New-York tribune., 1882-02-16
ENGLISH OPINIONS.
JUDGE COX-GUITEAU-THE TIMES-ADvER-
TISING


| Tho New-York correspondent of The Standard OBJ
serves in dispatch published this morning that the
comments of the London press the Guiteau trial
are considered to be founded on an utter misapprc-
hensOn of the facts or would otherwise be accepted
as offensive and by way of clearing up the misap-
! prehensiOn of the London press as to the Guiteau
trial, this correspondent says that Judge Cox's
conduct is almost universally approved. II that be
so il would Justify almost any comment. But is it
sof have been reading for weeks past articles in
the American press condemning Judge Cox and his
conduct of the trial. 1t is possible enough that the
cable has reversed the meaning of this correspond
ent, but If not one would be glad to know from
what sources he derives his evidences Of nearly uni
yersal approval. This is not the first time that he
has transmitted accounts of American opinion di-
vergne very widely from those supported by testi-
mony.
don't know that it is worth while to draw fur
ther attention the remarks The Saturday Rere1r
OH the trial, the essence of which have given by
telegraph 1t is generally pretty safe to take for
granted that The Saturday Rcriec in writing about
American matters will say the most offensive things
it can think Of in the most offensive way 1t knsws
how. In this it has perhaps surpassed itself |
cannot think Of another paper hat would be likely
TO describe Guiteau typical American, or his
crime the logical result OF democratic institutions
Il may be convenient to supply the actual text Of
these declarations. Remarliing on the attempts to
discover in Guiteau psychological diosyncrasies,
| The Saturday kerieg SAYS
| The only ihiOsvncrases psychological or other,
which any sensible person VII discover, are those
of criminal and q specially American crimina
Gulteau i specially American IN respect Of his Of
ice-seekng his unqucstloning belief IN his own So
cial and mental equality with the best, his utter
lack Of conventional deceucy and self-restraint. has
childish delight IN notorety and In posing before
the public.
mi
Saturday. and the majority of his countrymen
is that with tho latter these qualities kept
within the limits Of merely social defects, whereas
Guteau carried them over the border between
manners and morals"
With reference 70 the responsibility Of American
Institutions for the murder we are told that not
merely the peculiar otfeusivencss of the criminal
but nuch that is peculiar in the crime is directly
traceabIe to democracy itself" The murder of two
American Presidents within less than twenty years
"may of course, be accidental, but there is Quite
sufficient ground fer arguing that it is nothing of
the sort" And the writer's argument is that while
nobody can be jealous of a King because everybody
knows he has no chance of being King himself, any
body may be jealous of a President (and therefore
kill him because the chance of being President is
not beyond his reach.
Further the scandals of the trial are "directly
ted with democratic politics and society" of
which Guifean himself is only rather more con-
spicuous product tAan usual The note Of democ-
racy il self-respect of which Guiteau has given the
world shining example"
1t is quite arguable that it was from an heroic
be yh+ Of and Of indignaOn that others
should nor respect him properly that he shot Gen
eral Garfield and still more that bis outbreaks IN
court have proceeded from TIE generous Indignation
OF hlgh-tOned OF freedom at finding ms liberty
restrained, his motives questioned, and his charac-
ter assailed.
And the conclusion of the whole matter is this:
A hundred years of unbridled democracy have
led these results that the free and enllght-
encd citizen shoots he nominee that docs not carry
out bis wishes, and that judges, lawyers and pris-
Oner babbe and Draw for months in a court of JUS
tice in fashion which would seem overdrawn II n
satirst depicted 10 taking place 10 tap-rOom or
back shop parlor. The democratic Helot may at
least be thanked for an instructive lesson.
The democra tic Helot, of course, is not Guiteau
but American Democracy itself, of which Guiteau
is only a unit, rather more typical thTn other
units The allflson intended is the story of Plu-
tarch that the Eeots made drunk by their
Spartan masters and in that state required to per-
form indecent dances as double warning to the
Spartan youth against drinking and the effects of
drinking. Few coEparlsons in the whole range of
literature are more offensive. Bat The Saturday.
which seldom thinks it worth while to master the
facts Of modern politics, shows the Hippant
Indifference to accuracy in respect of that scholar
ship of which it it once thought to have a
tinctnre The story of Plutarch is probably untrue
It i certainly untrue of the time at which he places
il. Putarch hi.ascf discredits it; modern scho- |
arship has set it aside of those fables for
which there is ne evidence But any exploded non |
sense serves the purpose Of The Saturday Rerec in
want of an insulting comparison for the Republic |
il detests.
1t is quite possible, rs suggested above, to make
too much Of these provocatiOnS What The Saturday
Rcrer and The ines say is important only far
they express general feeling or opinion or so far
as they excite against us in Others the animosity |
which they themselves feel Americans may well
lee excused for thinking hat such IN article as that
of The Times of winch gave an account the other
dly must attract attention. But 50 far rs can |
make out it attracted very little attention. asked
a good many people what they thought Of it. Not |
one Of them had read it, As for The Saturday Rerie,
suppose there must be people who read its political
articles. but have not charced to meet If they
did read this Guteau eusion, it is not certain they
would discover anything very odous in It, The Eng
Iish are capable of enduring with equanimity very |
gross atironts to other nations repeated to very
distinguished and exceptionally fair-minded Eng
lishman-a great friend Of ours, m0reover-the
substance Of the most abusive parts Of The Times
article He poured out another glass of wine and
remarked that it was in bad taste.
Most of the people one meets have remark to
offer on the conclusion of the Guiteau trial. They
approve the verdict, and hope the assassin may be
punctually hanged. But they are saturated with
details and tired of the whole business The dis
patches of the Philadelphia correspondent OF me
Times have filled a column half column daily.
Somebody SAYS in his behalf that he is not TO De
blamed for sending facts The answer is that he ls
70 be blamed for sending careful selection OF Just
those facts which were the most discredltable and
disgusting in each days proceedings. 1t Is the sys
-....l f.r -.,.r, Ii r,.fnrrnce IN The Mhnle