Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-10-13
RsH.sttntit Nattllnsst.
KANSAS LETTER.

Especial Correspondence Of the NOrthvest.l
LAWRENCE, KAN, Sept. 27, 1881.
The topic Of all absorbing interest
here at the present writing is, Of
course. the death OF President Gar.
field. The news was communicated
to the people OF the city by tolling of
the church and fire bells, for, owing
to the time Of night hut few we're on
the street. 1t is curious exemplifi-
cation of how the telegraph anihilstes
time and distance, that, though Gar
field died at 1895 p. m, the news
reached here at 1920, of that evenings;
or some fifteen minutes before his
death took place The city has been
draped in mourning ever since, and
Yesterday, the day of the funeral the
draping was, some of it, very elaborate.
Some OF the merchants, especially,
went to considerable expense In dec
Grating their show windows, and many
of the window decorations we're very
beautiful. One design was composed
of an anchor with broken link in its
chaip, broken column and a portrait
of the President sworthed in black,
with back ground of the ''stars and
stripes surrounded by black, while
overhead was an arched canopy Of
dark blue set with silver stars. At
another place we saw what represented
the globe floating in the heavens sur
rounded by the sun, moon and stars,
and below, "The whole world mourns. >
If we were good at descriptions we
would like to give account of more of
these various designs, but as it is will
not try TO do more at present.
The memorial services were held at
the University. The procession formed
on the main business street and was
composed of all the societies and
organizations in the town and country,
among them the University students
to the number of nearly four hundred,
wearing the University colors, blue
and buff, draped in mourning. There
must have been more than four thous-
and people in the procession, and, al
together there we're over seven thous-
and assembled at the building. 1t
was soon seen that the crowd would
have to be divided, and so the doors
were thrown open and part of the peo-
pie were accommodated in the chapel
This immense room was filled to over
flowing, and yet the stairways and
halls were filed with hundreds trying
in vain to gain an entrance. The great
hall was beautifully decorated and
draped, and the seen was very impress
sive. Out side there were seats fixed
and speakers stand builtso that those
that could not be accommodated IN the
building could hear the speaking from
there. The speaking went on both
places at the same .ime, and soon as
one got through in either place, he
would go at once to the other and de-
liver his speach again. The cere
monies closed with the whole con-
course singing "God save the State. :"
The whole affair was well conducted
and reflected great credit upon the
managers. 1t seems wonderful to
think and reflect upon the effect this
death of President Garfield has had up,
on the people Of this country, and if it
would only last, if they would remem-
Der it and heed its teachings, it would
be some consolation to think that he
had not died in vain. Just now "there
is no North, no South, no Democrats,
Republicans or q Green hackers, the
whole people are united, but how long
will it be before the old order of things
will come back. 1t was really pleas
ureable to read the newspapers during
the past twelve weeks, if they were
filled with the one subject, they had no
time or space to call the opposite party
to which they belonged thieves and
scoundrels. Freedom of the press is a
good thing and necessary to the safety
of our country, but there is such a
thing as "too much Of good thing"
and that freedom that descends to SLAM
der, falsefying and vulgarity is Of this
kind. We see no reason why political
campaigns cannot be conducted with
certain degree Of decency and self re,
spect, but it appears that such cannot
be the case. A year ago half the pa
pers in the United States were trying
to make the people believe that Gar.
field was perjurer and coward;
morally and physically. Now those
same papers are filed with praise of
his virtues. Does the average Ameri-
can editor really enjoy "eating his own
words" in so short space of time? Is
it actually pleasure to tim to ac-
knowledge that he says what is false;
that for the sake Of party he will tell
wilful and malicious lies; things that
he knows to be falsehoods when he
writes them? 1t would seem that this
is the case, for over and over again he
has done it. Papers of all parties are
alike unreliable, and what is the use of
all this anyway. None but fools be-
lieve half or quarter of what is print
ed in political papers during election
times. 1t is such things that give.
politics such bad name that it is get
ting to be so that no decent men will
engage therein. Advocacy of princi-
pies is all very we'll but we fail to see