The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1881-09-29
GARFIELD GLoRIFIED.
His Matchless Life Made Glorious
BY His Viearious Death.

church last Sunday, delivering a splen-
did Grafton upon the life and character
of the dead president. bis remarks
were based upon the history Of the
death of Abner, as recorded In 2nd Sam
uel, 3rd chapter, The murder Of Abner
by Joab was for private reasons, but the
result of it was to heal the divisions of
the tribes and unite Israel under King
David. So the death of President GAR
FIELD puts an end to the long sectional
strife and brings the whole nation into |
the fellowship of common grief around |
his bier. Guiteau's bullet struck the
hearts of fifty millions Of people. If the |
blood of Abner was necessary to unity |
Israel, then it may be that the blood Of |
GARFIELD was 9 sin-offering and |
peaCe-offering for our country. His |
was the very finest representative |
American character and it was the
product of our American institutions. |
That silent, subtle force called genius is
powerful, and in his success we see its
GROWING effort. IN him the national
thought found highest expression.
Trace his life from the orphaned ploW-
boy, and in everything was the force of
the moulding principles of American
thought, and his life and deeds were the
expression of the American idea. Few
men trained and preserved their natural
powers SO wisely and so we'll. The
wasting of these powers is the point
where much of our young manhood is
lost. Intellectually he commanded the
national homage. His was one of the
few minds of this day that rose above
politics. By sheer force of courage and
intellect he rose above party and made
himself president indeed of the whole
country. BY the steady posing of
moet eonsumInate Statesmanship, by his
stalwart character, by his heroic suffer-
ings, md by his martyr death, he COM
mands and receives the homage of all
nations. When the tear stains are
wiped away and our vision Is unob-
scured we may see that, under Provi- |
dence, JAMES A. GARFIELD did his coun-
try and his generation greater service |
in his death than in his life-and this |
is not uttered to disparsge any OF the |
grand achievements that distinguished |
him above his fellows. The fact that |
his death was a benefit did not Justify |
his assassination. 1t is thousand times |
fortunate that the fatal shot was not |
fired by a southern man nor a mem Der |
of the opposing party. l can with |
David, thank God that the death of /
Abner rests not upon my house. When |
Andrew jackson used the fatal senti-
ment, "To the victor belongs the spoils,"
he little dreamed that it would develop |
the present spoils system. Yet this
tragedy is the elimination of this spoils
system-this insane scramble for Office.
If one lesson is taught more than an
other 1t is this, and the blood of our muir
dered president cries TO heaven for civil
service reform. Posterity will hold
party politics of to-day responsible for
hn Of N he
principles that call party into exist
ence are consummated, the party should
be disbanded. The mere statement of
the proposition is demonstration. The
two dominant parties of to-day did
their work ten years ago and for q de-
cade they have been planned and opera
ted more for the benefit of their leaders
than for the public good. The tempta-
ton to peculation and malfeasance is too
great for men already drunken upon
spoils. To defraud the government and
conceal the fraud from the public seem
to be the two great controlling princi-
pies ~. 1t is not worth while to recite
instances. Can we SOW to the wind an d
not reap the whirlwind? The spoils
system has demoralized the whole
infused moral poison through
all circles of social and public life, until
1
means, fair or foul, to accomplish their
ends. Look at the infinite variety of
crimes that men are committing, actua-
ted and instigated by the spirit born OF
this turbulent, tangled, riotous scram-
bic for place and profit, and you will see
that out of just such conditions came a
Booth and q Guiteau, and of them are
all the accursed ills that
make demons OF men, that is shaking
society and poisoning the minds OF peo-
pie and nations, until old earth reels in
ebriate with guilt. The times call loud
ly for reform and If the pulpit Is awake
to duty and true to its work it will press
this question home upon the people
while this event Ia fresh in their minds
and Providence seems bent upon puri-
flying His people. A gracious God will
override this affair and sub
ject our calamity to our good in remedy
ing these great evils. The necessities
that called into existence the two great
parties that stand antagonized to-day
are passed, and having been accom-
plished the parties have gone TO seed and
lost their power for good and the people
should now abandon the dangerous
wrecks. From this hour and through
the massive mind that made GARPIKLD's
life illustrlous, and the martyred death
that viii make his name immortal, God
inaugurstes a stronger, purer, better
American life. And the sublime spec
tacle Of patience and long-suffering that
marked bis last days Is heightened by
the great heroism exhibited by his de-
voted wife, and yet hers did not surpass
the timorous resolution Of thousands of
our women all over the land. The tru-
est heroism is found under the shadows
Of privacy in the homes Of our mothers
and sisters and wives. Hers Is a public
exhibition Of home heroism that the
world may admire and learn wisdom
from. These lessons will result insvi- |
tably in sweeping away the barriers be
tween north and south and healing the
that have kept brothers at
and bring Us all together 10 a
more useful and brighter, better life,
and our government 70 n more peaceful
AID prosperous career that shall be per-
petuated as result OF our great chas-
teniDg..