Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 September 1881 — IT IS FINISHED! [ARTICLE]

IT IS FINISHED!

The aim of the assassin was true. The shot was sure. The splendid courage an’d magnificent constitution of the victim could not prevail. Medical knowledge, surgical skill, Iceaseless care, gentle, nursing—all ■have been in vain. The long, wea■ry, painful suspense is ended. The i'vorst has happened. The great BAmerican is no more. James A. ■Garfield is dead. I Deep sorrow overshadows the ■ nation. Bitter grief fills the hearts iof the American people. From! ■sea.to sea, from lakes to all J loYor the land, in every city, town! land hamlet drajiery of] Iwoe hangs from house-tops, twines! inbout door-poets and floats from! |rkg-stafls. The t'heme of the daily J ■papers is obituary. The iof the telegraph is messages ofj ■condolence. The universal topic of! ■conversation is the cruel, awful be-j ■reavement of a family and a na-l Btion whose loved and noble hesd is] Plaid letv by a wanton, merciless j ■blow. | The tragedy is awful to consider.] was the elected and acting 1 icliief magistrate of a great and Bjxiwerful nation. He was the cho-| Rsen ruler of fifty millions of people; 3—a jieople who have attained ] ito the highest order of civilization] ■—a }>eople of peaceful pursuits, of ■education and of refinement. He, a system of govern-, gment the most libciYth Its lawsj Lare formulated upon the grand doc-] Ktrino of human liligrty and equali-’ gty. No ranks of'men nor grades oL are established by its con-] Kstitution or recognized by its enact-! ■ments. The race of life ’ and the; of hajipiuess are free and Pojien to all alike. There are no’ Bhoi-editary titles an<Yno degrees of Eeitizonship. He, left an; Borphan while in infancy, without • gfoituue, without influential friends,’ by his own endeavors acquiring an h.< ducat ion which made his eompan-f-monship sought by men of means gaud leisure who had been carefully ( sgschtHtled— he, the i>oor boy- of an: Ki *bscure hamlet, becoming conspic■uqus solely by reason of his ener-' Pgv, indomitalde }»erseverence and IjSheroio courage—-ldndly to tach,] gcourteous towards all, conscientious,' torable, digni-j le pronouncetl n of the poor,' down-trodden y pure characess life. The ult was a seaeace. There complications There were ions at home, the temporary deal campaign ’ to engender oial, (financial erty alWmded. have employrker was well The laws were administered le everywhere rights. They '■were pleased with him whom they igliad but' recently chosen to be their jv ervant and ruler. !They were sat■isfied with h ; s promises; they ■were charmed by his demeanor; ■they had confidence in his ability ■and integrity. Murder is dreadful mat all times ; but how shocking is ■the cool, calculating, deliberate, ■stealthy* pursuit and merciless K laughter of such a ruler at such a ■time! Has criminal record a par■rfflel atrocity ?. n Then the attending circumstances —how they aggravate the case and excite our horror ! A great man, a good man, a kind man, a peaceful man; a .man of generous mind, noble impulses, lofty aims; at the pHme of mental and physical vigor, in the midst of honors clustering! thick! How* tender he was and how loving to those of his household ! How he cherished his poor old mother ! How devoted to his wife ! See him when inaugurated president of the greatest republic of earth, in the presence of the assembled thousands of his countrymen, in the midst of the congress of the United States, surrounded by the highborn and titled ambassadors of mighty peoples, at a time, if ever, when the heart might be justly ex-; ultant and proud—see him turn and salute wife, mother and daughter, inspired^,!y a soul flowing over with domestic love. It is terrible to tli ink that the promptings of ■this gentleness of charaeter should given an opportunity for the 1 ■fatal hurts While hastening to the 1 Jside of his convalescing wife, and"

hoping iu her company to enjoy a short respite from the weighty cares of state, the cringing assassin creeps hp behind and fires the vengeful shot. Then follow long weeks of suffering. Suffocating heat, poisonous miasm and torturing pain Combine to slowly rob him of life, breath by breath, pulse-beat at a time. . Eighty weary days, eighty dreadful nights ! Oh, what suffering! and for no offense. * But the struggle is ended. The assassin’s work is finished, and with it is finished the mortal career of [James A. Garfield, twentieth presi[dent of the United States of Amer[ica. No president before him. [neither Washington nor Lincoln, [so completely won the respect, the (esteem and the sympathy of all (contemporary people; and no one [has more perfect* fame. Civilized S intercourse alone limits the field of (General Garfield’s glorious fame. |His record as a statesman is exrceedinglv brilliant, For twenty [years his life, his thoughts and his I [acts have been an open page—an! [open page of his country’s most! [momentous and exciting history.j ■ His biography is familiar to all liisS [countrymen—the struggle of his! [early yeafs with poverty, his suc-| [cess as a teacher, as .1 lawyer, ns a! [soldiers and ns a legislator. History! ■ will associate his name with the] ? gentle domestic virtues, purity ofj E character, invincible courage, fidej-l R ity of purpose, scholarly attainment,! [zealous patriotism, broad philan-l Ithropy, sound statesmanship. He! [will be known to future generations! fas a stalwart champion of civil and! (political liberty, as a brave soldier,! [and as a wise man. Fathers will] t point his life to their sons as one] [everyway worthy to be emulated.] SHis death will be ever spoken of] fas untimely, and as a national] [calamity.

HORACE E. JAMES.

1 The Chicago Times, probably the] finest rabidly anti-republican paper] £in the country, among other good] I words has this to say of President? J Arthur, which will meet the ap-| aprovnl of every fair-minded man] [in the country, regardless of polit-] lical persuasion: 1 General Arthur is a gentleman] Jof the highest character as a man ;] Iso far as lie lias laid himself open] |to criticism it has been the result] gos his strong party feeling and his] tstrong personal friendship and] | party loyalty to a man of remarkn-| |ble ability, who, with all his faults,] ■ has for years represented more] ■ perfectly than any other man the] ■ feelings of a considerable portion] gos the republican party. As a man I General Arthur has always been warmly esteemed and highly regarded by all, wlio are acquainted ■ with Idm. As a lawyer he stands • high, far above the average; per#Bollß who are acquainted with the facts and who are not biased by personal regard, state that he stands among the front ranks of the legal] gentlemen of New York. Since President Garfield was shot, Genieral Arthur has been in a most dilficult position, certain of criticism for whatever he did and for whatever life did not. He has stood the ordeal with credit to liimjself, and has Von* the respect of ■ those who were only too anxious to I find vulnerable points in his def meahor.