The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1881-09-22

and oblivion. Is the commencement of
the second century of our national exist
ence to be the limit? Is the brilliant his
DRY our past and present generation has
sealed with the blood of thousands of its
best heroes to be yelled and blackened
with the hellish caprices of monster of
hideous calibre? If there is any motive,
any scheme, design or plot, beyond that
of single individual like Booth or Gut
teau for brief, self imagined heroism,
then these two incidents compared with
ancient presidents, forcbode national
danger that monarchial prophets predict
ed at the earliest stage of our existence,
that our republican form of government
did not have the principles of perpetuity,
it was only an experiment that soon would
eliminate in internal disscusion and over
throw.
But calm reasoner can not SO conclude.
The assassination of Mr.. Lincoln rs sub
sequent developments proved, originated
alone with Booth, and his few followers
even if never apprehcnded would have
found no allies that could have proved eff
tective, besides it was at the time of d.
vided sentiment that was in some localities
termented under the horrors and pains of
war.
The murder of Jamas Abraham Garfield
occurs when the tide of prosperity and ma
tional peace was at its highth. When the
startling news of the attempted assassina-
ton flashed over the wires, sympathy
and horror knew no boundaries, the north
and south, democrat and republican alike
mingled their indignation and tears, and
during the long weeks of suffering and ag-
onizing suspense, while the noble specimen
of manhood was butfeting against the
slow creeping poison disseminated from
the cowardly bullet, a universal prayer
went up for the restoration of the nations
ruler, and to-day, not only Go his people,
but civilized world mourn his untimely
death
A hero in youth, hero through after
life, and hero in death, what an example
for the youth of our generation to follow,
has the life of this great man set. No
royal or aristocratc blood tainted his
veins; born amid the wilds of Ohio forest
where for years after he had attained suf-
ficient age for instruction his poverty bar
red the advancement his yotng mind cray
ed for, but the teachings of a christian
mother was then sowing the seeds of re-
lgious faith that laid the foundation of a
great and noble character, that bore him
from the humble canal boy to the teacher
of men, commander of armies, leader
in the national congress, and the chief ex-
ecutive of the most honored nation of the
world Can it be that from the dizzy
heighth to which his own people elevated
him, he has fallen for an unknown pur-
pose, except to him who doeth all things
well. To murmur at the dispensations of
Providence is human nature, but not, as
we know, right. Did the future of our
nation need this crushing, staggering
blow? Is there a latent element in this re-
public that for it's good must be purged or
palliated by the life blood of the chosen
one of its fifty million people? are assas-
sins born to vent ther hellish spleen and
plots upon the brilliant lights of the age
Is an individual to tcrrorizc nation whose
flag is passport where that of Others fail ?
Oh! in the tears and throes of this great
grief, one cannot help from trembling for
the future faith in the Supreme Ruler of
all is the only solace; bending in submis-
sion to the irretrievable loss, let us think
Of the dead hero only as when he walked
in the light of truthfulness and integrity.
For >:'n:sa.~ syc ::ss-a.. want that sceno y1-
liberated from our mind that we witnessed
in the convention at Chicago little over
year ago, when General Garfield rose
amid the deafening applause of fifteen
thousand people to present the name of
John Sherman for the nomination for the
Presidency by the convention. Before
his lips moved further than to address the
chair, the applause was deafening, and
that mammoth expression of such an en-
lightened body could not have been more
appropriately described, than did Garfield
himself, in abiding to prior nominations
by other gentlemen. Ina clear voice among
that sea of faces like a ponderous bell,
he said, 'No emotion touches my heart
more quickly than a sentiment in honor of
a great and noble character, but as / sat
on these salts and witnessed these demon
STATIONS, it seemed to me you were hui
man ocean in a tempest How little did
ilc Cilcii tlllllk, llidb lHc WOTuS lie utleTCu
were prophetic of what would be demon
strated as to himself SO soon. To-day the
grand and universal sentiment Of nation
is paying tribute "in honor of great and
noble character, that of James A. Gar
field, and the human ocean has been lash
ed to tempest through the fury and In
dignation of a sympathizing and grief
stricken people. The nation has lost one
of the most accomplished statesman that
ever graced the Presidential chair, noble
christian wife is bent with agony over the
lifeless form of one who was an affection.
ate and model husband, venerable,
mother tottering over the grave is doomed
to hear the clods of the valley fall upon
the casket of her cherished jewel, the
young hearts of bright sons and daugh.
ters are wrllnp with uncomfortable Grief al