The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-09-19
WATTERsoN ON THE CRIME.
Remarks Of Henry watterson at

MATTERSON ON THE CRIME.
Remarks Of Henry Watterson a,
Louisville mass meeting:
l was born in the capital of our coun.
try when my father was a representa-,
tive in congress and / reached my ma.
jority in that capital at the precise mo-
ment when the nation was rent asunder
and its two sections were precipitated
into fraternal strife, destined to contin.
ue through four long, bloody years. l
had been reared in the belief that ours
is the best government ever known
among men. (Applause.) Thus at one
and twenty had to face situation
raising at least an inference that it was
failure. There seemed but one way
to meet a situation wholly anomalous,
and that was to s'shiny on my own
side" this did: but can truely say
that when the court of final resort had
decided that the government was not
failure, shed no tears over the pros
pect that the flag which had waved over
my cradle was to wave over my grave.
(Cheers.) And yet, since then, have
seen three Presidents shot down for no
other reason, or offense, than that they
had been fairly chosen by their fellow
citizens to occupy the office of chief
magistrate. Great applause.)
l am no longer young, impression.
able man; but what must l think of
thisf What must the world of feuda-
lism. Of monarchism, of despotism,
think of it? What had Lincoln done?
What had Garfield done? What had
Mckinley done? If the hand that
struck down the emperor of Russia who
had given freedom 10 the sercs was the
same hand that struck down that
American president, who had given
freedom to the slaves, shall it be said
that there was anything more sane. or
logical in the hands that struck down
Carnot and Mckinley? 1t
must be, it can only be, an insanity
born Of something radically wrong in
modern ethics, to be punished indeed
and punished with death-but to be ex.
tirpated, if extirpated at all, by meth.
DDS more far-reaching than the halter
and the axe. (Cheers.)
What boots it to the upright citizen.
the gallant soldier, the noble gentle
man, who lies in that hushed and dark.
ened chamber in Buffalo that we in.
weigh against his assailant? (applause)
Mckinley, the man, Mckinley the fig
ure-of-speech, is least to be considered.
He has but one time to die. If he dies
now, he goes as Lincoln went, glori-
Gus sacrifice to a glorious cause; leaving
behind him not a private enemy in the
lowed to the grave by an endless chain
of mourning country-men moving
through land teeming with pros
perity. (Applause.) 1t was his happy
lot in life to confirm the unifcation of
that land; vastly to augment its area
and its power. (Applause.) To him the
now, past is at least secure, and if he dies
he dies blessed martyr; his name to
be carried down the ages along with the
names of the best.beloved, the most re-
nowned. (Applause.) And what then?
Itisa question we should seriously
consider. 1t cannot be settled right out
of mind or by word of mouth. We
must meet the blood-stained hands of
anarchism not merely with cleaner
hands but with purer public spirit if
not deeper philosophy. We must dis
seminate the lesson throughout all
lands that government exists not for
the private gain of any, nor for the cure
of anv private grief, but for justice, the
citadel and the bell.tower of the public
peace and order. We must teach men
to rely upon themselves and as far as
equal laws may enable them to do this
We must create a more wholesome pub
lie opinion among ourselves as the best
means of forcing higher sense of
accountability upon our public men; a
moral sense, sprung from the homely,
homespun sources whence we drew our
vitality as nation and ought still to
draw our inspiration as a people.
(Cheers and applause.)
This tragedy, for even if our stricken
leader be spared us, it is still tragedy,