Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-09-26
Brief SEMINARY Of Hon. D. 0. Watkia's al
dress

| FELLOW CITIZENS
AS the representative of a body of men
of which have the honor to be member,
and of which our dead President was al
honorary member, I will this morning
endeayor to lay few words Of testimonial
upon his bier, but | assure you, sirs, and
assure you, my friends, that this is the
hardest task have ever had to perform.
Thirty-six years ago the first President Of
the United States, to fall by the hand OF an
assassin, passed away; one OF the noblest
men God ere gave to earth, the immortal
, Lincoln. In those times mems minds were
| maddened. 1t was the ending Of a five
| years war between brother and brother,
between one part of our country and the
| other. The hatreds growing out Of that
war had not yet been closed; the wounds
had not been gathered up; there might
have been some reason, some justification,
some excuse for a misguided person to have
fired the bullet which took his life. He
did not die, however, until the work for
which God had placed him here had been
accomplished, and by reason of his havirg
| lived, six million men had become free
The blessings of education and of Christian
ity had been spread where they had never
been spread before. He lived life Of
great usefulness and died death which
has become sacred memory of his country.
We, to-day, can imagine the scenes of
that memorable night when he lay in state
at Washington; when the frenzied mob
were pushing down the streets Of New
York looking for some person or something
upon which to wreak it's vengeance. There
was newspaper which, during his life
| time, had been his bitter defamer and had
always held him up to ridicule. Someone
| in the crowd that went surging down the
street uttered the name Of this paper, and
Immediately a great cry arose that they
should sweep down upon that newspaper
office and destroy it, for the purpose of
wreaking their vengeance. Suddenly upon
the balcony of one Of the hotels there
appeared form which has since become
| famous in history, and, even as Christ Of
Galilee stretched out His hand over the
| troubled waters of the sea, and babe them
be still, even so did he, the immortal
Garfield, extending his hand over the heads
of that frantic, frenzied mob, speak the
words which quelled that fearful tumult in
an instant
'sGod reigns and the Government al
Washington still lives"
| In moment the frenzy which had
possessed that mob, the rage which had
been burning in their hearts subsidized, and
they stood there listening to his word
which quieted and pacifed them.
That man was afterwards to occupy the
Presidential chair and to meet his death az
| the second martyred President.
| At the time of has death, great poiitica
| questions had disturbed the minds of tht
people, partisan strife and factiona
troubles heated, which might then have
offered some slight justification, some small
excuse for a half-crazed person to have
taken his life. But, oh! Omnipotent God
What excuse, what justification, what
reason, what cause could there be for tax
ing the life Of William Mckinley? Now
when the country was so full Of happiness
when war had ceased and there were NJ
heart-burnings growing out of that war, a
| far, at least, as our people were concerned
when prosperity was abroad throughout thu
land and everywhere its influence felt
Oh Czolgosz, Czolgosz, it seems to me tina
| if ever you should have thanked God tina
| Mckinley lived it was at the very momen
| when you took his life. All the world wa
better and brighter for his having lived.
Call to mind, if you can, that picture OF
that September afternoon, but a week or 81
ago See this happy American people
with outstretched hands, greeting McKin
ley their President, who was always thei
friend and always one of them, standin;
where he always wished to stand, dow
among the people from which lie hat
sprung, for he was bred of the people ant
never left them. Mckinley was a common
| e +l,o
mon people, and his greatest wish ant
desire, nay, all his glory, was to come dow
and, heart to heart with them, shake th
hands Of his fellow men. He stood Their
then, shaking hands with the people, witt
that kindly smile upon his face, which i
always bore, and which reflected the feelin;
within his heart. Watch, if you can, tn
cold, Shiny, snake of anarchy as it glide
through that crowd seeking to get to th
innocent victim it was to strike. Watch i
as it raises its head. Watch it as it extend
the hand covered with handkerchie
containing the deadly venom. Oh!
seems to me that that outstretched hand d
the President, that kindly, gentle smil
should have been sufficient, then and there
to have sent that man to his knees, prayin,
God to forgive him for the thoughts tina
had been in his heart. But, the serpen
raises it's head, it strikes and McKinle,
falls, the third martyred President. Then
listen to the words of bravado that fal
from the lips of the assassin: II have don
my duty"
Oh Czolgosz, you and your fellow
believers, look you to-day upon the tear
stained faces Of the American people
Look upon these habiliments of mourning
and that grief-stricken widow at Canton
and say from the blackness of your heart
whether you have done your duty to tn
American people. To whom have yol
done your duty? To those who meet il
subterranean cellars, in noisome garrets, il
darkness and secrecy, and hatch their plot
of murder and treason. You have don
your duty towards those men who beliey
in no government, no country, no God ant
no home But the American people hav
not yet done their duty toward you ar,
your fellows. That day, though, is rapid,
approaching. The duty of the America
people to you and your kind will never b
accomplished until some bright mornin
each American citizen, as he greets hi
fellow citizen, can shake him by the hant
and congratulate him that anarchy ha
been stamped out once and forever from
the shores of America.
The founders of this government base
it's foundation upon life, liberty and tn
pursuit Of happiness, and it was never thei
intention to create an asylum for murderer
and lovers of treason. / feel now lik
repeating those terrible words, intent o
their meaning, the words of Moore, i
"Lala Rookh."
"Oh just Prophet Let the damned one dive
In view of Paradise beholding Heay en-, bl
fee ling Hell y
| Listening to the beautiful hymn sun
this morning, it seemed to me that MI
Mckinley, in his dying moments, mus
have seen that which those around hi
bedside could not see. 1t seemed to m
that, afar off, he could see the Divin
Christ, with outstretched arms, and wha
to us was the dark valley of the shadow {
death, was to him bright and gloriou
pathway, and as the Divine Christ stoo
there with hands outstretched to greet him
with every footstep the dying Presiden
took toward that Gracious Presence, hi
soul sang 'sNearer, Nearer, my God, t
Thee" And at last, at last, when his las
moment came he laid him down to slee
upon that bosom Of broad and tende
mercy, and, even as child is gathered t
its parents arms and its eye-lids ar
kissed down to sleep at night, SO the grea
God took Mckinley to His glorious an
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