Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-10-20
The Outrage MIL Played Out.

sunnose President Garfield had been
assassinated by confirmed lunatic es.
caped from an asylum, and on commit.
ting the deed he would have exclaimed
al am n Democrat of the Democrats"
and II did IL for the good of the coun.
try and the harmony OF my party" or
words OF similar character, what would
have been the political situation today
Every machine organ that has waved
the bloody shirt during the last ten or
fifteen years would now be filed with
the most outrageous comments on the
"blood.thirstyh and Unreasonable" De
mocracy. We all would be denounced
as instigators of murder and anarchy.
The words of the lunetic, "l am DEM
ocrat of the Democrats would be pa
raded on Republican banners and little
children would be taught to believe
that they are reminders that President
Garfield was murdered by the Demo
cratic party, and the bloody crusade
against the Democracy would be effect
i've aud crushing for at least twenty
years longer.
Some years ago a drunken riot oc-
cured at Hamburg, South Carolina, be.
tween parties OF blacks and whites, and
some Of them were killed. 1t was
called the Hamburg slaughter, and be.
cause more whites than blacks were
killed the Republican organs insisted
upon il that IL was Democratic massa.
ere. And as United States Senator But
ler resided in the vicinity OF the riot he
was repeatedly aud peristently called q
murderer or an instigator OF murder,
even after an impartial investigation
clearly established the fact that he was
not directly or indirectly responsible
for the bloody affair
And so also in regard 10 the CHS
holm murder in Mississippi few years
ago. Year alter year the Republican or.
gaus persistently charged the murder
against the Democratic party. Almost
every outrage perpetrated throughout
the South-whether killing or attempt
ing to kill-was in the same manner
paraded in prints and proclaimed from
the Republican stump IA Democratic
murder. Democratic assault aud Demo
cratic outrage. Every act OF lawlessness
in the South was thus magnilied and
paraded throughout the North for the
basest political party purposes.
But now the most mOusirous, british
and cowardly crime in the whole his
tory of our couutry-even more unpro
voked and cruel than was the assassina.
ton of honest Abraham lincoln-has
been committed, not by Democrat, or
n copperhead, or an exrebel, but by one
who less than n year ago was Tecog.
nized stump orator of the regular Re
publican bloody shirt persuasion. BY a
"stalw wart Of the stalwarts, and, accord.
ing to his own declaration, for the good
and harmony of his party-io install
Arthur in the Presidential otiicel Ac
cording 10 Guiteau's further declaration
he had no personal feeling against
President Garfield. but purely political
to take the machinery OF government
out of the hands OF Garfield and put ii
into the hands OF Arthur. And the
bloody deed was done just at the time
when Garfeld's Cabinet had taken steps
to crush out some OF the notorious
thieves and treasury plunderers who
brought so much disgrace upon the
country during the administrations Of
Grant and Fraud Hayes; just when Vice
President Arthur had made unenviable
notoriety for himself by doing all in his
power at Albany To secure victory for
ConkIing and the stalwaTt faction and
against the Garfield administration. 1t
was during this somewhat novel period
in the history of the Republican party.
when the newly inauguFated administra.
ton manifested its purpose to bring the
better elements OF the party to the
front. it was then, and not till then, that
Guiteau fred the fatal shot, not because
he loved Garfield less but because he
loved the stalwarts more.
And yet we do not and would not nc.
cuse the Republican party of the mon.
strous crime. because that would be al.
most as unfair, cowardly and contempt
ible rs the Republican bloody shirt lice
referred 10.
IL the shocking event Of July "a and
its sad ending at Long Branch will not
put stop TO the infamous system OF
lying and appealing to sectional preju.
dice, bigotry and hatred and lead to a
more fair, manly, honorable and patri
otic manner Of running political cam
paigns. then we shall at least have
some equivalent for the great loss which
the country has sustained by the most
cruel assassination of modern times.
Henceforth let us have honor, patriot.
ism, fair play and peacel