The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-03-02

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dental life. Garfield experience did not yield him
pleasure or satisfaction Tho duties that engross
large a portion Of tho presidents time were
| D1STAsTEFUl TO HIM
and were unfavoraby contrasted with his legislative
! work. II have been dealing all these years with
| IDEAS" he impatienLy exclaimed ono day, land
here I'm dealing only with persons. l have been
| heretofore treating of the Fundamental principles
| Of.gOvernment, and here am considering day
Office" He was earnestly seeking practical way
Of correcting the OWLS arising from tho distribution
| Of overgrown and nnwiedy patronage evils always
appreciated and often discussed by linn. lut whose
magnitude had been more deeply lInpressed uDrn
his mind since his accession TO tue presidency. Had
! he lived. a comprehensive Improvement in the
Of office would have been proposed
| by him. and with tho aid of
congress no doubt perfected. But while many Of
the executive duties were not grateful to him. he
assidous and conscientious in their discharge,
aud from the very outset he exhibited alministra
| ton talent of high order. He grasped the helm
| Of Office with the hand Of master In
this respect, indeed, he constantly surprised
many who were most intimately associated with him
in the government, and especially those who had
feared lie might be lacking i'll the executive faculty
His disposition of business orderly and rapid
His power of analysis and his skill in classification
enabled him to
DISPATCH VAST MASS OF DETAIL
with singular promptness and case His cabinet
meetings were admirably conducted His clear
presentation of official subjects his well considered
vited, his quick decision when all had been heard,
combined to show thorouness Of mental ,;
f"' and his 'A'f ace as sdDta iaao'' to ''
new ana enlarged ned Of LABOR; with
perfect comprehension Of all theinhertances Of the
war: with cool calculation of the obstacles In
his way, mpelled always by generous enthusiasm
Garfield conceived that much migh be done by his
administration III! towards restoring harmony between
as April he had Intellectually en-
SssS1 whether to 1s Ss ,e eg or1 trip e to
and he was again disappointed few weeks after to
find that he could not 80 to South Carolina to at
tend the centennial celebration ORA. of the victory Of
assemblies in the south-the celebration
at Yorktown. the opening Of the cotton exposition
at Atlanta, and the meeting OF the Army of the
Cumberland at Chattanooga: He was already
turning over in bis mind his address for each &C.
casion and the three taken together. he SAID TO
friend.
GIVE HIM THE EXACT SCOPE
aud verge which he needed. At Yorktown he would
have before him the associations Of hundred
years that bound the South and the North in the
sacred memory OF common danger ana "a common
interests and the industrial development which APP
pealed to the thrift and Independence OF every
household and which should unite the t%e sections
Chattanooga he would revive memories OF the war
only 10 show that after all Its disasters and all it's
suffering, the country stronger and greater. the
Union rendered indissolube and the future through
the agony and blood Of one generation made bright
er and better for all. Garheld's ambition for
THE SUCCESS OF HIS ADMINISTRATION
was high. With strong caution and conservatism
in his nature he in danger of attempting rash
experiments or OF resorting to the empirlclsm OF
ststesmanship, but he believed that renewed and
closer attention should be given to questions affect
ing the material interest and commercial prospects
Of 5o,ooo:ooo people He believed that that
nndeyeloped as they are involved responsibility and
could be cultivated in profitable friendship. or be
to or lasting ting
an essential forerunner to new era of national
progress must be feeling of contentment i'll every
ss e that at the o" 6snos and nfens
government would be common to all. Himself a
conspicuous illustration of what ability and an
bition may do under republican institutions.
He LOVED HIS COUNTRY
with q passion of patriotic devotion, and every
waking thought was given to her advancement.
