Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-09-24

larger gathering than that Of the
day before, composed in part of the
ladies of the city, assembled in the
large eourt-room, when Hon. John
F. House, the chairman Of the COM
mittee on resolutions, arose, and in
presenting the resolutions, spoke in
a brief but stirring and touching
eulogy of the life and character Of
President Garfield. Col. House
said; "The object for which the
meeting had been called was too
widely known, too deeply felt by
all present, to need any explana-
ton from him; that to-day, not
only the hearts of the American
people, but of all the civilized
globe, wherever thesad intelligence
had been flashed, were throbbing
with sorrow and sympathy at the
untilnely death OF tho President of
the United States. 1t was clothed
with the saddest, deepest interest
TO all. Not only the fact of his
death, but the manner of his taking
of, had invested it with tragic in
terest and pathos, which sent
thrill of horror and grief unuttera-
BILE, through the great heart Of the
whole united American people /;
that America, to-day, without re-
gard to party, or sections, stood
with bowed head and grief stricken
heart, and wept around his bier.
Every voice was lifted up with
words of cheer and consolation to
his aged mother and heart-broken
wife and children. That chord of
nature (which makes the whole
world kim had been touched, and
responded with no uncertain
sound"
After speaking in an eloquent
and impressive manner of the early
life and struggles of the honored
dead, he spoke Of the deep abhor-
renee with which the crime of as
sassination was held by the Ameri-
can people, 'that it was a noxious
weed which could not be planted
and made to flourish on American
soil; that it was a great loss which
God, in his inscrutable providence,
had inflicted on the nation, but
would it not have the effect to bury
deeper all sectional feeling, to for
ever bridge the bloody chstSm, now
that the people of the North and
South know each other better, and
in their common griet would be
drawn nearer together?' He spoke
of the solidity of our government,
and how sudden change of leaders
could never work any revolution.
He closed by saying that he hoped
Arthur would be the President of a
whole people, that he was entitled
to the sympathy and respect of all
good people until he did some act
unworthy of their support. The.
following resolutions were then
read:
James A. Garfield, President of
the United States, is no more.
After weary days and months of
eXhausting, but brave and patient
suffering, he has closed his earthly
career, and the completed record of
his distinguished life passes into
the hands of history. Through
every vicissitude of his brave and
protracted struggle for life, fifty
millions of people have followed
him with their hopes and fears and
prayers, and sought to bear him
successfully through the conflict on
the broad bosom of universal
sympathy.
Around no other bed of pain have
the sympathies of more earnest and
anxious hearts been gathered to
cheer the sufferer, and, if possible,
to turn aside the shaft of death. |
But the aSsassin's bullet had per-
formed its deadly mission too well.
Despite all that Il robust cOnstitu-
ton, aided by medical skill, could
accomplish, despite the tender,
nursing ere of his devoted family
and friends, thesprayers of all Chris
tian people and the hopes and sym
pathieS of his, countrymen, the
patient sufferer was forced to yield
his life at last to the great enemy
death-whose summons all flesh
must obey. In the full maturity of
his great powers and from the
zenith of his fame, he descends TO |
his grave, lamented and mOurned
by his cOuntrymen of all parties, |
ranks and conditions Of. life.
In the presence of this great
national bereavement, in the
shadow of the gloom that shadows
the whole land, we desire to mingle
our sorrow with the voice of lamen-
tation and mourning which breaks
from the hearts of the whole Amer
lean people, as they stand with |
bowed and uncovered heads around |
his bier therefore, be it
Reso1Ued, BY the people of Montgomery
county, in mass meeting assembled, that We /
have received the intelligence of the death /
prOfOundest sorrow, mingled with an unut- /
terable adherence OF the crime that robbed /
him OF MS life, ana ms country Oh the uls-
tinguished services and conservative pollcy /
of a chief magistrate from whom so much /
was expected.
ResOEped That we tender to his aged |
mother, his brave and noble wife and |
fatherless children, the sincere and Hnat- /
feeted sympathy OF onr hearts in their great /
and irrepaTable loss, feeling, rs we thus ex-
tend TO them our sympathy, that our sorrow |
is but light and transient compared with |
the deep and lasting pangs that now rend /
their hearts.
ResOlucd, That the secretaries of this |
meeting transmit to the family OF the dis
tinguished deceased q copy of these resOlu- |
city papers.
In seconding them, Judge Jas. e.
Rice made some beautiful and af-
fecting remarks on the domestic
life and character of the dead Pres
ident.