Anarchy

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 130, 30 April 1892, Page 2

Anarchy

The verdict of the jury who tried the Auarchists in Paris was undoubtedly the outcome of fears for their individual s.'ifsty. That they were jnstih'ed to a certain extent in their alarm is proved by the unpleasaut fact of the advocate for the defence telling them they would inevitably suffer if their verdict was unfavourable to his elienf; while the Judge lacked the courage tv administer a reproof. We think, however, that out of this evil will come good. Public indignation has been excited to such an extent iifainst these jurors that the next jury impaualled to try Anarchists will be more likely to do their duty fearlessly. They will know that if they fail as did the first jury they will certainly deserve and receive the contempt of all law-obaerving people, who are, the Anarchists notwithstanding, in the vast majority. Tbe question in their minds will be whether to act as cowards from dread of assassination, or as brave men, fentless iv the performance of their duty to the State. That the last influence will prevail we honestly believe. A rush into the opposite extreme is not at all improbable, and to all Anarchißta, no matter what may be the extent of their criminality, the mere fact of accusation may mean inevitable death. We have no faith iv the supposed salutary effects of wholesale executions. As we have already said when writing on this subject, flogging would be the best remedy. No flogged man can pose as a hero. Ho has hoen made contomptible. But a man who has been hung, guillotined, or shot to doath by a platoon of soldiers, may have his memory cherished and honored both as a hero and as a martyr. The public, no matter of what nation, haveulivays showed a strange admiration for,

aud sympathy with great criminals, especially those of the latter who have shed much human blood. We have in a neighboring colony the case of Deeming, and that of the Anarchist Ravachol in France to prove this singular weakness in man. The French Anarchist haa escaped the penalty of death which he richly deserved, and if we may judge by present indications Deeming is likely to be equally fortunate. If the whole of the civilised nations in Europe make common cause against Anarchy, there is some hope that it will be stamped out ; but if one nation encourages it in another for so-called *' political " proposes, no man can say what the end may be.

Commenting on our article on the yisit of the Hon. John Ballance to Feilding, in which we said the settlers here have been so busy making homes for themselves that they could not spare time to let outsiders know what they were doing, the Catholic Times says :— '" Just so 1 While some of us have been howling abowt the " Eights of Labor " and forming ourselves into " Kmgbts of Labor," the Feilding people have been laboring. The funny part of the affair seems to be that there is an actual tangible result to the labors of these prosaic Feilding folk, while the highly • imaginative howlers for the " Rights of Labor " are still howling, and their exhaustive labors don't seem to have produced any product worth a tinker's cursory observation."