Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-05-16
WHOLE NO. .2589
Assassination as a Political Art

ASSASSINATION as q FOHIlcal AFb
John Van Buren's exulting declaratiOn
to the late Democratic johnson meeting
at New York, that 'tno Democratic Pres
ident had ever died in Office, and that,
taking counsel from the past, he might
say that none ever would, is hippant,
abandoned recognition of the
establishment of assassination as a part
of our political system. Therear enough
Of condolences in history to give color
to it. It tWould be more correct to say
that no President who ever stood in the
way Of the slaYeholders' conspiracy to
dominate or destroy the Government,
had ever lived through his term, and that
judging from the past, he might say that
none ever would.
Harrison died suddenly, at the begin
ming of his term, and Tyler, man en-
tirely in Southern control, came into
power. Alexander 81. Stephens, and
Toombs, and others had tried to bully
Mr.. Taylor into their views, and had to-
tally failed, before he died. Fillmore
was already in a political circle, opposed
to Mr. TBylor, and when he came into
power, he proved subservient to South
ern demands. The conspiracy to subvert
the Government was fully organized dur
the election canvass of Fremont and Bu-
chanan, and was to be preeipitated in
case of Fremont's election. The suhse-
quent developements of Breckinridge's
active engagement in the plot, will give
rational explanation of the National
Hotel poisoning attempt to take off Mr..
Buchanan, who, with all his Weakness,
was not an active agent in their hands
Had Breckinridge been in power when
Lincoln was elected, the South could
have madethe fight In the Government.
Who does not remember the glee Of
the Democratic papers over the Southern
conspiracy to assassinate Mr.. Lincoln at
Baltimore, on his way to the Presidential
Office; their lack of any eensure OF 1t,
their countenance Of it, and their fierce
attacks upon Mr.. Lincoln for taking
measures to escape assassination. The
doctrine which Mr.. Douglas made his
great principle in that canvass, was the
doctrine of sectional mob violence as the
test of the soundness of political prlnci-
pies. 1t was this: ''I hold that any po-
1itical principle must be unsound when
they who holdit cannot safely declare 1t
in every section of the country This
was making assassination superior to
principle. The played out politician
who made Presidential canvass on this
atrocious sentiment was peltedl with eggs
in the South, and finally had to take
stand on principle that could not be de-
clared in the South until our armies had
conquered it. -2 Z-dtU Aa
The world has become aware that John
Wilkes Booth was not q madman, nor
they who instigated and conspired with
him fools; and that the osten tatious Ia
ment of some people in the South that
''the South had lost its best friend was
either the innocence of dense Ignorance,
which could be possible only ina, few, or
a hypocritical cry to divert suspicion and
justice. The promises of terrible penal
ties upon traitors, that were cried aloud
from the White House with Jealous repe-
tition, for several weeks after the assas-
sination, helped to confuse the public
Judgment, and to make this assassination
unaccountable on any rational theory Of
Confederate gain. -, -7
But it is now plain that there was ra-
tional method in the assassination con-
spiracy, and that it was a success In
the face of the fact that it had been gen
orally agitated in the Confederaey, and
always as a jushhable resort when 1t
could be made of practical benefit to the
rebel cause, it is absurd to suppose that
it was limited to Booth and the Surratt
family, or to a few. They were mere
scapegoats, hurried out of the world to
bear the burden of public attention The
assassins knew the man they assassinated
and the man who would come to power
by it. There is not a particle of eVi-
dence that the plot included Mr. John
son. He bore life as charmed as John
Van Buren attributes to Democratic
Presidents, and so did Mr.. Lincoln while
Mr.. BaIaGn was Vice President. ---.
For John Van Buren to declare, upon
this counsel of the past" that no Dem
ocratie President will ever die in Office.
has the air Of exulting over assassination
as a successful Democratic art. But we
make no exceptions to the assurance that
no Democratic Presidents-that is, Pres
idents who are actively hostile to the
North-are in no danger of being taken
off during their term of Office. Assassin
alton is not Northern art, at least not
outside the Democratic party. When
Mr.. johnson talked about the desire to
assassinate him he merely had on the
brain the means which brought him into
power Cincinnati Gazette.