BOSTON I A i^'M M E M O K I A L JAMES ABEAM GARFIELD. f^X.^ ^-^-Kj /f'^'^^-^ CopyTl|:ht,lS81, by W. J. B*ittrt. Phomcr^ph-r. B.iffnin, N. T. mElIOTYPE PBIMTINfi C3., aOSTilJ y MEMO R I A L JAMES ABEAM GAEFIELD, F K O II THE CITY OF BOSTON. " Viui cnim mortuorum in mcmoria vivorum en poaita." BOSTON : PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE CITY COUNCIL. M 1) C C C L X X X I . In BoAiiD OF Aldermen, October 111, 1881. Ordered, That the proceedings of the City Council upon the death of James A. CiARFiELD, late rresidcnt of the I'nited States, including tlie adih'ess of ?ratlianiel P. Banks upon his life and pul)lic services, be jn-eparcd by the Clerk of Committees, under the direction of tlie Connuittee on I'rinting, and i)rinted for the use of the City Council, and that one thousand copies be issued ; tlie expense to be cluirged to the appropriation for Printing. In Common Council, November .">, 1881. Concurred. [Approved November 9, 1881.] CONTENTS AcTiox OF Tin; C'lTV Govbuxjiext Dcatli of the I'rcsiileiit .... PrOCKEDIXCS of the HoAlU) OF .\l.l)i:iiMEX Remarks of the Mayor .... Remarks of Ahlcrmaii O'Brien Resolutions of the City Council Remarks of Altlornian Horsey Committee on Memorial Services . Committee to attend Obsequies Proceedixcs of the Com.mox "Coincii. Remarks of Andrew J. liuiley Remarks of Henry I'arkinan . Remarks of Williani 11. Whitniore Mr.MoniAL Services .... .Address of the Mayor . Prayer by Rev. Samuel K. Lothrop, D.B. EcLoov nv Xatiianiei, P. Baxics FiXAT, Proceedixcs 7-23 9 10 10 13 U 15 17-23 17-23 18-23 18 19 21 25-36 28 30 37-7fi 77-80 ACTION OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT. DEATH OF THE PEESIDENT. James Aukam Gaiifield, President of the United States, received his deatii-wound from the bullet of :in assassin, on the second of July, 1X81, while in the Baltimore & Potomac rail- road station. Washinfrton, D.C. After eighty days of suffering, distinguislied In* heroic patience and manly endurance, lie died at Elbcron, N.J., on the evening of IMonday, Scptemlier It), at thirty-live minutes past ten o'clock. The news of his death was recei\ed in this lity shortly after eleven o'clock, and the sad intelligence was communicated to our citizens hy liie tolling of the tire-alarm hells. The Mayor immediately issued the following call : — Executive Department, Sept. 19, 1881. 2o tlie Ilonorahle the City Coimcil of Boston : — Having- been infoi'mecl of the death, whieh occun-eil this evening-, of James A. Gaeeielu, tlie President of the United States, you are hereby requested to assemble in your respective chambers on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 12 o'clock ]\r., Cor the jiurpose of taking- sucli action touching- the solenni event as "svotikl appropi'iately express the sympatln' of oin- citizens in this national sorrow, and their respect for the memory of the deceased. FKEDEKICK O. PEINCE, Mayor. PEOCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. City of Boston, Sept. 20, 1881. A special meeting of the City Council of Boston was held at twelve o'clock this day, in accordance Mith the call of the Mayor, for the jjurposc of taking api)ropriate action upon the death of the late President. PEOCEEDINGS OF THE P,OARD OF ALDER:\IEN. The Board was called to order l)y Ills Honor Mayor Prince, who read the call, and then spoke as follows: — Gentlemen of the Board of Aldermen: — It becomes my painful duty to give you official infor- mation of the death of James Abeam Gakfield, President of the United States. Shot down by a base assassin, on the second day of July last, he lingered from that date until thirty-five minutes past ten o'clock last evening, Avhen he died. Dui'ing a large part of this time he suffered great pain, which he bore with manly and uncomplaining fortitude. Tliis tcn-ible event has cast a shadow over the Avhole country. It has nuide a national sorrow. During all his long weeks of sufiering the hopes and sympathies and prayers of the whole people have been with him, and now that suspense and anxiety are merged in grief ACTIOX OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT. 11 and mourning they feel that the nation has lost a Chief Magistrate whose talents, experience, and patriotism were assurances that the great trusts reposed in him would have been well and faithfully executed. Recently chosen from the people, by the people, to administer the government in tlieir behalf, all the citi- zens, regardless of political dilFcrences or sectional divisions, were prepared to render him llie loyal and generous support which he had the right to claim, and whicli (lur countrymen — ever subordinating party spirit to patriotic duty — arc accustomed to accord. We haA'e every reason to believe that he would have so administered the government that every political and social right secured to the citizens and to the States by the Constitution would have been conserved, and that the progress of the Kepublic during his official term would have hocn such as to demonstrate the al:)ility of a free people to select for their rulers those who are qualified for the grave and difficult duties of government. They wh<» enjoyed the privilege of his intimacy represent liim as possessing, in an eminent degree, all those cpialities of the liead and heart which beget affection and attach men to each other; so that not only the nation mourns for tlie loss of a wise, sagacious, and patriotic magistrate, but the domestic circle and the large circle of devoted friends gi-ieve for the loss of one whose kindly nature and great capacity for affection enabled him to discharge w^ell and fully all the offices of fricndsbip and all the obligations of natural relations. Tlie government of tlie country is never seriously disturbed by the death of any of its officials, however 12 MEMORIAL OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. distinguisliod lie maj l)e for pul)lic or private virtues, because it is based on laAv, supported by free institu- tions, and protected l)y the loyalty of a patriotic peo2:)le. However nuich, therefore, we grieve for the loss of this excellent President, we are })erinitted to entertain, in our great bereavement, the consoling reflection that no apprehension can mingle with the regrets with which we lay his mortal remains in their last I'esting-place, that danger will come to the Kepidjlic, that the adminis- tration of government will be impeded, or that our free institutions will be in any way imperilled through the death of a Pi-esident. The assassin may murder an official, Init law and government he cannot kill while patriotism survives, and Ihe i)eople recognize the obliga- tions of moral and religious duties. The destiny of nations and individuals is in the hands of Him Avho notes even the ftill of the sparrow. AVe bow in submission to that Divine Will, which orders all things well. We may not clearly see how a great and ])ublic evil can work for the good of a community; but there are some lessons which all may learn from it. It should teach us humiliation, the ])urification of the heart, the resolve tliat iu the future there shall be larger charity in our iulercourse with each other, a fuller recognition si>frt'd, That, besides his public