The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-01-07
ASSASSINATION or MEN POWER
BY PROF.. HENRY COOPER. LID, OF THE
IEHIGH UNIVERSITY.

BY PROV. HENRY COOPER. LID. OF THE
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY.
| The recent death Of President Garfield
| by the hand of ali assassin leads us back
| beyoad the consideration of local circum-
stances and party politics, with which it
Vas SO intimately connected. to examine
it iii 4 historical light. and to see what
! place 1t occupies among similar or anao-
gous events i'll the past. For such crimes
have so much Of Il family likeness that a
| German philosopher would be warranted
III proposing as Il new sciencc-.A Matte
| rH History Of -i*SnsstRatinnS, in which
certain elementary principles could be
deduced and classified Assas ination,
which may be defined as unexpected and
*chemingly devised murder owes It's
name to the numerous band Of the Shrik
al Jc5al-Ne all Nan IF tie Hounfain.
His devoted adherents in Egypt and the
adjoining countries were the blind and
secret eNecutlDncrs Of his viii upon his
enemies They were wrought into a ireI
Eied state IL preparation for the bloody
deeds by the use of huxh6e&Es. which in
t"xicating plant gave them its name.
Their daggers,' says Gibbun, were
broken by llolagnI Oate i'll the thir-
ieenth century, and not 4 vcstigc is left
Of the enemies of mankind, except he
word assassin. which. i'll the most odious
sense. has been adopted in the languages
of mankind" But ali later history has
shown that the word was needed. for the
| practice Is almost as rife to-day as in any
OF the earlier and more harbarpus ares.
and in almost every case on record is sig
ni'cant If analogous historic conditions
IS 10 cause and effect.
| In This subject we find Il new arrr,-
ment for the moral unity of the human
race, exhibited in all ages and among all
peoples. Revenge. disurGered ambitioa.
the graSping avidilv for the uncarn, d
Spolls OF office. the greed for gold. the
tanaticism bred Of civil and rel rinu,
Strlles the mistaken confidence u, fac
the deed in issues which Immediately
a'1er its preparation are shown to have
been manifrstly impossih!c-these are
among the Ilcl,. ttfiqs If Bacon. which
atiict our common humanity: and anon"
! the last cntioned which has 50 man,
sad illustrations, deserves particular no
tirc. here Is strange want Of fore
cast common to most Of the important
transformations recorded i'll history. In
the lurld laboratory of an assaSSin'S heart
while contemplating the deed and in the
whlrlwind Of passion in which it is per-
petratcti, reason is held iii allegiance. and
the sober voice Of conscience is silenced:
but when the fatal deed is done, there
comes sense of horrible guilt, deserv
ing condign punishment and prospect
OF results entirely contrary to those de-
signed aud anticipated.
With these preliminary remarks. tie
purpose OF this paper is to collate a few
of the more notable instances of the as
SaSsination of men in power. with a suy-
gestlon of the historic circumstances at
tending them.
Passing by the singular eases men
toned iii the Old Testament Scripture.
which are not open to the general laws
OF historic Interpretation, as in some
cases permitted and in some cases spe-
cially sanctioned by the Almighty. for
reasons beyond our knowledge, it NAV
he observed that in the days OF barbar-
ism and ignorance, which. according to-
the sacred writer, God winked at"
when might made right. when STRANGERS
were enemies, when men pursued
&c the good old rule, the simple plan
mat they should take who hav.. the power
Aud they should Keep who can
assassination was regarded as among the
means, not lawiul-in default of law
tor removing tlrant OF des,ro> in. the
schemes OF an enemy. Thus we look
with kind Of technical admiration upon
the attempt of Sc:rv"i.; to kill Pur>enna
Of CluSium, the uurclenting enemy OF
Rome, but the admiration is heightened
and emphasized by the fortitude with
which he placed his ri.ht hand in the
hrazier and held it there until it was con-
Sumed.
Through the entire Roman annals. from
the days of the kings to the capture of
Constantinople. wetind assassination play
ing an important part in politcS-remnv-
ing obstructive men and changing dynas
ties. Upon such illustrations we need
not dwell. In the later days of the EN-
pire the pages Of Roman history are rubli-
Gated with the blood of emperors and
pro-consuls, suifnrated in the bath. stran-
gled by wrestlers. killed by poisonous
wine, or hacked to pieces by a hundred
tlaggers.
The forecast was almost always at fault,
from the bloody drama of C;rsar's death.
through its frequent rchearslls by new
actors, over and over again. in almost
every province Of the empire. Coed and
bad. the etnperors fell under the assas-
sin s knife, and the Pr;etnrian Guards.
intended 1T first 10 protect the city. as
the Imperial residence, soon degenerated
into Imperial butchers. who found their
account III the increasing prices paid them
for their mU.derous deeds.
The philosophy OF this condition oil
affairs is not difficult to tind-the law.
!essness Of Rome, the lax hold of the
central government upon the outlyin.
provinces, the sordid cruelty springing
from military INSTRUMENTATION, the need
of despotic power tn control such hetero-
yeneouS masses, and Vet the resistance
to it by men who aSpired to it. Here
and there in the history a mighty mar
rises superior tnall conditions. ItSeelned
rs if no one dared to q .sasSnate Sept
mus SeveruS. or Diocletan Constantine.
They awrd all the empire into supine
submission; Int as som as the mighty
hand was removed the assassin : dagger
leaped from its sheath.
We pass to later times. and We find
historic Causes at work. The knife that
stabbed Edward. called the Martyr, in
9iS. as he sat Oh horseback t. drink be-
fore the house of his step-mnther Elirida,
was aimed in the interest of AN unjust
succession. and at the same time to ia.
validate the power 81 nnnstan and the
| ,runiir clergy in Saxon England As