National Republican., 1881-07-19
Irresistihln ImnnIaes.

WIN Ills Dltotilb btldNAoA MillNlly Ndhth
together with the manner of his crime
and his conduct afterward would have
satisfied everybody that he had passed
into an entirely new mental condition.
But there is not q syllable of evidence to
show that Guiteau had been insane prior
TO the time he conceived his awful crime
and in the planning and execution of it
lie was as free from any symptoms Of in
sanity as any person can be who premedi-
tates murder. His subsequent conduct
is not at all different from that of the
average murderer, endeavoring TO falsely
justify and defend himself.
As the recovery Of the President be-
comes more and more certain and the
intense strain of the public mind is re-
laxed the assassin and his accountability
TO the law will more and more engage
public attention We have already been
treated TO considerable discussion as to
Guiteau's sanity, and may expect very
soon a flood of arguments intended TO be-
speak for him the tender sympathy Of
those who cling to the romantic side of
crime and who see insanity whenever
they cannot blind their eyes to the COM
mission of the criminal act. II will be
well for such people to realize that, while
the law presumes every person to be in
nocent until found guilty, it by no means
presumes every man to be crazy until
proven to be sane.
The story Of Guiteau's life has been
pretty well ventilated. Scores of people
have related their experiences with him,
and there is thus far no conflict of testi-
mony. His brother-in-law. seemed i'm
clined TO be charitable, but presented no
facts TO conflict with those of damag.
ing character from other sources. His
father gave him over as incorrigible years
ago, and no member of his family would
longer relieve him of his necessities. The
character given him by all is that of n
petty swindler and confidence man. His
mental calibre is shown to have been so
weak that in the various roles of lawye
theologian, and politician, in which he
essayed to figure, he was a shallow pre-
tender and an egotistical coxcomb The
one suit in which he was counsel led to
another in which he was defendant,
charged with stealing from his client.
He sought TO connect himself with re-
ligion as an approach to those he wanted
to swindle. In politics he was one of
those insuderable leeches who seek to
fasten themselves on committee during
campaign and whom nothing but vio-
lence can teach that they are understood
as the commonest vagrants. No one who
has ever had anything to do with politi-
cal campaign work can fail to recognize
in Guiteau one of class of parasites, by
no means SMALL who want to take the
stump or prepare documents, but who
are unable to show any capacity in them
selves or any proof that they have ever
succeeded in imposing upon others. Po-
litical committee-rooms are open to all
visitors, and Adventures of the Guiteau
school would break in if they were not.
class of bores which can live in the
waiting-room at the White House and
use the stationery there at pleasure is
not to he easily denied the chance to get
in speech or two in the course of q
presidential campaign. THE NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN, has knowledge of the fact
that Guiteau himself had the address to
procure the printing ofa pretended speech
of this kind and to still owe for the work
Ito be a petty swindler is to be lunatic,
then of course there is no such offense
as swindling any more-only lunacy. If
to profess religion in order to facilitate
the picking of pockets or the cheating of
boarding-house keepers is evidence of in
sanity, then hypocrisy is abolished and
the elight-fngered gentry in white chokers
at country fairs are religious fanatics,who
may safely commit any crime without
fear of any worse penalty than Il good
home in an insane retreat.
The career of Guiteau had been fully
run. He could not longer steal the liv-
ing which he said the world owed him.
His application for the mission to Aus
tria was not prompted by egotism, but
by sublime impudence. 1t was not
that he thought well of his miserable,
false SELF but that he had unbounded
faith in his own powers as an imposter.
A man who would swear that he was to
receive $500 the next day from New
York, in order to cheat his landlady of
one more meal before being thrust out at
the street door, would not be without hope
that q ranting speech, printed on credit
land perhaps never delivered), would Sc
cure him some trining place if he would
start as high as foreign mission. Four
months of importantly failed to produce
any impression, His fathers expressed
fear was then realized The malicious
element in his nature obtained control
and he premeditated the murder of the
one man who could give and would not,
AS to the consequences, they We're not
worse than the destitute condition he was
in; andshe guarded as much as possible
against the fury of the mob. 1t snot inn
probable that he contemplated the de-
iense of insanity and life of ease and
plenty in an asylum.
That he was sane enough 70 know the
right from the wrong and the dangers at
tendant upon the latter no one will doubt
We have, however, seen the idea pre-
sented that defense of insanity may be
successfully intcrposed where the crimi-
nal act is the result Of an irresistible i'm
pulse. This is q modern invention to
furnish juries with an escape from con-
viction in cases of the greatest provoca-
ton. But if an irresistible impulse is q
good defense then why not an unresisted
impulse? All crime comes from yielding
| IN thn 1isnOsitiOn m commit IL Who shall