The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-12-05
ASSASSINATION


General Peace and Pros.
1c'vil Service.
ollowing is the first annual mes
kge o. President Roosevelt 10 the
YCongress OF the United States, with
the exception Of a few unimportant
paragraphs:
Observation-Disclosures OF PscSi.
dent MckiGicy-Anarchy.
To the Senate and House of Reprcsen-
tatives:
The Congress assemblies this year un-
der the shadow OF great calamity.
On the sixth OF September, President
Mckinley was s2ot by an anarchist
while attending the Pal-Ame-ican En-
Rpcsition at Buffalo. aid died in that
ity or the fourteenth OF that month.
Cf the last seven elected Presidents.
Re is the third who has been murder.
Rd. and the bare recital OF this fact is
sufficient to justify grave alarm among
kll loyal American citizens. Moreover
ehe circumstances OF this, the third
assassination of an American President
have peculiarly sinister significance.
$Both President Lincoln and President
SGarfeld were killed by assassins ef
Rcypes unfortunately not uncommon in
history; President Lincoln falling the
fictim to the terrible passions aroused
y four years OF civil war, and Presi-
ent Garfield to the reyengesul vanity
Wf diSannpiutod nEco-canGor
Rent Mckinley was killed by an utterly
depraved criminal belonging to that
l body OF criminals who object ~ all
&governments, good and bad alike, who
are against any form Of popular liber-
y If it is guaranteed by even the nicst
Ijust and liberal laws. and who are az
hostile 70 the upright exponent Of free
peoples sober will as to the tyranni@al
and irresponsible despot.
It is not too much to say that ut the
time OF President McKinley's death he
was the most widely loved man in all
the United States; while we have aeyer
had any public man Of his position who
has been so wholly free from the bitter
animosities incident to public life. His
.nQlitieal opponsnts were the first TO
bear the heartiest and most generous.
tribute to the broad kindliness ct ma
ture. the sweetness and gentleness o.
character which so endeared him 10 hii
close associates. To standard Of lofty
integrity In public life he united tht
tender affections and home virtue.
which are all-inportant in the make
ND OF national character. A gallant sol
dier in the great war for the Union. hf
also shone as an example to all ou'
people because OF his conduct in tht
most sacred and intimate OF home re
lations. There could be no persona
hatred of him, for he never acted Will
aught but consideration for the welfare
of others. No one could fail to respec
him who knew him in public or private
life. The defenders Of those murderon:
criminals who seek to excuse the!l
criminality by asserting that it Is eXe:'
cised for political ends, inveigh agalEs'
wealth and irresponsible power. bu'
for this assassination even this Dass
apology cannot be urged.
President Mckinley was man @,
moderate means. man whose s.ocf
sprang from the sturdy tillers Cf tht
soil. who had himself belonged among
the wage-workers, who had entered thS
army as a private soldier. Wealth wa;
not struck at when the President was
assassinated. but the honest toll whlef
Is content with moderate gains after
lifetime OF unremitting labor. larseis
in the service OF the public. Still logs
was power struck at In the sense lha'
power is irresponsible or centered IL
the hands of any one Individual. 1he
blow was not aimed at tyranny z!
wealth, 1t was aimed at one OF tie
strongest champions the wage-workei
has ever had: at one OF the most faItn
ful representatives Of the system ol
nublic rights and representative gov
ernment who has ever risen to pubhc
Office. President Mckinley filled that
nolitical Office for which the entire peo
nla vote: and no President-not e;en
JJncoIn himself-was ever more ear
nest,y anxious to represent the vel
thought-out wishes Of the people: ais
one anxiety in every crisis was to kecr
In closest touch with the peopie--to
and ont what they thought and u ee'
deavor to give expression TO tnelH
thought. after having endeavored to
epide that thought Alright. He had JUST
Seen reelected to the Presidency be-
canse the majority Of our citizens. sie
majority of our farmers and wage
workers. believed that he had faith
fully upheld their interests for four
wears. They felt themselves in close
and intimate touch with him: TheS
felt that he represented sc we'll and SO
honorably all their ideals and asplra
tions that they wished him to continue
for another four years to represent
them.
And this was the man at whom The
assassin struck! That there might be
nothing lacking to complete the Ju1as'
like infamy OF his act, he took advan'
tage of an occasion when the President
was meeting the people generally; and
advancing as If to take the hano out
stretched to him in kindly and brother
" fellowship. he turned the noble anG
generous confidence Of the victim into
an opportunity to strike the fatal blow.
There Is no baser deed in all the annals
Of crime.
The shock. the grief Of the country,
t,lc nf oil yyh,