The bee., 1902-03-06


and political friend, Secretary of State
John Hay, during the memorial serv-
ices held in honor of the late president
in the hall of the house of representa-
tivcs, Washington, Feb. %, 1902:
For the third time the congress Of the
United States is assembled TO commemo~
rate the life and the death OF a president
slain by the hand of an assassin. The
attention OF the future historian will he
attrac cted TO the features which reappear
with startling sameness in all three OF
these awful crimes--the uselessness, the
utter lack OF consequence Of the act. the
obscurity, the insignifcance OF the Grim
inal, the blamelessness so far as In our
sphere OF existence the best of men may
be held blameless, of the victim. Not one
Of our murdered presidents had an enemy
in the world. They were all OF such pre-
eminent purity of life that no pretext
could be given for the attack OF passional
crime. They were all men of democratic
instincts who could never have offended
the most Jealous advocates Of equality.
They were of kindly and generous nature.
to whom wrong or injustice was impossi-
BILE; OF moderate fortune, whose slender
means nobody could envy. They were
men of austere virtue. Of tender heart, of
eminent abilities, which they had devoted
with single minds to the good Of the re-
public. II ever men walked before God
and man without blame. it was these
three rulers of our people. The only
temptation TO attack their lives offered
was their gentle radiance-to eyes hating
the light that was offense enough.
The stupid uselessness of such an in
fanny affronts the common sense of the
world. One can conceive how the death
Of n dictator may change the political
conditions of an empire; how the extinc-
- rrfv,rv inn of In a -
bring in an alien dynasty. But in n well
ordered republic like ours the ruler may
fail, but the state feels no tremor. Our
beloved and revered leader is gone. but
the natural process of our laws provides
US q successor Identical in purpose and
ideals. nourished by the same teachings,
inspired by the same principles, pledged
by tender affection as well as by high
loyalty to carry to completion the i'm
mense task committed to his hands, and
to smite with iron severity every mani
festation of that hideous crime which his
milo predecessor with his dying breath
forgave. The sayings OF celestial wis
dom have no date. The words that reach
us over 1000 years out of the darkest hour
of gloom the world has ever known are
true to the life today, 'rhey know not
what they do" The blow struck at our
dear friend and ruler was as deadly as
blind hate could make it. but the blow
struck at anarchy was deadiier sti!l.
ASsASslNATIoN'S VICTIMS.
What a world of insoluble problems
such an event excites in the mind! Not
merely in its personal, but in its public
aspects. it presents a paradox not to be
comprehended. Under a system OF gov
ernment so frc} and so impartial that We
recognize its existence only by its benefac-
tions; under q social order so purely dem
ocratic that classes cannot exist IN 1t, af-
fording opportunities so universal that
even conditions are os changing as the
winds. where the laborer Of today is the
capitalist of tomorrow: under laws which
are the result of ages OF evolution, so uni
form cEd so benehcent that the president
has just the same rights and privileges as
the artisan. we see the same hellsh
growth OF hatred and murder which dogs
equally the footsteps of benevolent mon
archs and blood stained despots. How
many countries can join with us in the
community CT a kindred sorrow? ! will
not speak of those distant regions where
assassination enters into the daily life Of
government. but among the nations bound
TO US by the tics OF familiar intercourse,
who can forget that wise and mild auto
crat who had earned the proud title Of
the Liberator. that enlightened and mag
unanimous citizen whom France still
mourns, that brave and chivalrous king
of Italy who only lived for his people. and.
saddest OF all, that lovely and sorrowlng
empress. whose harmless life could hard
ly have excited the animosity of a demon?
Against that devilsh spirit nothing avais.
neither virtue nor patriotism. nor age nor
youth. nor conscience nor pity We can
not even say that education is sufficient
safeguard against this baleful evil, for
most of the wretches whose crimes have
so shocked humanity in recent years are
men not unlettered who have gone from
fIa IN
the scaffold.
THE PROBLEM OF ANARCHY.
Our minds cannot discern the origin nor
conceive the extent of wickedness so per-
verse and so cruel. but this does not ex-
empt us from the duty Of trying to control
and counteract IT,
This problem of anarchy il dark
and intricate, bur IL ought to be within
the compass of democratic government.
although no sane mind can fathom the
mysteries of these untracked and orbitless
natures. TO guard against their aberra-
tions, 10 take away from them the hope
of escape. the long luxury of scandalous
days in court. the unwholesome sympathy
of hysterical degenerates and so by de-
grees 10 make the crime not worth COM
mitting. even to these abnormal and d.s-
torted souls.
1t would be presumptuous for me in this
presence to cuggest the details OF reIne-
dial legislation for q malady so malignant
That task may safely be left to the skill
and patience of the national congress.
which has never been found unequal to
any such emergency. The country be-
lieves that the memory Of three murdered
comrades of yours. all Of whose voices
still haunt these walls. will be sufficient
inspiration to enable you to solve even
this abstruse and painful problem, which
has dimmed so many pages Of history
with blood and with tears.
Before an audience less sympathetic
than this should not dare to speak OF
that great career which we have met TO
commemorate But we are all his friends,
and friends do not criticise each others
words about an open grave.
A. TYPICAL AMERICAN.
The life OF William Mckinley was from
his birth to his death typlcally American.
There Is no environment, 1 should say,
anywhere else in the world which could
produce just such a character. He was
born into that way Of life which else
where is called the middle class. but
which in this country is so nearly univer-
sal as to make of other classes an almost
negligible quantity. He was neither rich
nor poor, neither proud nor humble. He
knew no hunger he was not sure of satis-
flying, no luxury which could enervate
mind or body. His parents were sober,
God fearing people, intelligent and up
right. without pretensjon and without