's. No
good but only great evil can come
from this murder" In the opinion
OF the Philadelphia Public Ledger
like the man who killed Lincoln
the two bigoted ignOramuses who
killed Walter Rathenau have slain
the one man who might have lee
Germany out of her swamp. lr
the better years to come which his
taking off will make so much bit
terer, she will mourn him more
deeply still. The rest Of the worlt
has cause to mourn him, too
though it may not yet know it. ;
The pity of it, as the New York
Times expresses it, is that "as in
Ireland and in Illinois the loose
talk of highly placed personages
had its reaction on crackbrainet
minds further down the scale bu
the highly placed personages arr
free from blood guilt, because the!
never meant it that way" Some
what similar is the decision OF thu
Newark News which explains tina
1.-THE response in each cOuntr.
shows the temper of the 4 grea
group which will determine its III
ture. What they do is the impor
tant thing. The conciliatory polio.
toward Ireland cannot be abandon
ed. The German republic canno
be surrendered Both have beel
challenged and the challenge mus
be met if the people are to govern
themselves. No concessions t
violence, which is always the weap
ON of extremists can safely b
made"