Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-01-21

cannot be estimated. Only one thing could be
worse than that.the seeming support of ouch
in the public press as an organ of opinion. For
if such thing could be, If popular deluson
Of that sort could get real hold Of mems
minds in any considerable portion Of the COM
munity. the borders Of Bedlam would have to
be greatly enlarged. We should have the
two, or twenty, but of whole commu-
mites afflicted with an ''insane delusion, -
and the 'TtransitOry mania Of Guiteauism would
be ram pant in those communities Now that
the assassin from the dock has promulgated his
ukase. threatening the American people with all
sorts of woes il his pet doctrine Of inspiration
is not ''vindicated" by his acquittal we shall see
If court. jury and people yield their assent and
acceptance Of that doctrine. This. / am aware
is not the theory of the defence laughed at and
satirized by Guiteau HIMSELF. but that theory is
In perfect accord with the doctrine of ''inspira-
ton in political murder, as witness this utter
ance of Mr.. George ScOville in laying down the
law of the case: 'The rule was that if in this act
the prisoner was Overpowered by a conscious
ness that he was commanded to do this act to
save the country from war; then i'm his view the
act was right, and he was not responsible" But
Judge Cox in refusing to rule on the question of
Irresistible impulse"-merely another name for
the corresponding consciousness of Mr. SEQ
Vile effectualy disposed of the inspiration
part OF the business by taking it out of the case.
saying there was no precedent for it in law and.
what was perfectly obvious that outside of the
prisoners testimony nobody could koDw
anything OF Irresistible impulse" and conse-
quently it was not question fer the jury.
The assassin. and by implication his counsel.
was mistaken In the law-that was all. Never
theless, the opinion real or pretended. that
Guteau is insane. and therefore Irresponsible
which opinion industriOusly circulated by the
defence, and written up in certain papers. is
designed insidiOusiy and covertly to affect the
jury through popular sentiment, not to say
sympathy with the assassin in the role of q
lunatc, is doing great harm, because it tends to
confuse all moral distinctions and to gloss over
the crime of murder by teaching the pernicious
doctrine that man. to all intents and purposes
sane and responsible, may be forced to commit
murder under duress: and the proof of this
astounding fact is to be found in the bare asser-
ton of the murderer when put upon his oath.
and seen to braZen it ont with a sufficient stock
OF Impudence! That anybody should be found
weak enough to adopt such an opinion or belief
on such grounds. and | deny that it has any
foundation in the facts of the case only shows
how some people are quite too too anxious to
confirm and to spread abroad the inspratiOnal
view of the case. in the interest of the assassin
and to the prejudice of public justice. We know
as Judge Porter says. how confidently he counts
on the ''gublty and rascality' Of mankind to
secure an acquttal. believe lie reckOns with
out his host; and yet 1 have an uncomfortable
feeling that there is a large and dangerous ele-
meGt of GuiteauiSm in onr midst and Shuttder
at the pOssbity-it is more than that, the
prohability-that this element is represented by
one or more men on the jury. One out OF twelve
Is all that is necessary. / never supposed there
was any defence to this murder: and that as a
matter of course. the murder being proved and
admitted, the murderer after that had only one
right-the right to be hung But we are great
and progressive people; and under the new doc
trine of inspiration and duress, or "Overpow-
erlng consciousness. we may agree with the
witty lawyer who declared that murder was
fast becoming lone Of the safest of American
industries