Evening star., 1922-06-30
Dual Assassination Emphasizes
Dangers of Intolerant Spirit.

Political assassination, as exempli-
fed in the murders within a brief
period of Field Marshal Sir Henry
Wilson and Walter Rathenau.. Ger
naI1y's foreign minister. is made the
occasion for expressions of regret and
apprehension by American editorial
writer's that the danger Of intoler-
ance cannot be wiped out There Is
an evident similarity in the reason
ing behind the crimes. the editors
point out. despite the fact that VIII
son was murdered by the men who
believed that he stood In the way Of
an all-Ireland republic, while Rath-
enau was slain because he was an
obstacle to the monarchist plotters OF
Germany. In both instances IT Is IN
sisted the result will be serious Tor
the cause supposedly represented by
the assassins.
The murders. the socialfstic New
York Call declares. SHOW that the
mark of the beast is not conftned to
any class. or any party. or any ma,
Field Marshal Wilson did it in the
Who murdered DR.. Rathenau will
claim that they did 1t for love Of
their country Violence begets vio-
lence; murder begets murder. II the
toward human happiness the mark of
the beast must disappear" In the
view of the Raleigh News and OBJ
server. both crimes are striking
reminders of the danger Of intoler-
ance, while the Berlin murder shows
still is in that country" The Pitts
burgh Leader is convinced that the
royalist cause in Germany was shat
tered by the assassinat tton and now
"the contemplated 'putsch' has no
more chance to win than would the
former kaiser have single handed.
should Chancellor Wirth be the next
victim, as he is said to anticipate.
the monarchists may not need 70
start the fighting. The aroused re-
publicans may rise ana oriVe them
from the country.
"senseless fanatics like those who
have caused these two murders" the
Baltimore Sun points out. can al
ways set ablaze brands of suspicion
and hate that otherwise might be eX-
tinguished by the efforts of capable
leaders. Rathenau's death has more
international significance than Will
sons. 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 biggest ignoramuses
who killed Walter Rathenau have
slain the one man who might have led
Germany out of her swamp. In the
bitter years to come. which his taking
off will make so much bitterer. she
will mourn him more deeply still.
The rest of the world 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 person
ages had it's reaction on crack
Drained minds farther down the
scale, but the highly placed person.
ages are free from blood guilt. be-
cause they never meant 1t that way"
Somewhat similar Is the decision Of
the Newark News. which explains that
1.-THE response in each--country shows
the temper of the great group which
will determine its future. What they
do is the important, thing. The con-
ciliatory policy toward Ireland can
not be abandoned. sTbA Gerinan re-.
public cannot be surrendered. Both
have been challenged. and the chal-
lenge must be met II the people are
to govern themselves. No CONCESSIONS
to violence, which is always the
weapon of extremists, can safely be
made
"It is quite certain that In both
Great Britain and Germany" the
Dayton Daily News points out, "the
assassinations will not change gov
ernrnental policies. and 80. of course,
the murders. in reality. will reshlt
in nothing of benefit. but rath"r much
in adverse conditions for those who
instigated or directly were guilty of
the crimes" Dealing directly with
the Staying Of DR.. Rathenau. the
News insists that~"his untime|y; and
tragic death will not throw Germany
into chaos. 1t will not help the mill
tarists. 1t will not restore the MON
arehy. But it does disclose the lurk-
ing dangers in Europe" The Boston
Christian Science Monitor believes
that "for the moment at least the
confidence in the ability of the Ger
man government, to pursue 81 wise
and steady policy Is sadly shat .ered."
This especially is SO, the Bunalo
Times thinks. because 'the murdered
statesman was opposed to the Ger
man militarists and reactionartes. He
had, probably more than any other
member of the government, the con-
fidence of the German people: The
foul deed which has done him to
death has deprived Germany of q
strong and safe personality and Eu-
rope. q. an eMeisnt factor Of. recon.