National Republican., 1881-12-12
Guitcau's Inspiration.

we have GulteauS word for II that he
thought his long planning and final ly-
ing in wait and dastardly murder of the
President was inspired by the Deity.
We have no other evidence. II seems to
us easier to believe that Guiteau lies than
that he ever believed the Deity had thus
directed him. A halfa thought as to what
hypocrisy is will explain Guiteau's char
acter. He is simply hypocrite. He has
always been confidence man and
swindler, Why should his word be
taken, when he pretends to have
been religious fanatic? He wrote
book to sell. That was no evidence
that he had any religious feeling.
lie sought to make people believe he
was desirous of difiusing religious
views, but this was always accompanied
with an effort to get money from them.
Is it such II new thing for a wretch to
wear the livery Of the Court of Heaven
to serve the devil in? The prosecution
can prove that hypocrites like Guiteau are
very numerous, and that hypocrisy is no
evidence of insanity. 1t can also be easily
proven that common swindlers like Gui-
teau are not usually truthful. Such evil
dence appears to be necessary to the
minds Of some, who are unable to explain
away the miraculous inspiration theory
by simply concluding that the prisoner
lies. Lest some one of these be on the
jury, it would really be well to prove that
there are hypocritical pretenders to re-
ligion, and that such persons would lie to
save their necks as readily. as they would
to cheat u boarding-house. So much for
Guiteau's own defense.
His counsel, NJ. Scoville, does not ap-
parently take much stock in the inspira-
ton business. He insists that Guteau is
insane, and aims TO establish it by show
ing, among other things, that he placed
an eXtravagant estimate upon his cam
paign speech, demanded recognition far
above his merits or capacity, and without
reason claimed intimate and familiar re-
lations with high dignitaries The prose-
cution can easily prove that these are
the chief characteristics of all political
confidence men and dead-beats. Any man
who has had to deal with political COM
mittee work can testify that Guteau is
but type of a very large class of shallow
impostors. Such fellows abound in this
country. Some of them want to
make speeches, and others want
to be entrusted with the use of
money. After every campaign the
men who have managed the committee
work are prosecuted by beats and loafers,
who pretend that they performed some
prodigies emitting them either to money
or employment This is an industry by
itself, and the fact ought to be proven.
Guiteau is not very singular person.
OF course his antics on the trial are un-
usual, hut they are evidently put on. He
never behaved in way to attract any at
tention while he was haunting the Ma
tional and State committee rooms in
New York last fall, nor while dancing
attendance upon President Garfield and
Secretary Blaine last spring to secure an
Office as a reward for his pretended SER
vices. He was not even eccentric enough
ever to have been the subject of news.
paper comment.
If to be religious hypocrite or q poll
tical confidence man entities a man to be
belieYed when he pretends that his mur.
der of President was due partly to
genuine religious ianaticism and partly
to patriotic desire to save the country
we may as well abolish the criminal
code. Nc, criminal will hesitate to give a
false excuse for crime if he can thereby
escape punishment. Strange that SO plain
proposition can be beiogged by labored
arguments as to the possibilities of re-
ligious or other hallucinations.
THERE are non-Commissioned officers
in the Marine Corps who are just as wei
born and bred as any Of the commits
stoned officers, and yet for the las
twenty-five years no commandant of this
Corps has recommended man from the
ranks for promotion. Why?
THE Ohio idea-carrying money il
boots-is decided improvement on the
old plan Of transporting snakes in those
pedal integuments.
The old doctrine Of total depravity vii
cain fragb ppnvprts pVprV duV while tbI