THE TRIAL IN IDAHO.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 78, 28 September 1907, Page 19

THE TRIAL IN IDAHO.

There is a tendency, u-o think, to exrggeratc tho political weaning of tho astonishing story from Idaho. It is no c'oubt a little bowildering to peieeive that UlO hatred between craploycis and employed, which is in all countries, though in. very varying degrees, a 11010 of the modern industrial world, ehculd bo most unrcttrainod in tho United States, where, on tho Republican theory, all men arc equal, and soolal hatrons therefore loasl, bitter; where wages are so high that poverty loses much pf its sting — outside one or two cities thero is no hunger ill the Union— and whero the body of tho people can remove any oppression by a simple vote. (The State Legislatures aro supreme in matters which afi'oct the relations of Capital and Labour.) Still, thera are elements in the condition of the United States which make olaes contests very fierce. Every one is educated more or loss, and with educa- ] tion comes fuller consciousness of any sort of difference of opportunities. The prosperity of capitalists is so great that the olsavage between the "Haves" and the "Hciva-nols" grows wider in tho eyes of both. The indifference to human life— due, we fancy, to a pervading optimism which minimibes all offences as it minimises the Buffering from »-uin— tends to make all incidents of the industrial struggle more and more ghastly to tho observer; and the heavy proportion of foreign, labour, especially in mining and the more arduous kinds of work, tends to destroy that unity of general sentiment without which public opinion loses something of its correcting force. The capitalist conscionco is apt in 6uch circumstances to grow leathery, as does also Hie conecionce of tho worser kind of industrial. Wo do not know that tho shocking revelations of tho bravo Orchard — assuming them for tho moment to be true — are much worse — though they seem worso from his callous imperturbability— than the eilimar revelations made in this country in tho halfforgotten "Broadhead" affair, when, as some of our readers may recollect, it was necessary to gujirantea tho witnesses against the legal consequences of their own confessions of crime. The great difference is that^ the terrorists in the United States do not" limit their coercion to recalcitrant workmen, or oven to wealthy employers, out threaten tho great officials, the courts, and the juries engaged in securing order or ensuring equal justice. It is for tho murder of. tho late Governor of Idaho that tho accused rare being tried. There is in America a want of reverence for tho will of tho people as expressed in its governing machinery which is absent in Europo, and which can hardly bo oxplarnod by sayiDg that tho instruments of justice aro elective They ought, on the. Republican theory, to be more roveroccod on that account, and they most decidedly are not. It must bo recollected, too, that, partly from a had tradition and partly from tho popular eagerness to secure oquaJ protection to the poor, tho machinery for distributing criminal ju=tice works almost as badly as it used to do in Spain and Aaistria. The criminal is allowed too many chances, and much too great a delay elapses between the arrest and final conviction. It often takes twelve months to exocuto a man of whoEe guilt no ono even professes to suggest a doubt, and tho morEl effect of punishment is therefore, bo to spoal-, watered down till its restraining effect almost disappor.es. Punishment is not tho origin of conscience — that is a misconception of the mind of man as woll as of true utilitarianism — but it is tho healthy tonic of conscience, keeping it strong even m tho grosser natures. Whether, howover, the majority of American industrials sympathise with tho scoundrels who, to secure the influence of the Western Minors' Federation, ordered, if Orchpird's revelations. are well founded, a Ber^es of assassinations, is by no means proved. The Times American correspondent thinks they do, hints' that thero may be resistance to tho punishment of the men 'under trial in Idaho should they be found guilty, and quotes opinions which, if tnoy mean anything, mean tha,t, in the judgment of grave Americans, thoro is danger of actual rebellion. We doubt tnat greatly. It is quite possible that many American industrials in their hatred 01 the capitalists honestly believe that tho Whole affair has been got up and is paid for by the rich in order to discredit the trade umons. But the born American at ioast; jg not vcty credulous, oxcept when appealed to from the cido of his supers»"on- He may belioVs in a new religion lUio Christian Science," or even in a new revelation like that of Joseph Smith ; but ll you appeal to him against Christianity, cr asiinet what he has always believed to bo tho distinction between ri^hi and wrong, he is apt to bo humorou-ly sceptical. Ho might accept the statement that capitalists had orderod assassinations with a view to a great dividend ; but ho would suspect tho statement that they had ordered them in order to discredit their em. ployees. Isobcuy doubts that tho assarsinations occurred ; but such a. motive for their occurrence would strike him as a iittlo too Eubtic and far-fetched. There is no particular objection to capital punishment in the United States among the induatnal clawcs— as witness the constant resort to lynches— but the idea of rebellion to prevent the du6 execution of a judicial fontenoe seems to us imaginative, even if it is not produced by exceed vo inner dißIrust of tho labouring people. Tho majonty of tho latter mu:t bo Christians at least in thnir own eyes, and 'tho idea of thoir ivbolhtsf against tho dictates of the uaivma-1 coiiEcienco is a little too Hire the om Anc ; o-lnd:;in idea that in Btipiiressiiie crimes liko suttco tho Government wrre giving tho b.jjml for universal insurrection. Moroovr, the industrials in America aro hardly m a position to rebel. Wo aro too apt in this emintrt' to forget tho groat fart that in tho United State! phywml force btii] remain* with tho freeholders, thine hko three to one, vho aro all moro or less trained as Militiamen, and who have neveF that wo can remember, when called upon to protect the laws, failed to appear in irresistible ttrength. That is the real reason of tho extravagant jealousy appeal to tho use of force. If tho industrial* were in a majority, or anything like ono, they would f eouro their ends by tho vote, aud so be able to avoid aswwdnationc, which even m the present Hmpov. feet condition of the American courts must involve risk to their neoko as well as to their repute We think it possible that the court m- Idaho will not be a b] 0 to secure a verdict, part of tho jury being too much frightened ; But if it is able, anl the Governor is rosolute, there is fores enough oven in Idaho to carry out the ■entcr.ee of the law. The "Molly Alagiure bnAncM ' was quite as bad iv this one, ana novortholeEs was followed by 110 rebellion! , ' We should not wonder greatly if tho Idaho strangle wero followecf by a great increase in the popular demand on President Kooseveit to stand for a third term, or rather for a- second torm, for his first assumption of the Presidency was only duo to tho death of his predecessor durinp his own term of office as Vice-Pro-sident. He has decided 1 not to be reelocted ; but it is hardly in human naturo lor any man to resist a nearly unanimous nomination. So convinced aro tho people of the Un-tod Stales that ho is the only man posseted of the qualities required in a timo of great social trouble— the only man, that 16, reFolutcly on tho sido of tho poor, yot ciotormined that order shall bo mnnitained— that it i» oven concoivablo that he might bo norainatod by both tho great partic, in -which event a refusal to contmuo in power would he a doreliction Of duty of tho kind Mr. Roosovolt is almost certain not tp commit. Even if ho wero convinced, which he probably is not, that his third election would constitute it bad precedent in tho history of the Republic, ho would risk it rftther than rcfuso tho Eorvicn which tho entire nation called upon him to perform, After all, there can bo no moral guilt in consenting to koop for four yoarti morn a power which his people declare that ho has exorcified wisely! and which ho must be aware in himeolf hi) has cxeroieed in accordance tvilh tho dictates of his coiiHoionoo Thero aro porlmps mnny good possible candidates for tho Presidency, but Hi wo id no prrtonality co great and ko trusted as to ho un adequuto livul.— Spectator.

On Sunday 'last nt New Biighlon, an opossum wui captured. It is consid«ied noteworthj that any of thtso animals , ahould be Been 59 near the cit^ t