The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-09-30

| CiI ioICiIuOiu SccIIlCu uIllJcu III Tie
prayer that Garfield might live
There was ono Being and only one
who could have granted this prayer.
But it was His preference that he
should die. We feel sure therefore
that much of promise as there seemed
to be in such life, lie clearly saw
that he could accomplish more for
the nation and more for the world by
his death;; that he could thus teach
more impressive lessons and secure u
larger progress of tine kingdom OF
righteousness and truth in the earth.
Some of these lessons have been
made so plain that we can clearly
read them to-day and they bring us
comfort, us they bring us instruction
in this hour of our great national
sorrow.
And lit becomes us humbly to
listen to the words inspired by the
Ruler of nations. "And il thou say
in thy heart wherefore come these
things upon us For the greatness of
thine iniquity are thy skirts dis.
covered and thy heels made bare. -
Because thy sins were increased, ]
have done these things unto thee"
l am merciful saith the Lord and
will not keep anger forever ; only
acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou
hast transgressed against the Lord thy
God.
And it becomes us to respond with
the prophet of Israel 1--WE ackn0wl.
edge . Lord our wickedness and the
iniquity of our fathers, for we haue
sinned against thee" We know we
have great corporations that are in
open rebellion against that law Of the
Highest which he has declared to he
the sign between him and his people.
"Remember the Sabbath day to keep
it hoiy." We know the nation is
licensing traffic that gives birth to
every crime, on the lawbOOks of earth
or heaven. We know that in pride
of heart and greed for material pros.
perity, and earthly glory, the masses
of the nation have made little account
of righteousness, and justice and god.
illness. And it must follow, that
sooner or later in one way and another
there will fash out startling develOpe.
ments of crime, there will burst forth
volcanic explosions of guilt.
2.-The deep and damning guilt of
reckless and malicious assassination
has never awakened such intense and
universal moral detestatiOn in the
heart of the civilized world. This could
not have been, but for such an assas.
sin and such a victim. They flash a
new illumination through the graphic
words of the greatest of all the world 3
dramatists "IIe hath borne his fac.
ulties so meek, hath been so clear in
his great Office, that his virtues will
plead like angels, trumpet-tOngued,
against the deep damnation of his
taking off,"
The picture by one of our poet.
editors is sketched so wildly that
need to make 10 apology for re-
producing it:
A wasp flew out upon our faircst son,
And stung him TO the quick with poisonous
shaft;
The while he chatted carelessly and laughed,
And knew not of the fatcful mischief done
And so this life, amid our love begun,
Envcnomed by the insects hcllish craft,
Was drunk by death In one long feverish
draught.
And he waslost-our precious, priceless one !
Oh, mystery of blind, remorseless fate!
On cruel end Of II most catlscless hate!
That life so moan should murder life so
great!
What is there left to us who think and feel,
Who have no remedy and no appeal
But damn the wasp and crush him under
heel.
Equally intense is the sympathy
for the martyr and the execratiOns
of the murderer that come across the
oceans. The deed is characterized
rs 1.-THE abominable crime." Sin is
matte to appear sin till men see
what deadly thing it is "black
- as night, fierce as ten furies,
terrible as hell" Such deeds also
throw a lurid glare Oh the awfulness of
all sin and awe into silence the shallow
utterances of false liberalism and
sickly sentimentalism, that find no
place i'm this universe for divine ven
geance and Il future retributiOn. "Sin,
when it is finished, bringeth forth
DEATH" 1t would not only murder
Garfield, but would not hesitate, if it
could, to dethrOne God.
3.-We can already see how the
death Of the President, i'm the manner
it has been ordered, has struck a
death blow to the spells system. Ac.
cOrding to this, "tO the victors be-
long the spoils ;" and it fills the many
thousands Of federal offices not with
men the Office needs, but with men
who want the Office and receive it,
not because of fitness, but because of
party service. 1t has been literally
bought and sold. This has become a
crying evil, and fruitful source of
public corruption. President Gar.
field spoke earnestly on this subject
in 1870 and 1872, and deliberately
declared that One.third the time of
members of Congress is absorbed in
matters connected with Office. seek.
ing" Many able statesmen and journ.
alists have worked earnestly for a
change-fOr system of civil service
reform whereby those should be elect.
ed to public offices best qualified to
perform their duties. But they have
found the currents of political infu-
ence too strong against them. In a
manner altogether unlocked for came
the crisis of the contest; and though
the President fell, the cause won a
more decisive victory by his death
than we can imagine it could possibly
have done by his life.
4.-The death of the President, in
the manner it has been ordered, has
not only in a wonderful manner al.
layed and hushed to silence, party
and sectional strife, and rapidly dew.
eloped and largely augmented a ma
tional nafriofism Inf IL has had an