The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-02-27
GARFIELD.
Memorial Services Held To
day.
A Large Crowd Present at
the Exercises.
Blaine the Orator---Resume
of his Speech.
GARFIELD.
THE MEMORIAL SERVICES.

THE MEMORIAL SERVICES.
WAsHINGToN, Feb. 27.-Before 10 o'clock
this morning admission to the capitol was
refused to all save members of the houses
of congress and their employees, but at
that hour its doors were thrown open to
persons holding tickets to the memorial
services of the late James A. Garfield and
soon the galleries of the house were crowd
cd to their utmost capacity. The large ma
iority of the spectators were ladies, who,
out of respect for the occasion, had, for the
most part, discarded bright eolors. and SOM
bre black was the prevailing hue. There
were no signs Of mourning in the hall. A
full-length portrait Of the late president
hung just back of the chair of the presiding
officer, being itself undraped. Members Of
the house were early IN attendance,
all being arrayed in black. In the lobby,
back of the speakers desk the marine
band was stationed, and at intervals from
10 o'clock till noon. discoursed solemn
music.
Among the distinguished guests first
to arrive were Judge Bancroft, Cyrus w.
Field and Admiral Worden, who took seats
directly in front of the clerks desk
Among the guests who at early
hour occupied seats upon the
floor were General Scheuch,
and Governors Hoyt Pennsylvania) and
Bigelow (ConRecticut). At 1 80 Generals
Sherman, Sheridan, Hancock, Howard and
Meigs and Admirals Ammen, Rogers, and
Rodgers entered and were assigned seats
to the left of the speakers desk and few
moments later members of the diplomatic
corps in full rsgalia were ushered in head
ed by Hawaiian, minister as dean Of the
corps Their brilliant consumes only
served to throw into stronger relief the
dark attire of the members of Congress,
who sat Immediately behind them The
Supreme Court of District, headed by Mar
shall Henry were the next arrivals Dr.
Bliss was in attendance. Mrs. Blaine occu-
pied front seat in the gallery reserved
for the friends Of the President. At pre-
cisely twelve O'Clock the House was called
to order by Speaker Keifer and prayer
offered by the chaplain The speaker then
said: This day has been dedicated by
action of two Houses of Congress to ser
vices'in commemoration of the life and death
of James Abraham Garfield, late President
of the United States This house is now
assembled and ready to perform its part
The resolutions setting apart to-day for
memorial services was then read by Clerk
Mcpherson. At. 12:10 O'Clock Senate
was announced, and all rose as the Senators,
headed by officers of that body, enter
ed and took their assigned seats They
were followed by the Chief Justices and
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court,
dressed in their robes of office. The as
sembled multitude again arose as the Pres
ident of the United States and his Cabinet
were announced They were accompanied
by Senator Sherman and Representative
Mckinley, chairman of the COMMITTEES of
arrangements The President took a front
seat, on the right of the presiding officers
: chair At 1890 the orator of the day,
James G. Blaine, was announced. The
ceremonies were then opened by short
prayer by Chaplain Power, of the House,
after which President Davis said: "This
day is dedicated by Congress for memorial
services of the late President of the
United States, James A. Garfield pre-
sent you Hon. Jas. G.. Blaine, who has
been fifty chosen orator for this historical
occasion"
Blaine then rose and standing at the
clerks desk Immediately in front of the
two presiding officers, proceeded with i'm
pressiveness of manner and clearness of
tone to deliver his eulogy from manuscript
ms follows:
Mr. PRKsIDENT:-For the second
time in this generation of the great depart
ments of the Government of the United
States are assembled in the hall Of Repres-
entatiyes to do honor to the memory Of a
murdered president. Lincoln fell at the
close of q mighty struggle in which the
passions of men had been deeply stirred.
The tragica1 termination of horrors which
had marked so many linteis with the blood
of the first born. Garfield was slain in q
day of peace, when brother had been re-
conciled to brother, and when anger and
hate had been banished from the land.
whoever shall hereafter draw the por
trait Of murder, If he viii show it has been
exhibited where such example was least to
have been looked for let him not give it
the grim visage of Moloch, the brow knit
ed by revenge, the face black with settled
hate. Let him draw, rather, decorous
smooth-faced, bloedless demon; not so
much an example of human nature in its
depravity and in its paroxysms of crime,
as an internal being, a ficnd in the ordi
nary display and Development of his char
acter.p =
Losing his father before lac was two
years old. the early life of Garfield was
one of privation, but its poverty has been
made indeicately and unjustly prominent
Thousands of readers have imagined him
as the ragged, starving child, whose reality
too often greets the eye in the squalid sec
tions OF our large cities. General Garfisld's
infancy and youth has none OF their desti-
tuition, none of their pitiful features ap-
pealing to the tender heart and to the open
hand of charity. He was a poor boy in
the same sense in which Henry Clay was
poor boy; in which Andrew jackson was
poor boy; in which Daniel Webster was
poor boy; in the sense in which large
majority OF the eminent men of America
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