vii'tues, w'e recog- nize also with grateful feeling his personal qualities, as exhibited by his patience in suffering, his fortitude in pain, his manly utterances, his sweet alFections, and his Christian faith, which have been so conspicuously dis- played, and which have attracted to his bedside the ACTION OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT. 15 attontioii oC tliis nation and the warmest sympathy and prayers of all mankind; tluis illustrating in his death, as Avell as in his life, the strength and courage of" a noble, virtuous, and Chi'istian cliaracter. liesolved, That the members of the City Council, individually and collectively, extend to the afflicted family of the late President their warmest and most sincere sympathies in this sorrowful hour; and they desire especially to recognize that devoted allection, that saint-like tenderness, and that liei'oic fortitude, under circumstances of agonizing sull'ering, which the honored wife of the late President has exhibited in her unparalleled trials. Ordered, That the Mayor cause the City ITall and Fanenil Hall to be appropriately draped, the flags to be displayed at half-mast upon the public buildings for a period of six days, and the bells of the city to be tolled during the hour set apart for the funeral of the late President. Aldenuan I1ei;sey said : — Mr. Mayoi!, — I hardly know hoAV to voice the feeling of sadness that pervades every heart con- sequent upon the sad intelligence tliat owv beloved Chief Magisti-ate has ceased to live. During the Aveary weeks in which, without a mnrmnr, he has borne the sufFering and pain of his [)rotracted struggle for exist- ence he has become more and more endeared to this people, and eac-h day has intensified our desire that he might live. Over this broad land, from fifty mil- K) MEMOPJAL or TKESIBENT GAKFIELD. lion homes, comes tlie sad eiy of liereavcment from a lieart-bi-okeii, strieken people. Across the wide ocean, Avherever a Christian people dwell, the sad intelligxmce has cast its gloom. Flashing along the wii-es that form a symi)atlietic cord imiting the continents are speeding tlie words of syinpatliy from every land, showing that our <>'ricf and loss are shared 1)V the common l)rother- hood of man. Words can l)ut fcelily express om* sense of sori'ow. That in time of i)eace, with no exciting issue to influence the jiassions of men, an assassin's hand sliould deal the blow of death, escaped upon many a Held of l)attle; that our l)eloved President, in the strength of his manhood, when he had hut reached tlic sunnnit of human amljition, should be stricken down, seems sad indeed. But so it has l)een ordained, — the dread messenger of Death has knocked at the door of the ]S^ation's Capitol, and all ihat love and human skill could do were unavailing to stay his progress. A Christian warrior has fallen; the sword that he drew in defence of human lil)erty and a nation's life lies forever sheathed in its scabbard; and he has passed on to that realm " where the wicked cease from troubling and the wear}' are at rest," to receive the glorious reward of those who fuliil well their mission here. The resolves and orders were adoiited unanimously Ijy a risinji' vote. Sent down for eoneuvrenee. Alderman YiLES moved that the regular meeting of this Boartl, on .Monday next, he dispensed with, as that is the day set apart for the funeral of our late President, and that when ACTION OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT. 17 this Board adjourns it be to meet on Wednesday, tlie 28tli inst., and that all orders of notice he made retm-nahle on that day. Adopted. Alderman Slade offered the following : — Ordered, That a eulogy upon the life and public ser- vices of James A. Garfield be pronounced at an early day before the City Council and the citizens of Boston, and that a committee of three members of this Board, with such as the Common Council may join, be appointed to make suitable arrangements therefor. Passed, and Aldermen Slade, Tlxker, and Heusey were appointed on said committee. Sent down. Alderman Curtis offered the following : — Ordered, That a delegation from the City Govern- ment, consisting of His Honor Mayor Prince, the Chairman and one other member of the Board of Aldermen, the President and two other members of the Common Council, be appointed to attend the obse- quies of the late President of the United States at Washington. Passed, and Alderman Curtis was appointed on said committee. Sent down. Adjourned, on motion of Alderman O'Brien. 3 18 MEMORIAL OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL. The memljers of the Common Council were called to order by their President, ANniiEW J. Bailey, Esquire, who read the call for the meeting, and spoke as follows : — James Abram Garfield, the twentieth President of the United States, is dead. The tired lieavt is still, and the patient soul has g-one to its home. Eleven weeks of niemorable trial have been added to our country's histor}^, — weeks of pain and anxiety for every patriotic heart. Who of us will ever forget the deep hori'or which prevailed on receipt of the first news of the terriljle outrage, felt to be not only against the man, but against the nation itself? AVho Avill soon forget the gloomy anniversary of our birth as a nation, or the hunger for favorable news from the stricken President? Then the first gleam of hope, the alternating hopes and fears of these bitter days of national anxiety, the shutting out of all hope, and the stern recognition that death must come. Yividly as it now seems to us it will stand out still more vividly in the future. Two strong characters have been blazoned on our nation's page, that will grow stronger and stronger the closer they are studied. The noble wife, rising from all but a fiital sickness, and, with heroism and fortitude never surpassed, com- forting, cheering, and sustaining her stricken husband, ^ever despondent, never discouraged, she Avill stand forever as the American idea of noble wifely devotion, ACTION OF THE CITY GOVER^'^rE]S"T. 19 and of heroic ami womanly character. The respectful homage of mankind is hers, and the sj^mpathy of a nation's sorrowing people are with her. Our second martyi'-President, elected to his high office through respect of his talents and admiration of his nol)le manhood, the patient courage, the cheerful and almost boyish disposition in the endurance of long and terrible sufferings, endeared him to the hearts of the people, and nuule him the loved President of the American people. Our hearts are sad to-day, and the gloom of this terri])Ie calamity will not soon pass from the nation's heart; but these examples of American manhood and womanhood will gild tlie gloom, and add heroism and loveliness to American character. Tt rests with us, gentlemen of the Common Council, to take such action as Avill testify to the nation the ai^precia- tion of our community of this affliction, and our sym- pathy with the mourning fjimily. The resolutions and order passed hy the Board of Aldennen were presented by Mr. Hexry Parisian, of Ward 9, and upon tlicir being read l)y the President, Mr. Paukman said : — Mr. Pre-Sident, — In moving the adoption of these resolutions I cannot but attempt to feebly express