The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1881-08-05

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Hancock. lie made one or more
speeches during the canvass In favor 81
General Garfield. One speech 81 Nil
certainly was printed. Il was circn'
lated - : Republican campaign docu'
ment. The cost o. IL publication was
de:ral "a out Of tho Republican cam
paien funds. Was Guiteau insane
when he uttered that speech In favor III
Garfield and against Hancock? Did
the Republican managers think him In
sane when they promoted its circuia.
tionp When. after the election. the
quarrel between the President and the
stalwarts had got full Roadway. Guiteau.
like the Republican tramp that he Is.
mounted the fence. He wrote q letter
70 the President 10 say that he was
. half breed. but with the stnlwarts he
communed As a stalwart. He wa sane
enough 20 hunt with the hounds and
run with the hare. In his letter con-
Tossing his crime in advance OF is per-
pctralion he labeled himself - stall
war;" and also described himself rs
"a lawyer, theologian and politician"
q sort Of Jack Of all trades and master
Of rome. Il Is q precisely such mate
rial that the rank and fle Of the spoils
system are made up. IN ''0ff years
Guiteau dawdled about the country in
his disreputable way, sometimes as .
lawyer. sometimes as q theologian, but
whenever an election year came
around he turned up Instantly as
. politician. To be . politician meant
~ him simply TO put himself il the way
Of getting an Office. and Of getting an
Office which he would never have
dreamed Of aspiring to under . system
Of competitive examination wherein his
character would have been tested. Thus
"the SOILS system" made Guiteau q
!" politician and the fact that Guiteau
was "a politician made the man
ayers Of the Republican machine afraid
during an election to offend him. Now
the Republican managers all agree that
he Is q bad man in every way-a weak
and worthless villain. Of course be is.
But 50 he was, too. when be made
campaign speeches against General
Hancock. and so were and so are nov
. great many more political tramps in
both parties. Yet the party managers
listen to them and conciliate them and
get Offices for them and pct them never
theiess. These political tramps attend
political meetings. form the ~body-guard
Of the machine and applaud the party
orators. Now, suppose the law made
Il impossible ter these political tramps
70 aspire to Offices. is il not clear that
they would cease 10 exist as politicians
and be compelled % do the best they
could. il not as Lawyers and theologi-
ans. then As navvies and st~reet-sweep-
ers? Guiteau believed. and for aught
that appears he had some reason 10 be-
lieve. himself quite as intelligent as
many Of his fellow tramps appointed TO
nil consulates and clerkships either by
the Hayes or the Garfield Administers
ton.
When the trial Of Guiteau comes Of
we shall doubtless be told that the Az
age political tramp who fails TO get an
Office does not attempt TO take the lie
of the President or the Governor from
WHOM he hofei to get il. and therefore
that Guiteau, being an exceptional po-
litice' tramp. must be accounted insane
and his life not be forfeited to the law.
Can oiiice-seeking in America become
such an insane impulse? To hold that
IL can would be q comfortable doctrine
for the political tramps. Bnt Judges
may expounI whatever law they like
TO expound 70 juries. and experts may
expound whatever novel theories Of in
they can concoct. but no jury.
unless . jury made up Of political
tramps. will eve ac4uit Guiteau.
what the statute defines AZ murder
- 1--,-- $3.50 r.S- $500 &C.,