The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-05-31
nu whom was Booth Educated 2

of rejoicing over glorious victories achiefeu
and Frightening prospects, into uDiselsA'
wall Of sorrow. From one end to tne o'ue,
Of the land, men, women and children pau'su
Is II arrested BY paralytic stroke, wnne NC.
countenances betokened Only the deep noiio,
of their souls at such damning oeed o.
blood.
Itisa settlsd principle Of human action
that men do not act, especially In extraordina-
Wv modes. without some motive or Impulse.
what was il that impeIled John Wilkes Booth?
what had produced that infatuatiou IN hio
mind that led him to the commission Of a
crime 80 nendlsh and so unparalleled
Men have sometimes been known to kill
their families and then TO end the bloody and
unnatural tragedy BIZ putting the knife to
their cwn throats, but in all such cases mo-
tive Ia sought, or an incentive for deed so
revolving to the human heart. Cases have
been known where men would rise from the
perusal Of the sacred page, and deliberately
put q violent end 10 the life of those whom
they had the most reason to love and protect.
When in such acass il has been found that
the page opened and last read contained some
passage Of priest or prophet, warning men
against the enormity OF their sins, and fore
telling what dire calamity would come IL their
course Of life waa not amended, there has
been no difficulty In understanding the secret
spring or incentive TO the terrible deed COM
mitted. Incorporating the language to
his own case and that Of his family, and en-
tirely perverting the meaning Of inspiration,
the demon OF destruction entered his heart
and dethroned the reverence for the life of
loved ones that should have remained enshrin-
cd there, and left him to work the ruin which
involved both him and his.
We do not find perfect parallel to such
eases in that of Boo tn. Parallels seldom "run
on all fours." Perfect likeness we may mot
and, and yet there may be strong points of re-
semblance. Booth was prepared or educated
for his work. He was educated not by read
ing and perverting his bible, but BY reading
so-called Democratic Nepspopers, and the les
sons, sayings, enuncistions and proverbs put
forth, adopted or used IN behalf Of the So
called Democratic cause
We know this Is hard accusation, but it's
hardness is foun0 chiefly in its truth. 1t is a
severe charge to bring against any party, that,
by their teachings they have educated a man
to be an assassin. but the sting of the severity
"a found only In the fact that 1t Is both just
and true. We viii show that it is so; and in
doing this we frankly state that the great bulk
Of those who are classed as Democratic, and
who support the Democratic party, shrink
with unfeigned horror from the legitimate
fruits OF the teachings of their own editors,
oartors and party teachers; and we 60 anoth-
or step, and concede that in many cases, per-
haps most cases, those who have really edu-
Gated and thus preparvu nevss Goa his wosL.
did not look for or intend such result Of
their labcrs and influence. N
The well-dressed gentleman who, years ago.
carelassly remarked before q street crowd
that an abolitionist deserved to be rotten-egg-
ed, or that house Of bad repute should be
torn down or burnt, or that an offensive man
should be ridden on a rail or tarred and feafh-
cred, perhaps did not really intend to stimu-
late lawless proceedings and breed q bloody
: riot,-but who can tell how many poor devils
have brought up in jail or on the scafold for
deeds of outrage, when the first impulse In
the wrong direction was inspired, and the
first step auggested by just such remarks, in
dulged in By gentlemen Of influence perhaps
of education, of refinement; of pietyi BY
such careless, half earnest, half meaningless
remarks, ignorant, thoughtless and brutal men
are educated for deeds at the preparation OF
which humanity shudders.
But what OF Booth, how Is is shown that
hew was educated for his deed of blood by the
remarks and teachings Of men claiming to be
Democrats, and acting in the interest of the
Democratic partys We answer that It is
shown by referring to the sources Of such re-
marks and Of such teachings. We need not
inform intelligent readers to what extent the
notices upon political party transparencies
are educators Of the riff raft with which every
city street swarms. During the last presiden-
tiai campaign, In single procession near the
Empire city, were exhibited before all the bru-
tai elements with which such place Is ours
ed, the following notices in transparencies:
American soil scourged by an unconditional
deepOt In Abraham Lincoln AKA
"a despot has his parasites. and liberty hath
her orsn9eTs.''
"No more victims for slaughter pens Not
man-not dollar"
.Tfseward touches his bell again, the people
viii stretch his neck"
'The people are ready 70 take vengeance on
the advocates Of civil war"
Lincoln has murdered three white men to
Tree one negro
'Eree ballots or free bsIIsfs Crush the to-
Tant before he brushes you."
Such teachings, such educators of the rab-
BILE, were brought forth to aid the misnamed
Democratic cause no longer ago than October
last Who can doubt that such brutal wretch
Is as J. Wilkes Rooth, through the agency of
such educators and bad liquor, we're put
through preparatory course for the bloody
work which eliminated in April following
1t is fair TO presume that similar teachers and
educators were doing their work in other
parts Of the land; and that these sproyerbsn OF
Democratic Solcmons were treasured'in the
hearts Of those, and such as those, whom
year earlier, while indulging in such innocent
sports as those Of destroying meg houses and
beating out the brains OF negro babies. Gov.
Seymour addressed as his friends and imme-
diGte Constituents I" ss14A
Passing from these general educators
those which can claim no definite paternity and
no authority except from the association in
which, and the parties in whose aid, they we're +,
used, let Us reproduce aIew specific teachings.
with the authority on which they rest. asun-
Set" Cox, the Ohio Congressman, in one OF
his speeches we think 1t was republished
approvingly in this city-said;
ssFor less offences than Mr.. Lincoln has ho..
guilty Of, the English people chopped off tSa
head Of the first Charles. y
Benjamin Allen, a distinguished Democratic
orator In Western New York, said:
''The people will soon rise, and if they cannot