the feelings which I know animate the ])reasts of not only all in this chand)cr, but of every one throughout the length and l)readth of this land, to whom the news has come of the fatal termination of the long and lingering illness, and that our Chief Magistrate is no more. For 20 MEMORIAL OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. eighty days, hourly we have examined each l^nlletin as it brought to xis news of the condition of the President of the United States, and we have ahernated between hope and despair. During tliose eiglity days Ave may say that we have been fused into one nation. Though elected to the position which he held by one of the political parties of this country, party lines vanished before the assassin's blow, and political difierences were forgotten in our common grief. James Abram Garfield, who was shot on the second of July, at his post of duty, exemplifies to us, as has been ajiprojoriately said in these resolutions, the fact tbat any one of us, by force of character, ma}^ reach the highest post in the gift of our fellow-citizens. His career has been watched so long by his fellow-countrymen, and is so well known to every one in this assembly, that I will not repeat it. We all feel that the attack of the assassin was upon each one of us; but at the same time we must remember what Mr. Gari'IELD himself so eloquently expressed upon tbe death of our first martyr-President, that, though our chief has been stricken down, " God reigns, and the government at Washington still lives." Though we may mourn for him as one of the best and noblest types of American manhood, yet we must endeavor to show respect for his memory !:»}' attempting to carry out what we think he would have desired. And, Mr. President, as you your- self have so well said, with regard to Mrs. Garfield, while undoubtedly there are mimy women in this broad land who, under the same circumstances, would have sliown the same fortitude and spirit in their troubles, yet ACTIOX OF THE CITY G O VEETs'jrEIsrT. 21 it has been given to this woman to show what our high- est type of American womanhood is. She has stood the ordeal nol)ly, ami we extend to licr our most sincere sympathies. Mr. President, I move the adoption of these resolutions by a rising vote. Mr. "\YiLLiAM H. WniTMORE, of "Ward 12, said: — ^Ir. Pkesidekt, — I rise to second tlic motion, in the name of those of us who did not aid in the election of President G^ikfield. And with that preface the mem- ory of that opposition forever ceases. As President, he was our President; tlie chosen head of the whole people; the visible sign of a nation's sovereignty; the object of the love and loyalty of every citizen. lie lias fallen a victim to the dangers of his post, — a maityr to his country, as truly as any of his associates who fell on the field of battle. Most fortunately not a suspicion can exist that the cowai-dly assassin has a confederate or a sympathizer. The j)olitical framework of our government stands to-day intact and admirable; our sympathy can be freely and justly bestowed upon Garfield as a man grievously afflicted, but for that very cause nearer and dearer to us now and always. This community, proud of its loyalty, is a unit also in its aftcction for the fallen chieftain. From the moment of the first announcement of the dastardly act until the stroke of the midnight bell i^roclaimed the mournful end, a shadow has rested on every household. The spectre of Death has been with us, da}' and night, as though the first-born lay stricken in every home. Day by day we 22 MEMORIAL OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. have watched the bulletins, to glean a deceptive comfort from hopeful words, or to sadly anticipate the day which has now come. Kings and nobles have faced the scaffold with a firmness which awakened the pride of their follow- ers; but for two long months our heroic President has faced Death with a coxu'age and composure greater than theii's; a richer memory to the citizens of this reiJublic; a higher example for them to imitate. I most heartily support the admirable resolution of con- dolence with his wife and family. It will never be for- gotten that his wife was his truest friend, his unfiling sujjportei-. The few respectful glimpses we have of the sick-chaml)er reveal her as that crowning glory of a man, a true wife. Well and fully has she struggled, only to remain to bear a weaiy burden for many years. Friends may foi'get, children may outgrow their pas- sionate grief; but the helpmeet of the President's life can ))ut mourn and wait. In l)c1inH' (»f I'very household in this community, in the name of eveiy happy family in the land, Ave tender her our sympathy, our prayers for that consolation which the hope of a blessed immortality can alone af- ford. One last word: the miserable cause of this calamity still lives, to learn, in due season, the Aveight of a nation's curse. It l)ehooves us all to see that he I'cceives his just punishment, not in hasty Avrath, Imt by the inflexible force of a just vengeance. It has been said that "there is a divinity that doth hedge in a Icing.'' Let us prove that the affection of a mighty nation forever ACTION" OF THE CITY GOVERXJIEXT. 23 encompasses its elected chief, and that the sword of justice, inevitable and relentless, awaits whoever strikes at the I^ation's heart. The resolves and order were read a second time and passed, in concurrence with the other branch, by a unanimous rising vote. An order came down for tiie appointment of a committee to attend the funeral of iho President, at A\'ashington. Read twice, under a suspension of the ruk', on motion of Mr. Nathan' G. SiUTH of AVard 21, and jiassed in concurrence. ^Messrs. Hexry Pakkman of Ward 9, and Francis W. Pi:av of AVard 5, were appointed on said committee. An order came down for a eulogy to be jjronounced upon the life and services of President Garfield at an early day, and appointing a committee to arrange therefor. Read twice, under a suspension of the rule, on motion of ilr. Jonx B. FiTzrAXKiCK of Ward 8, and passed in concurrence. Messrs. Ciiakles E. Pratt of Ward 21, AVm. II. Wiiitmoke of Ward 12, Prentiss CoiMiNGS of Wind 10. William E. Bartlett of Ward 15, and John A. McLaughlin of Ward 7, Mere appointed on said committee. Adjourned, on motion of Mr. Alfred S. Brom'n of A\'ard 23. MEMORIAL SERVICES. MEMORIAL SERVICES. The Committee of the City Council appointed to make ar- rangements for a memorial senice, in honor of the late President, fixed upon the 20th of October as the time for holding the services. The Honorable Nathaniel P. Banks, whose intimate acquaint- ance with President Garfield gave him peculiar qualifications for the task, was invited to pronounce a eulog}', and accepted the invitation. Tremont Temple was selected as the place for holding the services, and the Tremont Temple Corporation tendered the ii-ee use of the building for that purpose. The ofler of the Boylston Club to furnish the musical portion of the exercises was accepted. Among those to whom official invitations to attend the ser- vices were extended were His Excellency the Governor, and the members of his personal staff; the E.xecutive Council; Heads of State Departments ; United