Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-28
nernmaiIon Of Garfeld,s Memory.

Defamation OF Garflelds Memory.
II is indeed a sad evidence Of the natu-
raj depravity of the human heart that so
many papers of the country, some Of
them Of acknowledged responsibility,
are 50 eagerly engaging in efforts to
blacken and defame the character of the
dead President, laid low one year since
BY the shot Of a base assassin. Old let
tiers written to Secretary Chase during
the war BY the then Brigadier General
Garfield, complaining of his superior
officer, General Rosecrans, have
been resurrected and made the texts
for numerous editorials and editorial
paragraphs to illustrate Gsrfeld's
alleged duplicity and hypocrisy,
and were the deceased man alive
to-day and engaged actively in
political warfare no more saw
sge attacks could be made upon his
fame and character. Suppose the charges
made are gospel truth, of what possible
avail is to give them publicity and hold
them up TO popular odium at this time?
No doubt in the course of his life Mr..
Garfield did many things which would
not bear the closest scrutiny. and might
not stand the test of rigid investigation,
still be VS. no worse than the average
man. and not nearly 50 bad as the aver
age Republican politician. But now
that he is dead, it would be the part of
charity at least to permit his shortcom-
ings to die with him, and adopt the old
Roman maxim, "de mOrtuts nil nisi 30
HHus."
The snimus Of the attempt at this
time TO besmirch the memory of the dead
President is manifest. The evil that
men do lives after them; the good is oft
Inferred with their bones" So it is in
the case of Garfield. The good he has
done is well nigh forgotten, but the evil
which he was instrumental in effecting-
viz the growth in power in this coun-
try Of Radicslism-still lives, and
its baneful effects survive to even strike
a blow at one who gave the greater por-
ton Of his life to the Radical cause.
Tr1e, in the last years of his career he
saw the errors of his way and repented
Of The evil he had helped to infiict upon
the country, and had he lived he might
perhaps have succeeded in undoing much
that he had previously done. But he
was murdered by the assassin's
shot, and stalwsrtism again
became ascendant. And now its
every energy is being bent towards
dissipating the healthful feeling of con
servatism created by Garfield during his
brief career as Chief Executive of the
Republic by holding him up to public
view as hypocrite and deceiver. This
is the true secret Of the attack on the
character Of the deceased President now
being so industriously INDUCED in by
Radical organs, Radical Office seekers
and the friends Of stalwart politicians
throughout the country.
These efforts of the stalwarts to make
capital for themselves by the defama-
ton Of Garfelds memory will not only
certainly fail, but will, with equal GER
iaiuty, reooil upon the heads of those
who lend themselves thereto. Their con-
duct is simply atrociOus. 1t is consid-
eoed the height of cowardice to strike
even a living man when he is down.
How much more contemplate is it to
play the part Of & moral hyena, and as
sault The reputation OF fellow man after
he is laid in the grave and is powerless
TO raise hand OF voice in his defense.
Such action must excite the in
dignsnt reprobatiOn of all honora-
be men wherever found, and those
who indulge therein will be held in
even greater Odium than the assassin
Guitesu. he will in two short days
more simply pay the penalty of his vii
lainous deed with his life, and then
Justice will be satisfied, and the world
will bestow no more thought upon him.
Rut these malignant stalwarts who now
Tor partisan purposes would murder the
reputation Of Guiteau's victim, while
they may still live physically to indulge
their vile propensities, will find, in the
end, that they viii suffer moral penalties
and that their own characters will be
promptly executed upon the gibbet of
public execratiOn.