Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-04-20

THE ASSASSINATION ci men high In Office
= end pcwsr has beer s crime 10 which, unhsp-
PLY. the dep,ayoi and shoT-slghtrd impulses of q
'ew dsrk souls n every age have tended The IN
raas Ming folly Of supp sing that the removal of 8
life zted 10 shs advancement OF Ideas and
principles, deep as humanity Itself, will overthrow
those ideas and wither those principles mas led to
the murder Ct the great and elevated among men
History, with her thousand vo.c,s teaches that such
murder leads neither to r9'crm nor to peace, and
that tie evil It bIDgs ends net VITA the w;etchsd
lie Of the assassin.
The assassination Of julius Cesar WAS followed
by period Of bloody war, IN which the guilty
perpetrators were driven from tte.r unity and
pursuel by s7enging forces until suicide closed
Their caro.7. They gained 10 freedom for their
country. and satsllcd upon her The naue,es5 woes
e mi..,sry dsspo,sp The murder Of Henry
me Third o, France was followed by renewal o.
civ,' war. in witch Catholic and Huguoaot Goa
70 d "A arm-, and tie sanguilary dhcrde Of
tho lad were only less rSvo'slng thar The couup
zion Of pivate u 17als The nIrdsr Of Henry tie
Fourth was quickly succeeded ~ ihe outbreak o
iuernecne strife aad 10y the ut fearful forms Ct
re-esou 4 and vi lence TIE taking away tbs
Ia Of Ln7a the Sixteenth Of Fnncs was TIE sc
nal fr rago slona.y ex ,esees, justly sh5Datissd b
n, 'reig Of terror" In which the guillotiue va
vet vi hood. daily sled, aud WIS followed By
war, U1'cb deao'ated the fslrest regions Of Europe
lad Dc r., ysd TIE lives Of thrfe milious OF mer
Va viii 10 K II vain for any period In which the
81 lent tn Of monarch Or 3 magistrate, e1eI-
, sing ti,,u Ion, upon basis of lawful suthori-
e. tcs t,u 81 ce,ded by the reform Of errors, The
r. in nj ahuses, or tho pacifcatiOn Of dis
trsc c ,cuu'ry. Ruter have such tragedies bern
be sisuss ~ renewed b,oo5shed, snd added mis-.
ny E, e humln race
Suc- r,6 CT ms increase 'he gloom. which nov
haogs Re a.Ia over the land. The murder q
Presto a irnl and the attempt 20 asssssnate
S3,rs r Ss 49, ais sons, nave stunned AID
sbo, k a.. r.tior, Until thought Itself reooils
II. N h- a.a IT 10 king 10 the future
Yuv r . depths OF horror filed up by
such c,ed you'd ask cur people, Nor.h and
South, AZ ira. ~ humble woes may zach them,
to p,u.a ad 'elect Ole circumstance distin
gu'sbes h e tag iucldents and causes them to
difr fr IN ire unrdors Of rulers IA preyiouS ages.
They have ne at the c'oSs Of tOar OF nre1ampled
violence add terles5. Had they occurred early
In the war or e,cl in It's height, they night have
been though : have btel an expression of its pas
SONS aud t. have been Iesorted to ~ terrible mes.
sures o. hos isy moving OFT of the arena Of the
common strfa and invadOg the homes and priva-
oies of ths high actors in the conflict Butn such
murders blscSenel the progress of the war. The
Thousands slsn duriog its prosecution fell In open
battle or as martyrs TO It's more chys'rous spirit
Now, when the conict has been fought out, and the
contest is decided, 1t Ia certain that none Of those
who have conieudsd 80 bravely and openly for the
mastery ae capable Of these mean, cowardly and
4 month de ds. These acts Of murder are the
work. Of o ' isolated sssassins frenzied perhaps
by reflections too dark ard gloomy TO BE longer
rus hey leave the great heart Of the peop'e
Nnh slt nth, untouched by venom which
ust dl5r y It's possessor.
Let IA t1en take courage even IN this hour OF
gloom and .rrow LIT no misd rected suspicons,
m RANKING Inc stiles, no 1ngeoercus sug sesti2ns
+ c mplloi'y gcoEch and withsr the green ard ten
dr ligaae e Of cou6d nee srd kindness with VII Oh
che le OF the two sections were beginning 10
~ avn es:h o'hr II we prove ourselves cara
be Of rising above this cloud OF gloom and seeing
the bet g. light which guides as to Reconciliation
and 8 e, we may sooa discern happiness and hope
ne cling even from the depths OF woe
rINH GRE hss been no public expression Of grief