States ofiicers — civil and military — located in Boston; the Judges of the Supreme, Superior, and Municipal Courts ; past jNIayors of the city ; city officers and heads of departments. The platform was appropriately decorated. A crayon portrait of President Garfield, drawn by Mrs. AV. C. Houston, was placed in front of the organ. The services opened at eleven o'clock with a voluntary upon the organ, selected from "Judas Maccalxeus," by Mr. George "VV. SUMXER. His Honor Mayor Prince then spoke as follows : — 28 MEMORIAL OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. ADDRESS OF HIS HONOR THE MAYOR. Fellow- Citizens : — The vicissitudes of human life and the mutability of human aftairs are forcibly impressed upon us by the sad fate of our nuu'dered President. A short time ago we saw him in all the pride of his vig- orous manhood, full of hope and health and strength. Comely in person and in manner, the gaze of millions was upon him as he stood before the American people, a candidate for the highest honor which the repulilic can confer upon a citizen. Less than a year has passed away since he Avas elected to the presidency, and only a few months have gone since, with the benedictions and bless- ings of the whole country, he was installed in his high olfice and began to administer the great trusts reposed in him. And he so liore himself as to satisfy even his political opponents that he was well fitted to occupy the exalted place to which he had l)een elected. But while " his greatness is a-ripening, Avith all his blushing honors thick upon him," the angel of Death issued his untimely summons, and Murder served the mandate. Yet he died — As sets the morning star, which goes Not down behind the darlcencd west, nor hides Obscured witlun the tempests of the sky. But melts away into tlie light of heaven. Tiie people, in the midst of their exultant hopes, are suddenly filled with lamentation and grief. Finite intel- ligence cannot explain why this appalling change was permitted to be, for the assassination was wanton, un- >nEMOEIAL SERVICES. ' 29 provoked, and without cause. The mystery must remain unsolved until the solemn day when all secrets are revealed. When Ave remember, however, that uot his countrymen alone, but nearly all the nations of the civilized world, without regard to differences of race, religion, forms of government, customs or manners, tenderly deplored the death of our President, and condoled with the American people in their great bereavement, — an event unparalleled in recorded history, — can we not be pei-mitted to indulge the belief that this general sympathy may mean that peace and good-will shall hereafter more largely inspire the nations? If it shall thus bo, then perhaps the great sacrifice has not been Avholly made in vain. The city government of Boston, as one form of expressing the sympathy of the citizens at this time, has directed a eulogy on the life and character of our mar- tyred President to be pronounced on this day. It Avill become a record, for the instruction of the generations which are to succeed us, of lofty patriotism, of eminent pnblic service, of heroic fortitude inider the severest suf- fering, of the calmest courage in the face of death, of Christian resignation to the will of Providence, and of unfaltering faith in a glorious innnortality. A distin- guished citizen has been selected for the discharge of this grateful duty. Ilis intimate acquaintance with the deceased, his knowledge of his moral and intellectual rpialities, and his appreciation of his patriotic services, will enable him to speak fitting words of encomium. The part assigned to me in these memorial services is merely the introduction of the orator to the audience. 30 MEMORIAL or PRESIDENT GARFIELD. The BoTLSTON Club, under the direction of Mr. George L. Osgood, sang the following requiem mass by Palestrina : — Kyrie cloison, Christe eleison! Hostias et preces tibi Domine laudis offerimus, Tu suscipo pro animabus illis Quaruin bodie memoriam facimus. Fac cas Domine, de morte transire ad vitam. Quam olini abraha; promisisti Et semini ejus! Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabbaoth ! Pleni sunt cctli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis ! Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna jii excelsis ! Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata muudi, Dona eis requiem scmpitcrnam ! The IMator asked the attention of the audience while prayer was oflered by the Keverend Samuel K. Lotiikop, D.D. PR.\YER BY REV. S. K. LOTHROP, D.D. x\lmighty, Infinite, and Incomprehensible God, Ave bow before Thee as the Creator and Upholder of the universe. Thy power rideth on the whirlwind; Thy wisdom discerneth the hidden things of darkness; Thy goodness poureth into our hearts their gladness. To adore Thee is ovn- solemn joy; to trust Thee is unfail- ing safety; to love Thee is peace eternal. Without Thee we are and can do nothing. Dei^endence upon Thee is all our strength. In the beammgs of Thy IHEMOEIAL SERVICES. 31 glory is all our light. In prostrating of our will to Thy most holy will is our highest dignity and elevation. Helj) us, O God, to prostrate our wills hefore Thy will. In this time of our national calamit}' and sorrow, may we be still and know that Thou art God; may we be humble, lowly, and penitent; may no doubt disturb, may no murmur escape, may no fear prevail. Rever- ently and gratefully recalling all Thy gracious Avays, all Thy merciful deliverances and dealings with this nation in earlier and in later times, may we feel that our trials and our triumphs, oui- gloi-ics and our calamities, our days of grand and magnificent and our days of sad and solemn commemoration, alike speak to us of Thy wisdom and Thy mercy in the steps by which Thou hast raised us up and led us onward to a high place among the nations. Oh, help us, therefore, to mingle gratitude with our thoughts as we gather here this morning at the call and on behalf of our city to commemorate the late President of these United States, summoned by Thee from his high place on earth to the footstool of Thy throne in Heaven; and while we listen to the words of wisdom and ol' liiitli which Thy servant shall speak to us, portraying in all the beauty and grandeur of their proportion his life and character and service, may our hearts become more and more grateful for that life, that character, that noble examjjle, that wonderful career. We thank Thee, O God, that through Thy provi- dence, and his own energy and noble purpose, the youth triumphed over all the obstacles of a lowly lot and pinching poverty, and limited oi^portunities ; that he 32 MEMORIAL or PRESIDENT GARFIELD. succeeded in the acquisition of knowledge and the dcAelopment of talents and the formation of character, so that he l)ecanie a scholar and teacher, wise and skillul, faithi'ul in all the highest objects of education. We thank Thee that when the exigency of the country demanded, the scholar and teacher passed into the soldier, and carried into the arena of war, courage, bravery, skill, a spirit of self-sacrifice, a ])Ower of endurance, an energy of perseverance, and an aptitude and sagacity in military afl'airs that shoAvcd him to be alike competent to command, and