| Publication information |
|
Source: Whim Source type: magazine Document type: editorial column Document title: “Whimsies” Author(s): Crosby, Ernest Howard Date of publication: October 1903 Volume number: 6 Issue number: 3 Pagination: 92-109 (excerpt below includes only pages 93-95) |
| Citation |
| Crosby, Ernest Howard. “Whimsies.” Whim Oct. 1903 v6n3: pp. 92-109. |
| Transcription |
| excerpt |
| Keywords |
| Leon Czolgosz; McKinley assassination (personal response). |
| Named persons |
| Leon Czolgosz; William McKinley; Tomás de Torquemada; Benjamin R. Tucker. |
| Notes |
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The portion of Crosby’s column excerpted below is written in response
to Benjamin R. Tucker’s “Logic and Common Sense” (Liberty, Sept.
1903). Click here
to view an excerpt of that Tucker editorial.
Click here to view an excerpt from Tucker’s response (Liberty, Nov. 1903) to Crosby’s column. |
| Document |
Whimsies [excerpt]
All [93][94] the good and all the evil in the world has been caused by “feelings,” but I think that feelings-plus-logic, have done more harm in the long run than feelings-plus-feelings. Logic is relentless. The logic of Torquemada was unanswerable, once admit his axioms. Heretics were damned. They made converts who were also damned. It was better to torture and kill a few of them here than to consign a large portion of the race to hell forever. Q. E. D. The argument is unanswerable. But if Torquemada had consulted his heart, he would have thrown the whole flimsy sophism overboard. If I may indulge in a Hibernicism, I would say that it is a good thing to keep your heart at your elbow. But even Tucker’s logic is faulty at times. He thinks that it was Czolgosz’s feelings that prompted him to shoot President McKinley. This was clearly not the case. Every feeling in him must have protested against the killing of a smiling elderly gentleman who was receiving him like a father. It was logic that wrecked the lad. Government was wrong. McKinley was a governor. Hence he should be removed. Q. E. D. [94][95] It was the logic of Torquemada. We owe a heap of trouble to the Q. E. Ds.