Daily Republican., 1881-07-21
THURSDAY. JULY 81. 1881.
Tho south ans: the Assassination.


Tho south anS the AssasstnatiOn
Though President Garfield is the mar
tyr. his attempted assassination la
done more to cement real union il
sentiment between the North and TIKI
South than anything that has cccnrre,
since the surrender Of Lee at AppoInat
tox. The shot from GHliteau's pisto
stopped at no sectional lines, but rever
bera.ing throughout the South itawoke
the national feeling of that country tC
a sudden, unrestrained, and we believe
an honest expression of sentiment. The
people there felt as they had not felt for
aQuarter of century, that they had a
government and that the blow was
struck at that government. For once
more they felt that thev had an equal
stake with their brethren Of the North
in the security of the National well
being and the good order of the State,
and that the chief magistrate Of the
Nation had an equal claim upon the
loyal affection of the whole ieople.
Nowhere have there been heartier or
more obviously sincere expressions of
horror at the crime perpetrated by Gui.
teau on the second of July than in the
Southern States, and nowhere has there
been more cordial utteranceS OF >vmpa-
thy for the stricken President and his
family, or more fervent prayers sent up
for his recovery, and their consolation.
There may have been an aiterthought-
there mostly is npon such occasions,
but it has not yet showed itself in The
South. There seems to have entered
into the first expression of popular feel
ing no element of political ejaculation,
nor did it depend on the alternative of |
political control at Washington that
was presented neither did it depend |
on the recognition of any definite poll
cy pertaining to the Administration.
1t was inspired in part, no doubt, by
a scarcely acknowledged confidence in
the largeness OF heart and the breadth
of mind of the man who occupied the
Presidential chair, the Nations il
luStriuuS martyr who seemed TO
have been suddenly Smitten down
from that exalted station, but it was
also due in "a large measure to a geru
inc feeling Of nationality that had
grown unconsciously during the la>t
few years in the southern heart. 1t
was the intimation Of the coming ful.
1ilment OF the lamentel Lincoln's
prophecy, which was made almost be-
fore the sad conflict OF the past was
really begun. Mr.. Lincoln said "rhc
mystic chords Of memory, stretching
from every battle field of the nation and
every patriot grave to every living
heart and hcar;hstone all over this
broad land, will yet swell t1e chorus of
the Union when again touched, as sure
ly they will be by the better angels of
our nature"
Those mystic chords have been
touched by the better angels of Our
Southern brethren'S nature, when the i
news flew over that land Of the attempt
to assasSinate the President. The intel
ligence Of the south has also been quick,
as expressed in its newspapers to rrcog- :
niZe the political significance of the act
ofthe dastardly assassin who was crazed
by disappointment in Zee. seeking.
The influential newspapers Of the South,
most of which are Democratic, have {
treated this aspect of the event far more
IA 'ionally than hose OF the same p0iti.
cal faith in the North with very few cX
captions and conspicuous lncausc thew
are exceptions. There is in all rhiS "A
hopeful intimatiOn OF further hopeful
and wholesome re ults from the growth
Of national feeling in the Southern
States. There is no good reason why
the intelligent and good people Of that
se3tiOn should not take a position on the
E'al issues of our national life and help
to settle them without any reference to
tie old contests and divisions of the
past. The combined intelligence and
patriotism Of The whole country can ov-
ercome all our difficulties and solve all
our problems and y people one in SYM
pa6hy will rejoice that the day Of such
a consolidated union has arrived.