worthy to be trusted and obeyed. AVe thank Thee that when he was called from the cami) to the capitol, from the military to the civil service of the country, he exhibited in the halls of legislation a breadth and wisdom of statesu)anship, a logic and eloquence of utterance, a large and comprehensive policy, that indicated the force of his character and his principles, and secured to him respect, confidence, and trust. "VYe thank Thee, O Giod, that when through these qualities and Thy providence, and the will of the people, he was called to the highest honor the nation could confer, and to the grandest trust it could confide to his keeping, he walked forward to that position with mingled dignity, modesty, and meekness, and that during the brief time he was permitted to discharge the duties of his olhce he did so with a broad, comprehensive, and patriotic integi'ity of purpose. And above all, O God, w^e thank Thee, that Avhen suddenly struck doA\m by the hand of wanton folly and malignity, and left to languish week after week in pain and suffering, and alternate hope and apprehension, with weeping friends, MEMOin.Vl. SKHVICES. 33 ail aii.\ild was born in 1831. Soiith Caro- lina had then announced her purpose to annul certain laws of the United States Avithin her own jurisdic- tion: that is to say, certain laws of the United States were to be regarded in that State as of no validity or legal force; antl this by the act of the State alone, without consultation or consideration with or for the 52 IVIEMOEIAL OF PRESIDEISTT GAEFIELD. United States. In other States the laAvs of the government were to l)e obeyed, unless one or all of those States, following the example of South Carolina, should annul them. This action contemplated the overthrow and destruction of the authority of the general government Avithin that State ; and from that day to this, in one form or another, the intent and purpose of the nullifiers of the South to cripple or destroy the power of the United States, so fai', at least, as to render it innocuous and inoffensive to persons who did not like it, its legislation, or its theories, was never entirely abandoned. The process of nullification Avas directed ostensibly against the tai-iff legislation of that period, but in fiict, as afterAvards admitted, it Avas to protect and perpetuate slavery, and to establish a theory of gov- ernment imdcr Avhich any State could annul laAvs of the United States on that sxibject. This phase of the doctrine of State sovereignty Avas overthroAvn by the vigor and courage of President Jaclcson. He . gave vent to his indignation against that treasonable heresy, and let loose his passions upon its agents in, as he thought, his native State, for their attempt to overthroAV the government of Avhich he Avas the head. It AA'as then universally believed that the doctrine of State supremacy Avas dead. But it does not so appear noAV. In 1852 INIr. Garfield came to the full age of manhood. He found the doctrine of State sui^rem- acy in ajiparent discredit, and nullification absolutely discarded. The object at that time was — assuming EULOGY BY JfATHAJflEL P. BAJS^KS. 53 that the Constitution was intended to protect slavery, bnt had from some cause or other failed to do it — to induce Congress to establish, by constitutional compi-o- mises, doctiiiics in regard to slavery which neither the Constitution, nor the framers of the Constitution, ever entertained, to wit, that the supremacy of slavery should be established by irrevocable and unchange- able laws, enacted by Congress. This would produce, by affirmative legislation of Congress, the same results that would have followed the negative method of nullification by States. It Avould have established the supremacy of slavery and the destruction of the government as a national insti- tution. Andrew Jackson did not then stand at the helm. The compromise was made a law in 1850, and endorsed in the presidential election of 1852. The subject of slavery was forever to remain un- challenged and unopposed by the national government. Political conventit)ns endorsed it as a finality in legis- lation on that subject. The Senate Committee of Territories, with a majority of Southern members, de- clared that to open the question of slavery, so solemnly settled, by the repeal of the Missouri com- promise, or otherwise, would deluge the land in blood. The President announced that any action of that char- acter would meet his official disapproval. The country had, in fact, surrendered to the demand for congres- sional recognition of the supremacy of slavery and the slave States over the national government! Neverthe- less, the question was immediately opened by the same power that had so recently closed it. The sacred 54 MEMORIAL or PKESIDElS'T GARFIELD. compact and compromise of ISoO was broken. The Missonri Compromise of 1820 was repealed, and the monstrous doctrine proclaimed, l)y the highest judicial tribunal, as an interpretation of existing laws, that four million people of the United States, who might become twenty millions, " had no rights a white man was bound to respect." This was the second epoch in that important histor}', and of the career of the late President. In 1860 Garfield was a Senator of the Ohio Legis- lature; in 1862 a Major-General of the army, and in 1863, a memljer of Congress. Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated President of the United States. The nidlificrs threatened secession. Thirty years earlier they had attempted the nullilication of certain laws of the United States, within the States. Xow they pro- posed to nullity all laws and repudiate all authority of Congress, within tlie States, and to eject the general- government from its jurisdiction and territory. The friends of the government deprecating war, and fear- ing a dissolution of the Union, adopted, by immense maj(M'ities, in Congress, an amendment of the Consti- tution declaring that no legislation affecting slavery should ever be proposed by the fi'ee States, leaving that vexed cpiestion entirely to tlic tender mercies of slave-holders. But it did not ])revent secession, nor avert Avai-. Most of tlie slave States withdrew from the Union. AVar was declared. A fratricidal contest of four years ensued. '^Flie confederate armies surrendered; peace was established ; the States returued to the Union, slavery was abolished, and the emancipated EULOGY BY XATHAJSTIEL P. BAXKS. 