The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-12-01
A NATIONAL DIsGRAOE.


The Daily London News, in comment
ing upon the gigantic farce which is be-
ing perpetrated in the name OF justice at
Washington, makes the following time
ly observation upon one OF the most dis
graceful proceedings in the annals OF
American Jurisprudence:
at is to be hoped for the sake of
American justice and common decency
and good taste that the trial of Guileau
will soon come TO an end. 1t will prob
ably be acknowledged in America and
in England that Guiteau has been al
lowed to carry his conduct in the case
too far, and 1t seems absolutely necessa-
~ in the interest Of decency and justice
that Guiteau be prevented from turning
the tragedy into II hideous burlcsdue,
aud from tempting his own insanity by
demeanor which badly Stimulates or
travesties madness"
This view of the case from an English
standpoint reflects the sentiment of the
people ut large in this country, and
is but repetition in substance Of what
has appeared in all of the leading jour
mails throughout the United States. The
public sense of propriety and decency
has been persislently and wantonly out
ragged by the shocking blasphemy of the
vile wretch whose deliberate crime
dent, from the very inception of the trial.
and The court, with an imbeciliiy which
merits the profoundest contempt,
has suffered its authority To
b. detied aud its dignity to be set at
naught by wretched poluoon, whose
base cowardice would render him sus-
| ceptible 10 even an intImaiiOn of well di-
rected discipline. Thus, the trial of the
assassin, which was demanded AS ii con
cessiOn Ia the majesty at law and as a
vindication OF the grandeur of our re-
publican institutions, is permitted 10 dc.
| generate into veTiiablc circ'Is, in which
the lOathsOme felon who is execratt d
wherever his hateful name is known,
| figures rs the clown and his counsel as
the ring-maslcr of the unseemly show.
The ground has scarcely closed over
the moIal remains OF James A. Gar
| field, and the cmblcms of mourning
over his cruel taking-off have not yet
ceased to fluticr in many places in the
autumn wind, before the grief
of the nation is wantonly in
suited by the ribald mirth
excited in court of justice(?) by the
jocular demonstrations of the assassin
of the dead chief S Scarcely has the
curtain gone down ON the most mourn
ful tragedy in the history of modern
times, until it is rung up on hidcous
farce In which the red-handed murderer
of the true-hcartcd man around whose
couch of languishing and pain the coun-
try stood with blted breath for eighty
days, is permitted to indulge, 10 the ut
most limit of his morbid craving, that
unhalloweG passion for notoriety which
melted him to the preparation of his
damning deed.
In the midst of this shameless travesty
on justice and common decency, the
court has shown itself utterly incom-
petent to repress the prisoner at the bar,
and TO restrain his persistent Interrupt
tious of the proceedings in his trial.
We seriously question whether there is a
justice of the peace in the most primitive
settlements on the western frontier who
would tolerate such a braZen defiance of
his authority as Judge Cox has tamely
submitted to at the hands of Guiteau'
though if nothing were involved but
the alleged dignity of that official the
matter at stake would be manifestly too
trifiing To excite popular concern or
| general comment. But if the court be-
fore which the assassin of James A. Gar
field is arraigned for trial is so mourn
fully destitute ot self-rcspect as 10 lend
itself to the offensive buslesquc which is
assuming the proportions of a national
disgrace, il is encouraging 10 note that
the press, which voices the sentiment Of
the people, is unanimous in its resent
ment of the fragrant outrage which has
been pcrpeirated upon the country by
the manner in which the Guiteau tria
has been conducted.