Arizona republican., 1901-10-02
ARTHUR AND ROOSEVELT
How These Two Men Received News
 of Assassination.

Tt would be difficult said a thoughtful man of affairs, ito imagine a morei difficult position than that in which a vice president of the Uni ted States finds himself when he re- ceives the news that the president has been the victim of an injury that seems to be mortal. Then, If ever. he knows that the eyes of the whole pee pie are upon him. He knows shat his countrymen. simply because they are human. are bound to turn from the ac- count of the presidents injury to the account of the manner in which the vice president received the news. While he is perfectly we'll aware that there are few persons in an enligh.- ened country like the United States who would be guilty of even suspect ing that he felt the slightest elation over his opportunity to slip into the presidents chair, he is bound to feel that there are at least some who wouk6 be capable of viewing the mat ter in that callous and unwarrantable light, and this feeling cannot but be a heavy one.
 When Arthur heard of the attack upon Garfield. he was too stunned to speak. I have been told that he didn't say a word for fully fifteen minutes after he received the news. He simp- ly sat down and stared in.o vacancy. He was far from being a demopstra- tive man. but there can be no doubt in life that he fett the presidents af- fiiction and his own position most acutely.
 He conducted himself throughout the long period during which Garlic Id hovered between life and death with the dignity of a high-grade man, and this at a time, too. when the split in he,
 tween the factionalists of the ssnate made his position '5oubly heard to en. dure. The question of the succession was not absolutely determined then as it is now, and then. again, the clause in the constitution which re- quires the presidential office to be handed over to the vice president in case of the disability of the president was one that was publicly discussed and often with virulence, during Gar fields battle for life. There was a consider able element in the country who believed that Arthur had a righ. to take over the reins of government from the moment that Garfield was struck down, while the larger elnient bitterly scorned such an idea, and some of these even went go far as to almost openly accuse Arthur of holding to the belief that in the circumstan nces
 
 the clause in the constitution en- abling him to mount to the presi- dents chair-which was absolutely absurd; Arthur never even dreamed for moment of such a thing. But his position was heavy and a solemn and an acutely embarrassing one. He car ried himself throughout in it like the big-sou,ed man and the chivalrous gentleman that he was.
 And Roosevelt's conduct, too was absolutely unimpeachable. It seems that the man was completely over powered with grief when he heard the news of the attempt on the presi- dents life-and Roosevelt is Cnly demonstrative when he is mixed up in a figh1-he takss his grief dumb,y, l happen to know. But the close inti- macy that has for years existed be- tween the president and Roosevelt is well known. and 1t is the testimony of everybody who met the vice president before and after he reached Buffalo that he acted like a man in mental pain And the boyish delight with which he welcomed every encouraging confs renee of the doctors and bulle- tins indicated the state of his feel ngs."-Washington Star