Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-10-09
GRAFTON OF THE HON. +. A. SAWYER

GRAFTON, OF THE HON. f. A. SAWYER,
At Memorial Service, in Greeneville,
Tenn. September &c, 1881.
Perhaps it were more meet that we
should sob, and weep. and mourn in
silence. with the millions whose hearts are
bowed down and voiceless in the presence
of the martyred dead, than to break that
sad silence by speech even of eulogys No
words can fifty express the emotions which
Cypress the heart at the thought of the
event which brings US here to-day, which
assemblies tens of thou sands Of mourning
groups elsewhere, and which has covered
our broad land, in every city, village and
hamlet, with trappings of woe, mute only
to those who, having ears. hear not. Yet
words will come; grief will speak; the
overburdened heart seeks, if it fails to find,
relief in utterance; the sorrows of a whole
people go in quest of alienation by mutual
condolence; and though language can tell
but q 1.-THE of the tale OF sadness, a COM
mon and natural instinct impels US to
speak. So 81
Though for eighty days we have stood
and watched by the bedside, as it were, of
the dying President, listening to every
breath and every pulse beat; though we
have seen waste, emsciation, and disease
going on regularly and surely TO their
fatal goal; though often as we read th
daily bulletin telling the dismal tsle Of his
sufferngs. the ever-changing complica.
tons of his disease, mo abandoned hope. oil
seem to have done SO, yet we have never
been quite sure that every ray of hope had
been absolutely extinguished we have
hoped when we knew we were hoping
against hope; we could not quite believe
that that great and good life, the object Of
nations love and hope. would be lost to
US. When. the. efore, the telegraph told
US that all Was over. tb at the soul of j a1nes
A Garfield had left his weak and diseased
body and that the places that have known
him will know him no more forsve or, the
message found US unprepared Aside from,
the cause AMI manner of his death, the de.
miae of the President is q grief which
comes home to all of US. A ma ion is in
tears, and for cause; no merely formal
manifestations of decorus grief meet our
wants, or safety our affections, to day. A
great man, man marked out by the hand
d,
stricken down while his great powers were
at their greatest, when his work most
needed his hands, and when his head and
heart were most able to accomplish it. The
chosen head of the foremost nation in the
world has fallen, and~by the hand of the
assassin. One of the Hoblest Of God
creatures fallen by the hand Of one of tn,
homes in mourning, well may we wear thu
faces of mourners;. for the good man, thu
wise statesman, the pure patriot, Thu
Christian gentleman, whom we elected tc
rule over u.s. is dead.
When. once before in our history, tht
Chief Magistrate fell by the hand of ar
assassin, the passions and hates of war were
rampant internecine strife, bred OF re,
belion, had rsysged the land with fire and
sword and awakened all the fercest- traits
of character in thousande and tens of thou
sands. To- the diseased imagination and
distorted Judgment of Booth, President
Lincoln was the embodiment of the spirit
of tyranny and oppression. 'Lncoln's
patriotism, his kindness, nay tenderness
OF nature, bis large-hearted charity for all
men,, hia love of all Americans as his
were not Booth. the frenzed spirit of re
oeilion, saw in Lincoln the highest repret
sentative of the enemies of that rebellion
and In his own mind, and in the minds oil
many Others Booths mad and wicked act
LOOK on something of the character of wsr
And while so long as free institutions shall
subslst among man, and virtue, wisdom
and patriotism shall be revered, the crime
OF Booth will be execrated 1t can never be
quite severed from the transactions of the
rebellion. out of whiG h itsprang
Horrible, then, as was the assassination
Of the martyr Lincoln, there is in the re,
cent tragedy an additional element Of hor
ror. No clouds of war obscured the sur
Of our peace when Garfield fell: every
where, North, East, South, West, on th,
hills and in the wales Of busy New Eng
land, in the cotton fields and savannas o.
the South, on the broad pra ries and aionl
the magnificent water courses of the West
and on the far off Pacific Coast. peace ant
prosperity prevailed and with one nc ord
al! classes and ranks of men we're looking
WITH conhdence and affection upon thei
thief Magistrate A brilliant fnsncia
policy had already given to the new Ad
n.nistTstion honor tn the forem ost states
men OF the world. The Nation was neye
stronger, its hopes were never higher. ID
prospects never brighter, than on tn
morning OF July 2, 1881. The anniversar,
ol tne Nations birthday was at hand snt
plepalations were everywhere max ing 70
more IMAM the usual rejoicing. All at one
Iue whole sky is overcast; q sorrow, like
huee pail. spreads all over tt lands; ever
heart is filled with dread; "at one fe
swoop" vanish troops of fond hopes lsud
able aspirations. and virtuous am bit;ons
The life most precious in the whole Ian
has been ass.iled, and the horrible though
suggested whether here "a in some othe
lands, assassination is to become ore of tb
modes of changing our rulers. Let me nt
be misunderstood; do not believe ths
any other human being sympathized will
or was cognizant 9th purpose of, Cutie U
least of all do I believe that any publ
man of any political party could BY poss
hility have sympathy with such Grim
But the assassination of President for Il
second time in half a generation is ominou
1t tells of rotten places in our social stru'
ture. of which it behooves good men ever.
where to take note; it indie ates sores {
the body polite which lIfor the healA
hands of education, of morality, and =
religion; it calls aloud for the disssemin
non OF esounf1er principles among III
masses, and admoRishes rs Of thAAa01q
oia society WHARF Booths ,apH qRpeal
are possible. va