St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-11-25
Gke GaIedumian.
CHESTER ALLAN ARTHUR.
Death OF the Ex-President.

thursday morning aI HIS nome Ill view
York. He had been ailing for some
days from a complication of diseases,
principally kidney affections. He had
spent the summer at watering place,
and it was supposed that this had
strengthened somewhat his enfeebled
condition. His death was unexpected,
it not being supposed outside of his
house that he was in any immediate
danger. His son and daughter, his
sister and two friends were at his bed
side. Mr.. Arthur's health had not i'm
proved during his stay i'll New London
six weeks ago, and at his return on
October |, he was no better than when
he left the city. As time passed no
permanent Improvement came, and
the physicians feared some such sud
den stroke as the one to which he sue
cumbed. With the beginning of the
week a marked change for the better
set in. Tuesday the ex-president felt
better and stronger than at any time
since he was taken sick and comment
ed hopefully upon the fact. 1t was
after midnight when his attendant left
him alone in his bedroom, and nothing
was heard of him during the early
morning hours. He was not disturbed
in the morning. He found Mr.. Arthur
lying on his side, breathing heavily,
and could not arouse him and he did
not speak again. He was suffering
from a stroke of cerebral apOplexy. A
small blood vessel in the brain had
burst and paralysis of the right side
had ensued. All hope was abandoned
and he died without a struggle at five
=. Il, l. Il.
Chester Allan Arthur was born at
Fairfield, this state, October 5, 1880,
and was a son of Rev. DR.. William
Arthur, who was a graduate of Belfast,
Ire, and Baptist clergyman of some
note. President Arthur graduated at
Union college, New York, in 1913, at
the age of Is. After graduation he
taught school for several years, study
ing law meantime and saving his
money until he had $500. With this
he entered the law school of E. d. Cul
yer at New York, and in 1852 he was
admitted to the bar, and soon after
ward formed partnership with Judge
Culver. About this time he married a
daughter of Lieut.. HerndOn of the
United States navy. Mrs. Arthur died
in January, 1880, leaving two children,
Arthur's first law cases was the cele-
brated LammOn suit with which he,
in connection with William Nj. Evarts,
appeared in behalf of fugitive slaves
and won the case against Charles
OCOnOr, who was employed by the
master. At the outbreak of the war
Gov. Morgan appointed Mr.. Arthur
engineering chief on his staff, and lat
er quartermaster-ge general where he did
valuable service in the raising and
equipment of volunteers exhibiting ex-
ecutive ability of the highest order.
At the close of the war he returned to
his extensive law practice.
Entirely without solicitation on his
part, and to his surprise, he was Sc
lected by Gen. Grant in 1871, for col
lectOr of the port of New York. Four
years later, when his term expired, he
renominated him, an honor that had
never been shown to any previous col
lectOr in the history of the port. He
was removed by President Hayes on
July -, 1878, despite the fact that two
special committees made searching in
vestigatiOn into his administration,
and both reported themselves unable
to find anything on which to base IL
charge against him. In their prOnun-
ciamentOs announcing the change,
both President Hayes and Secretary
Sherman bore official witness to the
purity of his acts while in office. A
petition for his retention in Office was
signed by every judge in every court
in the city, by all the prominent MEM
bers of the bar and by nearly every
importing merchant in the collection
district, but this Gen. Arthur himself
suppressed. President Hayes offered
him the Paris consulate when he re-
tired from the custom house, but the
post was declined, and he resumed his
law practice.
In 1880 he was nominated for the
vice presidency on the ticket with
Garfield. The honor was entirely I'M
expected, but he accepted the nOmina-
ton. The selection of Gen. Arthur
greatly strengthened the ticket in the
Empire state. For while he was then
hardly a man of national reputation
in politics, he was a tower of strength
in New York, where he was chairman
of the republican state committee.
Passing over the events in connection
with the success of the republican ma
tional ticket and the four months SER
vice of the new administration. brings
us to that sad time when President
Garfield was shot by Guiteau. Mr..
Arthur came to the presidential chair
under the most depressing circum
stances. The assassination of Garfield
had intensified the bitterness between
the factions of the republican party
and Mr.. Arthur was supposed to rep
resent the faction opposed to Mr..
Blaine who was at the head of the
Garfield cabinet. Fears of an -imme-
date and disastrous Overturn in pOlit
ical affairs, were current, and Mr.. Ar
thur was for time the target of abuse
and Misrepresentation. Mr.. Arthur,
however, at once perceived the neces-
sity of moderation in action. His
bearing soon quieted the fears of the
country although changes were grad
ually made in the administration,
which completely changed its COM
plexiOn.
These changes were all made with
deliberatiOn and the appointments
were recognized by the country as
wise and iudiciOus. In fact, with few
exceptions, Mr.. Arthur's appointments
were based on business principles and
partizanship had very little to do with
them. His administration was con-
Quoted quietly and eventually met the
hearty approval of the great majority
of the republican party and even won
the appreciation of the fairest of the
democrats. Mr.. Arthur's administra-
ton was not marked with startling
events. 1t was on the whole peace
ful, progressive. business-like admin
istratiOn.
The change which followed in the
election of 1884, by which the demo-
cratic party elected president, was
In. MACMILLAN Liss r. tim wi III