The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-15
The propriety of that sa5o,ooo donation

The propriety Of that Sa5o,000 donation
to Mrs. Garfield is being very strongl,
questioned aid the public sentiment which
approved the contemplated gift, when i
seemed as if the president would die il
now rapidly changing when it is seen tha
he viii live The difference between Civ
ing money to a Presidents widow and a
Presidents wife is easily seen and easily
appreciated While the one is gift to g
helpless woman who has lost her husband
in the country's service, the other is in the
nature of bride, if not accepted as such,
perhaps intended as such. The Springfield
Republican calls it bit of gush and refers
to it as follows:
This looks like bit of gLsh whose
propriety will be questioned on a sober
second thought If the president should
die and leave bis family in Strengthened
circumstances some such public provision
might be in order; but if James A Garfield
survives he is as well able to take care of
his family as any other independent Amer
lean citizen. DR.. Mark Hopkins, of Will
Jams college, embodies a good deal OF
personal nobility" but his family would be
likely to resent the circulation of sub
scription paper on his behalf. Don't let
us have any misplaced enthusiasm forced
upon q modest and self respecting fam
lily"
The above is perhaps the mildest form
of words in which the contemplated gift
has been condemned, but other and strong
er sentences have been used, and men have
said more bitter things in their disapproval
of the scheme. VIM. Vanderbilt has recog
-nized the force of the arguments used and
has refused to subscribe to the fund unless
the President dies, in which event he says
he will give literally.
The New York Sun outspokinglY says:
cit appears that our rich and distinguish
ed fellow citizen, Sir Cyrus W. Field, and
some of his compeers, propose to raise
subscription of $250,000 for the benefit OF
Mrs Garfield, wife of the President of the
United States.
Benevolence is quality hardly lower in
rank than the religious sentiment. But
there is no quality of the human soul so
exalted that If left to groupe in the dark, it /
may not take a wrong direction. Thus
when the spirit of worship is allowed to
range wildly in blindness, it sometimes
leads to idolatry, to the worship of sticks
and fine clothes, and stocks, and houses.
Benevolence also often goes astray
We think it goes astray when it proposes
to put a large gift into the white and deli
cate hand of living presidents wife. 1t
seems to US an insult to her. Her husband
still lives, and seems likely to live, and to
have the dispensation of great official pat
ronage. She is believed to have great in
fiuence over him. Naturally, she is ex-
pected to be grateful. At all events she is
human. IT, for instance, Sir Cyrus W.
Field could by possibility be brought to
resign himself into the service of the gov
eminent, and supersede that literary fell
ler," James Russell Lowell, as minister
to England, how could she say him nay
after he had been the active agent in giving
her quarter of million of dollars?
Should the President unfortunately die,
then, we say, let q million of dollars be
raised for his helpless family by popular
in three days; but not one dol
lar while he lives, and while it may look
like bride.
The whole situation at Washington,
however, is wei summed up by the Bloom
ngton Bulletin. In protesting against the
lesire of many persons to secure something
ike favor or at least recognition through
heir constant thrusting of themselves for
ward in every possible connection with the
president 1t says:
The daily outgivings of the doctors and
'ther people now surrounding the presi
Tents bed, sound like a Sunday school
tory in which Mr.. Garfield is the good
10Y" and mis- doctors, and privileged
riends. are the wise and good members
Fho, by chidings and lectures and direful
of what they viii do with
i'm, and pats on the head and chucks I'M
er the chin, direct him in the way he
hould go. In the light shed upon the
elpless patient and through the telegraph
y his interesting doctors, nurses etc, the
good boy of the White House bids fair
} rival the famous patent-righted hero
the Sunday school books. Serious
7, this avalanche of assassination
rivel must be stopped in some way and
1t is not done promptly we fear very ser
us consequences may follow. There is
eat danger that it may give birth to a
hole brood of assassins who viii go gun
ing about the White House. on a hunt for
1ctors and nurses, and thus disturb the
liet which is SO essential to the recovery
the president /; or newspaper readers
ay become so desperate under their daily
hictions, that they may rise en- 1aGsse and
1t all the telegraph lines of the country
lf-defense-though they would thus
eprive themselves of the sort of informa- |
On as to the condition of the president
hich they are anxious to have"
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