The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-09-29
uatured, generous man the saturniaa days Lad

0ature0, generous mau tuo oaIe1n1aa o@3s ~"
But in moment all was changed. Tho president,
who, by constitution and action, was showing MIN.
evil OF tho times. who combined the virtues Of our
best statesmen with the endowments OF the ripe
learning by which stutes arc nude great aud gov
seeker in tho capital of the nation. 1t was brutal
murder, like those as,assinations which mark the
annals OF every corrapt state when olnce ana plut-
dor become the controlling forces OF adm.n'sr!-
IL becomes US at THIS moment, when sorrow makes
every mind capable instruction. to learn the les
son of tbs hour. For sometimes nat OBS can he
taught only by calamity, and this instructor cites us
before her now. We must raise our processes OF
popular government to II higher plane through re-
forms docp and permanent. or We Are but at tho De
ginning of caamities like this. 1t is the instruction
OF all time that when government becomes per
sona!. when it becomes merely the Instrument
Of personal agyranuiz3msnt through few or
many Offices. corrup, ion and vioence lstriks
hands together for its destruction. Since the foun-
dation of this government three political murders
have been committed and the victim in every in
stance has been the personal exponent OF what was
best in public sentiment, killed bv ono OF whom
what was worse had taken full possession. Hamii-
ton Lincoln and Garfield, each III their time, repre-
scented the elements of thought which tended best
towards national greatness and pcrpetuty Do not
misunderstood me ms all1din2 here to any OF those
temporary and incidental distinctions in the work.
ings Of American thought whiea have the name OF
party. The occasion and the fact prohibit this !
mean to say that these were men whose aDonnolns
which rose above the fleeing party distinctions OF
the hour and whose duty and love 1t was to place
our institutions on more lasting basis than mere
party sentiment ever can. Each Of these great men
victim to the personal politics which pre-
cedol and Gt ;graced their times.
These evils have debauched the public conscience
for many years. The strife to get office, to retain
office or to dsposses FROM office il the master pas
sion OF our politics. Our statesmen have become
too often mere leaders of personal following who
fight in the hope of reward Our politics consist
in mean advantages in d;sreputable practices, in
the use of morey. in the assassination of character
aud The enjoyment Of office. For many years not
nant rotting level cf our political life. This lust
and self seeking for Office has become the pyama
of our system. and. predict recovery as We may,
he shot which laid on: hopes SO low could never
have beon fred in tho better times of the Reub c.
We have our duty to gather our hearts the bloody
do 1t grasped Gartiels noble heart and it ia
stcd forever, never moro to beat high in triumph
ant anticipation of country made greater ami be
ter by his powers 1t ,rWl tho chambers x that
massive brain and thought. and the soul left their
earthly palace to live eternal in the heavens in q
house not made with hands 1t s'note wi its pet
rife mace that manly form and it ceased to be the
tabernacle OF lifo 1t is g's to call mp prophets
to walk the land crying wo! wo! to all w..o live
therein, for the evangelist Of murder has come.
Who could believe thar here where schools abound,
here where all men arc free, tere wnere religion
teaches from more than 10000 pu!pi;s the lessons
Of heaven to earth. here where the awful sword
high and unta rnished over all. where thought and
speech are froc that the fountain OF otica; life
could he changed to a pool of blood?
The Genus Ut free government uOurns over b r
slaughtered son. She calls up from tho heIls of his
tory the assass of past times for an excuse and
parallel, but she finds nome They say, cite US uot-
We struck al evils when We steuck at men, And
she says. az sue gathers the ashes Of Lincoln and
Ga field and lays them revereuly in the ev:rl.str
urn of history. 20 my Chi dren. it is you who have
ma e possible these acts! The lessons winch
fOrUOtteni
behaved iesSs '''; with pride, lust for lowe :.
wicked. ambitious, hatred, malice and all
uncn; r abeneSs, and here is the bloody end. Unto
your care, o poop ., committed my choicest son
from the sweet security Of domestic lie anu s, t
him to rue YOU He was gifted with the learn
ing of the ages; whatever Was taught by the records
Of the ancient republics, or Of later times he knew
for you. The love of country burned in that staS
less heart like an altar flame: in him the North tci-
got its rancor, and the acu'h its d.loat. Charity
| m;uis:e,ed at his side with her sweetest works:
prosperity spreading YOU ike summer
sterile land: all was we'll except your ranccr-
us hearts, and it il thus We give him back Listen
we. States sink beneath the tide of time. no:
!. one under the foreign invader. nor under the
usurping ruler; nor under tho debaucl-
They lost Sc
of that public spirit which works TO noble ends.
Show me hat nation whose heart has become cor
rupt who has made lis liberties procuress to its
fraud rules in the mart, hypocricy po!lutes the
pie, and corruution putrtss In the councils AM
| will show you people whose feet have taken hold
na;ions.-and 80 surely as live ye have become
such people,.
Well vii! i, be fcr US 70 heed these warn; .
words Let us here at this Christening hour abSo!ve
ourselves from our rancor. xeIf-ove, our party
hate. our malignant greed for uface. aud come -
knowst that we have that to save and perpetuate
tory personal interests-the state, our earthly al!
in all.