55 slaves invested whh the right to vote and liold oflfiee, — a third memorable epoch in this history. At the death of Pix'sident Garfield, during- the last month, the great political organizations of the country, substantially the same as before and since the war, held an exact or nearly equal balance of i)ower in every political division of the government except the execu- tive dei)artment. The Senate Avas exactly balanced, and without ])owcr to act on political questions unless some senator abandoned his oAvn to give a majority to the opposing party. The House of Representatives was in a simihu" condition of incapacity to act, except by attiliations and combinations of opposing factions. The States nearly balanced each other, and tlic ])opular vote, at the election of 1880, did not sliow a majority of more than three oi' live thousand votes on one side or the other. The government was at a dead-lock, — an embrace of death if indefinitely continued. And this is the substantial I'csult of a perpetual conflict of liall" a cenlui'y to preserve the government of the Republic ! It sometimes occurs, at the close of great trials, that reaction gathers courage and strength, and pi-ogi'ess, wearied with contest, or satiated witli victory, i)ants for breath, and finds in rest, spirit and power for possibly greater efforts and grander ti-iuni])]is. Such is, perhaps, the secret of the present situation. Jiut upon what glorious results this reaction follows ! The past half century is the epoch of enianeipation. Millions of slaves have been in\(.'sted with the prerogatives of liberty by England, France, the United States, and Russia, — 56 MEMORIAL OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. four of the great empires of the globe brandhig the petty remnants of chattel slavery everywhere with in- efiacealjle signs of decay and death. With this great epoch of emancipation the late President rose from obscurity to fame. He gave to its work, in sunshine and shadow, his affection and strength. Upon him, at its close, though not its first or greatest leader, rested its highest honors, and the tragic termination of his life seals forever the miion of liis name and fame with its imperishable triumphs. "We know how much the character of one age is affected by tliat which precedes it. The early colonial history of Massachusetts left its impress upon his spirit. The suffering and sorrows of his immediate ancestors wei-e not lost upon him. Like the most pleasing of Milton's deities he had ^luch ol' his father, but of his mother more ; and it was imdoubtedly upon the record of events in the last half century of our political histor}^ that he was led, from the opening of his career, to devote himself to the active studies and duties of public life; for we know that, whether or not he aspired to the high station he reached, he was eminently well pre- pared for it. The rubric of events so briefly sketched, measin-ed by days and hours, as by thought and deed, was the exact term, division, and limit of his life. He knew and comprehended it. Upon it his character was founded. He could not have fiiiled to observe that the pres- ervation of the Union was an object of the highest EULOGY BY XATHAXIEL P. B.VXKS. 57 possible importance, over and above all others; that every act of legislation proposed in the interest of slavery imperilled to the extent of its success the authority and existence of the Union, and that unyield- ing resistance alike to direct and indii-ect assaults ujaon its integrity and authority was the highest duty of every citizen. This was his platform. To it he gave the best efibrts of his life. In the early part of our history. Southern leaders of the Union — Washington, Jelferson, Madison, Monroe, and many others — hoped and believed that slavery woidd become extinct through the influence of the Constitution and the force of natu- ral laws. The contest made against the authority of the Union in 1832 put an end to that expectation. The Compromise act of 1850, and the Kansas and Nebraska act of 1851:, not only disposed of all such theories, but established the supremacy of slavery over government and i)eoi)le. Previous to this legis- lation, and the Dred Scott decision of 1857, the insti- tution presented mainly an abstract question, whether or not, on the whole, slavery was permissible or excus- able, expedient or just, Avhieh allowed many conscien- tious and Christian persons to hesitate in declaring against it, and many more to avoid opinion or action. When the recognition of slavery compelled an unre- served approval of that compromise, the Fugitive Slave law, the repeal of the Missouri Compromise against slavery, an abrogation of the power of Congress to legislate upon that subject, which it had exercised with the approval and consent of all the slave States for fifty 3'ears, and an assent to the judicial interpre- 8 58 MEMORIAL OF PKESIDENT GAl?riELD. tation of the Constitution and laws by the Supreme Judicial Court of the United States, which declared that slaves " had no riti'hts which the white man was bound to respect"'; and that "negroes might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit"; when Congress and the Supreme Court had annidled all legal and constitutional power of the government and people, inconsistent with this white man's decree, then slavery was no longer an abstraction. It became a practical matter, involving the I'ights of all classes, and the existence of the government. AVhile it was con- sidered an abstraction, slavery was arrogant, aggressive, triumphant. AVhen freedom became a practical matter, involving the existence of their government, the people assumed the otfensive, and won victories commensurate with the dignity and justice of their cause. The momentary triumph of .slavery was its destruction, and it must have been sport for old Homer's gods, if any still live, to see these engineers ''' hoist with their own petard." Garfield came to the full age of manhood, and gave his first vote, in the very year when the legislation of Congress, with constitutional interpretations of the Supreme Court, had made the Constitution a bulwark of slavery and the slave power. Doing no injustice to multitudes of intelligent and patriotic young men of the country, and considering only the eminence he had attained at his death, we may imagine him perhaps to have been an unconscious and unrecognized leader of the new recruits, in the great electoral contests of 1854, 1856, and 18G0, which ETTLOGY BY NATHANTEL P. BANKS. 59 established the su[)reinaoy of the constitution and liberty! Garfield, Fremont, and Lincoln I What mem- ories surge from the depths of the past at the men- tion of their names ! No political contests ever involved more important and vital issues, from the beginning of government. Xo forces were ever better marshalled; no victory better deserved; no triumph more complete! There was singular force and strength in a decla- ration made by the pastor of the Disciples' Church, at the burial service of President Garfield. The funeral obsequies were celebrated — for the first time in the history of the llepublic — in tlie rotunda of the capitol at Washington. The gigantic pi-oportions of this apartment excite a profound sensation in every visitor. One f;imiliar with the scene recalls at his entrance an ancient tradition, often repeated before the war, that this majestic central building of the capitol was at some day to Avitness the coroiuition of a ting. Apart from the luiusual solemnity of the ceremonies the scene was of an extraordinary character. The light that fell from the dome above gave a solemn aspect to the apartment. Distinguished personages moved silently and slowly to the positions assigned them. Two ex- Presidents, inuuediate predecessors of the deceased, the only occupants of the presidential office ever pres- ent on such occasion, sat in front of the eastern entrance of the rotunda. The Diplomatic Corps, in full court costume, were placed in I'ear of the ex- Presidents. Senators, judicial officers