Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-04
FOREIGN oPIK1oN ON TIE eUIrEAU
TRIAL.

ne SO-CAl6u pAnA-e.SAO-~ - = ~o--'
of his motives for allowing Guiteau to mis-
behave himself so abominably and persist
emily, has not, so far as we can perceive,
been accepted, either at home or abroad, as
a sufficient justification of the course of the
Court. English opinion has from the first
condemned the manner in which the trial
is carried on, but no condemnation could
possibly have been more emphatic than
that of the American people. The thing,
however, is evidently tending to the pro-
duction of such disastrous and humiliating
results that it seems necessary to treat it
as something very much more important
than question of judgment. The plain
and apparent fact is, that through the con-
duct of the trial of Guiteau all the high
ard good feeling which the illness and
death Of General Garfield produced, is being
dissipated, and when it is remembered that
this is the work of the assassin, it becomes
peculiarly horrible and exasperating. The
death of Garfield occurred under circum-
stances so pathetic and at the same time
elevating, that all the world was drawn
closer together by the event. The simple
manliness of the stricken President the
romance of his career; his patient endur-
ance OF protracted sufferings the devotion
of his wife and children his great popu-
larity the pervading naturalness and
LONELINESS of all the incidents CON-
bined to touch and move human nature
everywhere, ard caused all the world to
join in watching over the Presidents sick
bed, and to unite in mourning when he
died. 1t was something new and elevating
in human experience. After such life,
such a death. The contemplation of it
made the American people more thought of
and talked of and written about than ever
before, and the general effect was whole
some.
But Just when this tender, reverential,
genial feeling was at its hight, the
sinister figure of the assassin Guiteau
cast it's hideous shadow right athwart the
grave of his victim, and the spectacle
chilled all hearts. There was then very
righteous and benefcent wrath against
this vile aud wicked wretch. The world
was lamenting the greatness of the evil his
puny hand had caused, and regretting the
impossibility of infiicting upon him an
adequate punishment for his stupendous
crime. It was very difficult even to toler-
ate mention of his loathsome name. He
was so iercely hated that had he been let
loose the very children would have stoned
him to death. And at this juncture he
was presented to shuddering, grieved,
and deeply angered people, with all his
most disgusting qualities intensified and
made more intrusive His british abb
sence of feeling, his insufferable impudence,
his egregious self conceit, his invulner-
able efronteIy, his matchless brutality,
his venomous tongue. his revolving cant,
his hippant vulgarity, his manifest indif-
ference to the deed he had done-all were
biOuSub sum do TIC iilOSs
absolute license on the part OF the
Court could give them. The country, nay
the world, shuddered and drew back in
horror at this sight and these sounds. All
felt upon the instant that Garfield was
being assassinated over again; that in the
license accorded this filthy miscreant the
foulest dishonor, the most bitter scorn,
were being heaped upon the memory of the
victim.
| And yet the shameful scene was con-
tinued, despite all protest. It began on
the 14th of November, and for six weeks
il has been forced upon the attention of an
outraged, scandalized, disguised peo-
pie. And after the murderous buffoon has
been allowed to make mockery of our
criminal administration after he has been
allowed to turn the most awful and tragic
event of the century into dreadful bur-
lesque, played daily for the amusement
of grinning fools and brainless jades after
the feelings of every true man and woman
have been lacerated by the outrage after
the effect of Garfield's solemn decline and
death has been screamed and blasphemed
away by this gibbering fend the Judge
thinks to explain everything, and dis
sipate every sentiment of indignation,
| by stating that he has allowed Guiteau to
say and do whatever he pleased, in order
that certain "experts might have a bet
ter opportunity of forming opinions about
his sanity Then Judge Cox further init
mates that he was terribly fearful lest the
assassin might escape from the jury, or
through some tecbnicality, and to prevent
this he abandoned the dignity OF his Court,
| and let the prisoner run the case to suit
himself It seems to US that this is almost
a greater outrage than the other that the
Judges impeachment of our criminal sys-
tenn is more injurious than Guiteau's expos
ure of our practice.
For if it be possible that this man can
escape the gallows by any method what
ever; if the enormity of his crime and the
indubitableness of his accountability are
not sufficient to overbear all the cunning
of defending lawyers, all the chicanery OF
the law, all the crystallized imbecility Of
past acquitting verdicts in murder cases,
all the barriers, whatever their name and
character, which influence, money, skill oil
fence, or any other agency, have at any
time been able to erect between Justice
and Guilt-then farewell all hope of an
enduring civilization for America, and all
expectation of better things hereafter.
Such failure under such circumstances
would damn the national character. If we
have not virtue enough either in our insti.
tutions or in public opinion, to compass
the punishment of the most ineffable scoun.
drel that ever reared brazen front
before people, and Knocked at them
across the body of their dead leader
murdered by his hand-it would be vain
to imagine that we can do any good
thing any more at all. And yet the con