He was an American in all his aspirations. and he
looked to the destiny and influence of the United
States with tho philosophical composure of Jeffer-
son and the .demonstrative confidence of John
Adams. Tho political events which
DISTURBED THE PRESIDENTS SERENITY
for many weeks before that Hateful day in July
form important chapter in his career and i'll his
own Judgment invoved questions of principle and of
right which are vitality essential to the constitutional
administration of the federal government. It
would be out of place here and now to speak TIE
however they may continue to be a source Of con-
entions with others, have become so far as Garfield
is concerned, az much matter OF history as
his heroism at Chckananga or his illustr!Ous
service in the house Detail is not needful md
personal antagonism shall not be rekin'llcd by auy
word uttered to-day n: The motives !, Of
adversely interpreted nor their course harsh!y
cllaractelized: but of tho dead president
this is to be said, and said because his own speech
is forever scncel and he can he more heard,
ccpt through the fidelity and the love of surviving
friends: From the beginning to the end Of the
controversy he SO much dcplore, the president
for actin thf 1,V 1prf1p
of gain to himself loss to others. Least of all
men did he hart,o- revenge Rarely did he even show
good offices and tho doing of kindly deeds There
vas not an hour from III. besinnng Of the trouble
wien the president would not gladly
for the sake of restoring harmony have rctracod
any steps he had taken: if such retracing had mere
ly invtll, cd consequences personal to himself The
pride OF consistency any supposed sense of hui
initiation that might result from surrenderng his
position had not a feathers weight with him. No
man was
SUBJECT TO SUCH INFLUENCES
from within without. But after most anxious de
liberation and the coolest survey of all the
circumstances he solnmny believed that the true
prerogatives of the executive We're involved in the
issue which had been raisad and that he would
be unfaithful to his supreme obligation if he failed
to maintain in all their vigOr the constitutional rights
and dignites Of the great office. He believed
this in all the convictions of conscience. when in
sound and vigorous health, and he believed it iii his
suffering and prosration i'll the last conscious
thought which his wcariel mind bestowed on til"
transitory struggles Of life. More than this need
not be said. less than this could not be said
JUSTICE TO TIE DEAD,
the highest obligation that dovoIyes upon the liv-
ing, demands the declaration that in all the bear
.ings of the subject actual possible, the president
was content in his mind justified in his conscience,
c ss .n sssis sn"';S
youth he espoused tho faith of the Disciples, sect
of that great Baptist communion which in
different ecclesiastical establishments is
numerous and influential throughout ali parts
tendency of his mind and his active
spirit of inquiry, were early apparent and carried
him beyond the dogmas Of sect and the restraints
of association In selecting college in which to
continue his education he rejected Bethany. though
presided over by Alexander Campbell, the greatest
heavily toward slavery; and second, that
being himself Disciple and son Of Disciple
other beliefs, and he thought it would make him
more liberal quoting his own words both
2 new circle and be under new Influences
Tho liberal tendency which he anticipated
the result Of wider culture was fully
realized He was emancipated from mere sectarian
belief, and with eager interest, pushed his investi
CATION in the direction of modern progressive
thought. He followed with quickening step in the
PATH OF EXPLORATION AND SPECULATION
fea1lessly trodlen by Darwin, by Huxley, by
Tynda and by other living scientists OF the radical
and advanced type. His own church binding its
disciples by formulated creed, but accepting
tie Ola and New Testaments as the word of Cod.
with unbiased liberty of private Interpretation,
favored if it did not stimulate the spirit of investi
CATION. Its members profess with sincerity, and
profess only to be of one mind and one faith with
those who Immediately FOLLOWED the Master. and
who were first called Christians at An
tioch. But however high Garfield reasoned
of fixed. fate, FREQ will. foreknowedge absolute,
ne was never separated from the Church of tho
Disciples in his affections and in his associations.
For him it held the ark of the covenant; to him it
was tho gate Of heaven The world of religious
belief, is full of soleacisms and con-
tradiction. A philosophic observer declares
that mon by the thousand will die in defense of
creed whose doctrines they do not comprehend and
whose tenets they habitually violate. It is equally
true that men by the thousands will 10
CLING TO CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS
with instructive and undying fidelity when their be-
lief in mature years is radically different from that
which inspired them as neophytes. But after this
runge of speculation and this latitude OF doubt,
Garfield came back always with freshness
aud delight to the simpler instincts Of
religious faith which earliest implanted longest
survived. Not many weeks before his assas-
snation walking on the banks Of the Potomac with