in their robes, officers of the army and navy in l)ri]]iant uniforms, were on the right. Members and ex-members of the 60 MICMORIAL OF PKESIDENT GARFIELD. House, in larg-e numbers, attended by the Speaker, were massed n2)on the left, and the space around them was crowded by distinguished citizens from every part of the count ry. The august assembly rose as the President, with cabinet officers and the stricken family of mourners, passed to their seats near the casket of the deceased Chief Magistrate, — resting upon the same bier that bore the body of President Lincoln, just beneath the centre of the canopy that from the dome overhangs the rotunda, and guarded by veterans of the army of the Cumberland. The walls Avere hung with represeiitations of soul-stiri-ing events in American history: the landhig of Columbus, De Soto's discovery of the Mississippi, the baptism of Pocahontas, the em- barkation of the Pilgrims, the Declaration of Indepen- dence, the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, and the resignation of Washington. On the belt of the rotunda above were seen Cortez entering the Temple of the Sun in Mexico, the battle of Lexington, and other studies of immortal themes in the history of the Republic. Simple, brief, and impressive ceremonies heightened the deep and genei'al interest of the occasion. The funeral discoui'se was of a purely religious character, Avitli scarcely more than a brief allusion to the career of the deceased President, and no mention, I think, of his title or his name. But these omissions intensified the general iiileiest in the brief personal allusions. "I do believe," the preacher said, "that the true strength and beauty of this man's character will be found in his discipleship of Christ!" EULOGY BY NATHANIEL P. BANKS. 61 It is not my province to speak of the spiritual char- acter of this connection, but in another relation I believe it is true. The Church of the Disciples, to -which he belonged, is one of the most ijrimitive of Christian communions, excluding every thought of distrust, competition, or advantage. It gave hun a position and mission unique and generic, like and unlike that of other men. '\Vhile he rarely or never referred to it liimself, and might have wished at tunes, perhaps, to forget it, he was sti'engthened and protected by it. It was buckler and spear to him. It brought him into an immediate communion — a relation made sacred by a common faith, barren of engagements and responsibilities — Avith multitudes of other organizations and congregations, adherents and opponents, able and Avilling to assist and strengthen him, present or absent, at home or abroad, who dismissed aspersions upon liis conduct and char- acter as accusations of Pharisees against a son of the true faith, and gave him at all times a friendly greeting and welcome, whenever and Avherever he felt insjiired to give the world his thought and word. All great movements and revolutions of men and nations are born of this spirit and power. In another direction the deceased President possessed extraordinary capacities. He was animated by an in- tense and sleepless spirit of acquisition. It was not, apparently, a sordid thirst for wealth, precedence, or power, which stimulates many men in our time. His ambition was for the acquisition of knowledge. From early youth to the day of his last illness it was a con- 62 MEMORIAIi OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. suming passion. He gave to it days and nights, the strength of youth, the vigor of middle age. When in the forests of N^ew York he made the rocks and trees to personate the heroes of his early reading. Engaged in the duties of his professorship he found time for other studies than those pi-escrihed by the faculty, and for lectures, addresses, and many other intellectual pursuits. He studied law while at college, without the knowledge of his intimate friends, until he was admitted to the l)ar. When in Congress he would frequently occupy a whole night in examination of questions to be considered the next day, and debate them as if nothing unusual had occurred. Setting aside all scruples, he would remain week- days or Sundays in the Lilirar}' of Congress Avhenever public duties required it. This capacity for labor gave him manifold and vast advantages over other men incapable of such toil. It was his stronghold. This was ])erceptible in the first instance in his connection with the army during tlie civil war. At the opening of that memorable contest there were many men suddenly summoned from the pur- suits of civil life, and unaccustomed to prej^arations for war, who were necessarily incapable of suggesting the best methods of organization, and for that reason unable at once to enter upon a career of positive, well-considered, and resolute activity; and some, at least, of those who had been instructed by the govern- ment in the m^'stery and ai't of scientific warfare, after a long and familiar dalliance with "the canker of a calm world and a long j^eace," wei-e only fired with EULOGY BY KATHANIEL P. BAXKS. 63 the rash enthusiasm of indolence and inactivity. This inexperience cost the government inuch precious time, whicli, otherwise appHed, might have put an end to the war before it was begun. In great emergencies there are always many useless men of genius and learning; but, iu administration and government at least, men of labtjr are scarce and invalualjle. (larfield was one, and a leader among them. AVlicn he entered the army he did not Avait for orders, but began to learn first what was to be done, and then how to do it. It was his role, the ordinary hal)it of his life. He had l)ut just entered the field of war at the opening of the campaign in Kentucky, Avhen necessity compelled Jiiin to resume his laborious habits of school and col- lege. He set himself at work to learn, as best he might, what was in tlie wind; where was the enemy, what his strength, and how best to fight or evade him. It was easy for him to digest information picked up in many weeks' inquiry, and mass its details under appropriate heads, which, when applied to the objects immediately in view, presented, in itself, an eftective and complete plan of operations Avithout study or trouble. This was less the I'csult of special capacity than of general habits of industry, a love of labor, and a burning thirst for acquisition and information. And so, hiter in the Avar, Avhen he became Chief-of- Staff of the Army of the Cumberland, under General Rosecrans, — Avhich AA'as the post he chose, and then undoubtedly the a])propriate field for him, — Ave learn, upon good authoi'ity, that his burt'uu of military information was the most j^erfect machine of the kind 64 MEMORIAL OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. organized in the field during- tlie war. And when, at last, an advance upon the enemy became neces- sary to satisfy an impatient government and people, and seventeen generals, whose opinions Avere asked by Kosecrans, advised against the movement, their reports were submitted to Garfield for examination. He ana- lyzed them, contrasted the vieAvs of one Avith those of another, compared their results Avitli complete reliable and varied intelligence acquired from his