Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1881-09-27
THE 10TH OF SEPTEMBER,

The melancholy event which occurred
since our last issue, in the death of Presi
dent Garfield, will mark the 10Th of Sc ptom
Der as a dark day in history. After a long
and heroic struggle for his life, during which
the sympathy not of tho American people
only, but of the civilized world, was earnest
~ enlisted in his favor, the President sue
eumbed to the fatal effect of an assassin
shOt. However deep, genuine and universal
the public sorrow for James A. Garfield. as
mau and ns president, the causes of grief,
and apprehension, on account of our popular
institutions, are still more powerful and
alarming.
The President was stricken down by one
not q personal, but a political, enemy. It
was to change the character of the admins
tration that the fatal shot was fred. When
arrested, the murderer said 81 am a Stall
wart, and want Arthur for President" I,
was to effect this change, that a Al calibre
ball was driven through the spine of the
peoples choice for their Federal head. T,
was to make a new deal in the distribution of
Federal Offices, that this despicable creature
took away, by a cowardly and brutal assault.
the life of our President. His reason as
signed to the public in his written confess
sion, was: sit will unite the Republican
Party" 1t is this view of the crime which
Is the saddest, and most a~larming-that ip
addition to bribery, LIBERALIZATION, fraud. cor,
ruption, and bossism, as instrumentalities Of
political degradation, to defeat the will of
the people, We now have AssAss1NAr1oS
superadded. And If resorted to in a contest
between factions of the same party, have we
not still graHer reasons to apprehend a repe,
tRioH OF the crime when, Gas must frequent
y happeu), the President is of one political
party and the Vice>President of another :?
This assassination is, therefore, q serious
blow to free government. A weak executive
may feel:called on to surround himself with
q guard and thus from Ceutralism we NAV
pass rapidly to Imperialism, until a Praste-
rian guard shall choose, or change our Prssi-
dent.
The remedy against these evils must be
looked for in moro thorough political edu-
cation, whereby a stronger and moro healthy
conservatism may be cultivated, old land,
marks adhered to, and tho Constitution bet.
ter understood and more vcnerated. Federal
patronage must be restrained within i,s 10.
gitimate bounds.
FRANK LEsLIE'S PoPULAR keNTzLY-Tbe
title of this magazine is very appropriate, ana
1t well deserves its vast popularity, for as re-
CARDS merit, it is not exceeded by any of IT'S
higher priced contemporaries in this country
and Europe. The number for October is an CT
oesdingly brilliant one the leading article by
Mir. Nugent Robinson, entitled ''Annapolis
Academy" gives a most interesting account oil
that institution. and the fourteen admirable i'll
the other prominent articles are Sport on the
Other Side of the Continent" ''Bees and their!
FOLKLORE, Questionable Resorts on the Med-l
lterranean" Treating of Genoa. Nice. Capri,
CITY OF Monaco, MentOne, etc., Tho Tinyi
Craft hanIa" referring to the several voyages!
across the Atlantic in small open boats by reck-E
less seamsn) and an admirable article on ''Sirl
walter Scott" by Richard H. Hutton. Thes
above articles are profuEeIv illustrsted. Tbes
department. of fiction contains a continuation
O. FRANK Lee Benedicts great serial, "a Late
norSe, ana snort stories of great merit hyS
~ "a. Denlson and other talented writer's
mm ~ several sketches of thrilling iutsrest.-E
anS arc poems-some beautifully illustrated L
eeuu q miscellany Astounding with interest. en-
.tn..aalns us ouartO pages of frst-ciass Iitor-E
VIM q over 100 fine illustrations, togotherS
seeil.dd SeaTtifuI eoiered frontispieee, "Thes
A so Darling. from The picture by e. Munier I
postnsiSS copy il furnished for IS cents. sanf
sISrssS End the yearly substitution ia a ~
Park PIsca ~ Leslie, Publisher, SO, SIS and 57k