The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-08-27

q 0dlI-Ureeu, Dub Will tuc ct1i""i 70 ~
communed rs a stalwart. tie was sane
enough to hunt with the hounds and
run with the hare. In his letter con-
Tossing his crime in advance of its per-
petration he labeled himself "a stall
wart," and also described himself as
"a lawyer, theologian and politician"
a sort of jack of all trades and master
of none. 1t is of precisely such mate
rial that the rank and file OF the spoiis
system are made up In ''oh years
Guiteau dawdled about the country in
his disreputable way, sometimes as
lawyer, sometimes as theologian, but
whenever an election veal came
around he turned up instantly as
a politician. To be a politician meant
to him simply to put himself in the way
of getting an office, and of getting an
office which he would never have
dreamed of aspiring to under a sys'em
of competitive examination wherein his
character would have been tested. Thus
s.t the sroils system'' made Guiteau q
politician, and the fact that Guiteau
was "a politician made the man
ayers of the Republican machine afraid
during an election to offend him. Now
the Republican managers all agree that
he is bad man in every way-a weak
and worthless villain. Of course lie is.
But so he was, too, when he made
campaign speeches against General
Hancock, and 30 were and SO are now
great many more political tramps in
both parties. Yet the party managers
listen to them and conciliate them and
get Offices for them and pet them never
the!css. These political tramps attend
political meetings, form the body-guard
Of the machine and applaud the party
orators. Now, suppose the law made
it impossible for these political tramps
to aspire to offices, is it not clear that
they would cease to exist as politicians
and be compelled to do the best they
could. If not as Lawyers and theologi-
ans, then as navvies and street-sweep-
ersp Guiteau believed, and for aught
that appears he had some reason to be-
lieve, himself quite as intelligent as
many OF his fellow tramps appointed to
fill cOnsulates and clerkships either by
the Hayes or the Garfield Administra-
ton.
When the trial Of Guiteau comes off
we shall doubtless be told that the ay-
age political tramp who fails to get an
Office does not attempt to take the life
of the President or the Governor from
whom he hoped to get it, and therefore
that Guiteau, being an exceptional po-
litical tramp. must be accounted insane
and his life not be forfeited to the law.
Can office-seeking in America become
such an insane impulse? To hold that
it can would be comfortable doctrine
for the political tramps. But Judges
may expound whatever law they like
to expound to juries, and experts may
expound whatever novel theories of in
sanity they can concoct, but no jury,
unless jury made up of political
tramps. will ever acquit Guiteau.
What the statute defines as murder
the lawyers and Judges OF each State
may be left to say. But do not many
political partisans, even above the rank
OF tramps, in holly. contested partisan
canvass or in q condition Of affairs like
that in Albany to-day, commit that
crime in the realm Of the thoughts and
wishes and make themselves guilty of it
as it stands defined, for example, in the
Sermon on the Mount? In that code a
murderous temper is murder. "Who-
soever hateth his brother is murder
err" If men are to be Judged by that
law, what shall be said of the half breed
hatred now so distinctly manifested
within the Republican party against the
stalwarts? And is not that hatred a
fruit of 1.-THE spoils systemg' What
else is there to give It birthp There are
no issues of doctrine or of patriotism
adequate TO divide the Republican party
as it is now divided Are not these flu
rious party factionists in and out of the
press, each and all of them rs clearly
mad as Guiteau can be proved TO be, il
intense hatred born of the greed of Of
fee can be accounted as madness?--N
T. World.
During a recent thunder storm, a
lightning bolt struck large pine tree
in field belonging to Mr.. S. G. b.
Faulkner, who resides about eight miles
from Richmodd. Va At the time Mr..
Faulkner and number of hands were
working near by. The report was sharp
and loud. and shocked several of the
men. Mr.. Faulkner noticed that the
tree was set on fire by the lightning,
and sent hands to clear away the brush
to prevent the fire spreading to his
fencing. About twenty minutes after
the tree was struck auotherlouda and deaf
ening report was heard in the tree, and
on examination it was asccrtained that
the fire had communicated with shell
which was lodged in the tree during the
war. The tree was somewhat shattered
from the explosion Of this old compan-
ion. and the bushes near by were cut
down by the fragments. No one knew
of the shell being in the tree. This is
most singular occurrence, and proba-
bly, the first where shell was exploded
by lightning.
The chances now seem to be that
the enemies of the Democratic party in
Virginia will be irrevocably divided.
As it was love of spoils and lust OF
power which originated a division of the
Democrats on the Readjuster basis. the