Arizona weekly citizen., 1881-10-02
The Tvsaty-First President Of the United statsI.

CHESTER A. ARTHUR.
 The Tveaty-First President of the United statsE
 The cup of anguish has been drained by the nation to the last bitter dregsl James A. Garfield is dead! Once more the murderous hand of the demoniac has stricken down our Chief Executive. and draped the land in mourning! But 1 profound as IS our grief for the fate of him whose proud career and mortal re- mains now enrich our noble heritage of the past, aud sincere and heartfelt as IS our sympathy for those who were near and dear to him, We are constrained to to turn away from his pail for few mo- ments and rest our gaze upon the gentleman whom this terrible stroke of late has so suddenly elevated to the Presidential chair.
 Although we shrink from the fiippant heartlessness which seems to character ize the Le Roi est mort! Tive le Roir' vet We are constrained to recognize the fact that how deeply soever our afTec- tons may lie buried in the grave, our
 
 sist in the belief that there IS a gleam of light hidden somewhere in the future, and so 1t IS at the present moment Although the heart of the nation has been deep- wOunded-been sorely lacerated, we must now, in obedience to the first law of nature, turn to a brief contemplation of the parsonage who Is henceforward Co give expression in a national sense to the will of the people.
 Chester A. Arthur, now President of the United States, was born in Franklin county, Vermont, October ,, 1880. He is the oldest of family of two sons and five daughters, his father Dr. William Arthur, being 8 Baptist clergyman, who emigrsted to this country from County Antrim, Ireland, when but eighteen years of age. Chester, the subject of our present illustration, was educated at Union College, where he graduated early, and upon leaving which he taught a country school for two years in Yer mont. Here he managed to accumulate a small sum of money, with which he started for New York, where he entered as a student the law office of ex-Judge Culver. On being admitted to the bar he formed a partnership with his inti- mate friend Mir. Henry D. Gardener, when both went West, but they soon re- turned to New York, and began the prac- tice of their profession under auspices the most fiattering. Not long after this MT. Arthur married the daughter of Lieutenant Herndon, United States navy, most amiable and educated lady, who died but a short time ago.
 After distinguishing himself in some famous trials in connection with the question of slavery, Mir. Arthur was a delegate to the Convention at Saratoga that founded the Republican party; and was subsequently, Judge Advocate of the Second Brigade of the State Militia. He was, in addition, appointed Engineer In-Chief of Governor Edwin D. MOrgan's Statf, sOOn after the inauguration of that gentleman. In 1861 he held the post of Inspector General, and soon afterward was advanced to that of Lieutenant General, which he held until the expira- ton of NIT. MOrgan's term of office. AL though the war account of the State of New York was infinitely larger than that | Of any other State, yet 1t was tbe first l audited and allowed at Washington; and l without the deduction of single dollar, | while the accounts of quartermasters | from other States, were, in some in- | stances, reduced from S1,OO0O00 tO Sl0, | WQO0O When he became Quartermaster | General he was poor; and when his term | of office expired, he was no richer than | when he commenced. And 1t must be | remembered that his opportunities for | enriching himself were most marked; | for contracts far larger than ever the | world had previously seen were at hls | disposal.
 Without any desire to endorse all the | acts of Gen. Arthur, or to set him up as | immaculate, we regard 1t as a simple | duty to do him justice so far as he has | honestly earned public commendatiOn | and confidence. His record Is before the | world, and 1t must have great weight | with even those who may be opposed to him on the grounds of mere party | politics. For so far he appears to have shown himself a man of ability and in- tegrity, and these two characteristics are | no narrow foundation stones upon which | to rear the superstructure of proud | Presidential career.
 On the expiration of Governor Nor gans term of office, General Arthur re- turned to the practice of his profession; and for short period held the position of counsel to the Board of Tax Con- missioners, at a salary of S10O0O per annum. In 1871, President Grant nom- mated him to the vacant cOllectOrship | of the Port of New York, and four years later, when his term expired, renOminat- ed h1m. In 1878 he was removed from office by President Hayes; although very | high testimony was borne to his efficien- cy in every possible relation by the | Bench and the Bar, and by all the lead ing members of the mercantile cOmmu- nIty of New York. Since that period he | had been practicing his profession with I marked success up to the hour which l placed him in his present exalted posi- ton.
 And now that he has assumed the per formance of the high duties that have devolved upon him, we cannot but an- ticipate that the most cordial support | will be accorded to him by all classes of politicians. He is now the President of the whole of the people of the United States, and not of a portion of them only. We may reasonable expect at his | hands fair play for the nation as a whole, 1 and a still further display of those ad- mirable qualities which have hitherto | him in both private and | uubGc life