Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-01
InsiIoo SatIsned.

concluded, and Charles ]. Guiteau, fhe
arch assassin of the century, has gone TO
his long account We say the aren
osssssin of the century, because no
more fiendish, cold blooded, uniustlnable
crime was ever committed. Brutus
killed Cesar because his victim was am
bifious and threatened to destroy the
,;,,or,ies If his countrymen. Booth killed
lincoln and his crime was most afro
cious one. and Justly aroused the indigna-
,ior of the civilized world. But the
whole country was then excited by
sspeuinary and bitter civil war; which,
having RACED for four years, had devel-
ora5 the wo-st passions of men, be-
s;dss exerting q demoralizipg influence
uroa the land from which it has even
vet not recovered, and to which the as
sassination of Garfield may be reasonably
attributed. Even the recent -bloOded
murders of Lord Cavendish and MIR.
Burke. in Dublin, had some palliating
circumstances connected Herewith, for
Ireland has been the victim of misrule
and oppression for centuries, and the
bitterness of feeling there en-
gendered is but human. While,
therefore. the horrible murder
of the Chief Secretary of that island and
his Under Secretary cannot be too BIZ
terlv denounced, and no punishlnen'
would be too severe for the Perpetraeois'
still the wrongs that County mas
suffered may be urged as something
= tboir defense. The Car of Rus
.;a veas an absolute despot who re-
fused to recognize any rights at all for
his subjects, and the various attempts
made on the lives of foreign princess and
potentates, while wholly unjustifiable,
are still somewhat relieved by the fact
that the would be or actual criminals
had some reason, however slight, for
urging patriotism as the incentive to
their acts.
With Guiteau, however, nothing can
possibly be advanced in palliation of his
crime. Unlike Brutus, he had no cause
to fear usurpation of power by his vic.
tim, for not only did Garfield never seek
to destroy the liberties of his fellow
citizens, but, to the contrary, the main
characteristic of his brief administration
was his manifest desire to secure to all
the free born citizens of the Republic,
without regard to party or section,
the fullest enjoyment of their rights.
Unlike Booth, he had not
the excitement of a demoralizing and
sanguinary civil war to incite him to
deeds of blood, but he brutally muir
dered the Chief Magistrate of the Re-
public in time of profound peace when
the depraved passions of men, aroused
by the conflict, had subsidized. Unlike
the murderers of the Gar, and Lord
Cavendish and Mr.. Burke. he had no
reason to complain of oppression of the
people, for from the moment that Gar
field became President he steadily re-
fused to sanction injustice towards
North, South, East or West. True, he
had in the past affiliated with the party
whose corrupting influences in the coun
try led to his own death; but he himself,
when he attained to power, exerted his
every energy to destroying those unhappy
influences, and to bringing back to the
Republic that peace and harmony among
all its citizens which is the only sure
bulwark of its future prosperity and
gl0ry-
Nothing then can be urged in Cut
teaus defense. He muy-L--.a heer in.
duced TO commit his crime by the bitter
ness which had been displayed against
Garfield for his conservatism by such
stalwarts as Conkling. inasmuch as he
probably thought that were he to ere
move the President, stalwartism would
be again restored to power, and he
would be protected from the penalties of
his unhallowed deed. This is the only
possible excuse to be urged in his de-
Tense by his most devoted friend. Car
ried away with hate, vanity, malignity
and venom, he thought he might achieve
notOrie:y and become the recognized
ally of the powers called into existence
by his shot. This was his sole reason
for his most v.llainous and foul offense.
It Is indeed . source of unqualified
cODgratulatiOn to the American people
that Notwithstanding the heinous circum-
stances surrounding Guiteau's abhoFTent
Observation-Disclosures that would have
justified in the eyes of the world his sum-
mary taking off by an indignant people
he was accorded a trial remarkable for its
impartiality and justice. Every facility
was allowed his counsel to prove his in
sanity, while he himself was permitted
in the court room to act the role of mad
man to the top of his bent Every wit
ness whom the defense could think of as
likely to give evidence to prove
the responsibility of the murderer
was not only granted leave
to give his testimony, but
the government itself furnished the
means to enable him to testify. Every
effort in behalf of the assassin was, so
far from being set about with hindrances
by the prosecution, freely encouraged,
and nothing which could possibly avert
his doom was omitted Even after the YER
dict of guilty" had been rendered by
jury of his peers without hesitation, and
after sentence had been passed upon him,
no effort to save his life was left untrIed. |
II ever man went 20 the gaIlows with
murder fixed upon him beyond cavil or
dispute, Guiteau is that man, and the
world will applaud the trial, the verdict |
and the execution. Justice is at length
satisfied, and the miserable assassin. so |
1T from having gained the nOtoriety for
WRob he.crayed. now lies in his coffin
'ne opsct of the odium and execration
OF mankSd
Inc fOsSnas.s General has issued an
order to the efecS that whenever any |
short paid matter benz otherwise maila. |
ble) is deposited at free delivery office |