officers, scouts, spies, the soi;tliern people, fugitives, contrabands, and the movements of tbe enemy, and, in a complete analysis and study of the situation, upon information Avhicli he alone presented, and against the opinion of nearly all subordinate generals, reduced to demonstration the truth of his premises and conclusions, and led the way to the Tullahoma campaign, Avhich is said to have been as perfect in plan and as ably executed as any campaign of the Avar. In s])eaking of the report, "WhitelaAV Keid, in his history, "Ohio in the War," says: "This report we venture to pronounce the ablest military document known to bave been submitted by a chief-of-staff to his superior officer during the Avar.'' Garfield had, also, preeminent skill in directing and applying the labor and attainments of others to the success of his oavu Avork. This is a somewhat rare, Init an invaluable capacity. jSTo one man can do everything. In labor, as in Avar, to divide is to conquer. There have been men Avho laiCAV everything and could do everything, — whose incomparable capacities Avould have been sufficient, under Aviso direction, to have given the hi "best rank among the fcAV men that have cbanged EULOGY BY NATHiiXIEL P. BANKS. 65 the destiny of the world; but who could not succeed in government, because they never saw men until they run against them. Such adiniralili' (|u;ilities, united to such strength and love for active service, gave him reputation and rank, and opened the way to brilliant campaigns in Kentucky against Marshall at Prestonbui-g and at ^Middle Creek, — the last a cause of other victories elsewhere, — and at Tullahoma and Chickamauga. His knowledge of hnv, pi-ivately acquired, opened a new field of activity and service, of great benefit to him and the government. But little attention liad been given by professors of legal science, at the opening of the war, to the study of military law. In the field where it vvas to I)e administered, great difficulties were encountered in determining what the law was, and who was to execute it. A distinguished jurist, Dr. Francis Lieber, was appointed h\ the government to codify and digest llu' ]>rinciples and precedents of this abstruse department of juridical science. But it o])ened to Garfield, long before the digest was completed, a peculiar field for tireless research and labor in new fields of inquirv. Once installed as an officer of coiu'ts-martial his services were found to be indispen- sable. From the West he was called to Washington, entered innnediately into confidential communication with President Lincoln in regard to the military situa- tion in Kentucky, was a member of the most important military tril)unals, became a favorite and protege of the Secretai'y of "\Vai", and, by exjjress wish of the Presi- dent and Secretary, accepted a seat in the House of 6G MEMOEIAL OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. Representatives, to -whieh he had been chosen in 18G2. His career in Congress is tlie important record of his hfe. For that he Avas best fitted; with it he was best satisfied; in it he continued longest, and from it rose to tlie great destiny Avhich has given him a deathless name and page in the annals of the world. The House of Representatives, in the age of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster, was an institution quite unlike that of our own time. Its numbers then were small, its leading men comparatively rare; but few subjects were debated, and members of the , House seldom or never introduced bills for legislative action. Its work was prepared by committees, upon oflicial information, and gentlemen wishing to speak upon its business could ahvays find an opportunity. Xow its numbers have been doubled. More than ten thousand l)ills for leo-islative consideration arc introduced in every Con- gress. The increase of ap[)ropriations, patronage, and legislation is enormous, and the pressure for action often disorderly and violent. Little courtesy is wasted on such occasions, where one or two hundred members are shouting for the floor; and when one is named by the Speaker it nuist ho a strong man, ready, able, eloquent, to gain or hold the ear of the House. Garfield never failed in this. His look drew audience and attention. He was never unprepai'cd, never tedious, always began with his subject, and took his seat when he had finished. He had few controversies, and was never called to oi'dcr for any cause. He was a debater rather than an orator; always courteous, intelligent, EULOGY BY K"ATHA>TEL P. BAXKS. 67 intelligible, and honorable. The House listened to him with rapt attention, and he spoke with decisive effect upon its judgment. He liked it to be understood that he Avas abreast of the best thought of the time; he had a high regard for the authority of scientific leaders, and walked with reverential respect in the tiacks of the best thinkers of the age. It is a pleasant thing, this method of settling all problems b}' demonstration of exact science. Hudibras must have been in error when he spoke so lightly of these scholastic methods, saying, or rather singing : — Th.^t all a rhetorician's rules Teach him but to name his tools. But there arc moments when abstruse, scientific terms leave an insatiate and aching void in the human heart. Multitudes felt the sting of such a sorrow as they watched, Avith agonizing interest, toward the close of the President's suflering, his terrible struggle for life, and trembled, with alternations of hope and fear, as they stiidied the morning and evening bulletins that described the incidents of night and day Avith the precision of exact science in language freshly bor- roAved from the medical terminology of ancient Greeks and Egyptians, that seemed to impart ncAV terrors to disease and death. And they turned Avith infinite relief, though not always Avith strengthened hopes, to the telegrams of the Secretary of State, announcing to the world, in the language of common life, the changes that had occurred in the ebb and floAV of life's dark tide. 68 MEMOEIAI. or PKESIDEXT GARFIELD. As chairman or a prominent member of the prin- cipal business committees of the House, Garfield had an easy access to the floor, and an eager assembly as his audience. His topics were generally of a national character, connected with the organization and maintenance of various departments of the govern- ment; but there was scarcely any subject brought before Congress to which he had not at some tune given a thorough and able exposition of his views. The best known and most influential of his speeches were in relation to the war, financial aflfairs, the currency, and the tarift'. These all involved national interests, and oxhi))it on his part a profound study of every sul^ject necessary to their support. He was from the first, and constantly, a hard-money man, a leader in discussion, and a supporter by his votes of every proposition necessary to maintain a sound cur- rency. On the subject of the tariff, while he did not deny that, as an abstract question, the doctrine of free trade presented an aspect of truth, he ahvays de- clared that under a government like ours protection of national industries was indispensable. He advo- cated duties high enough to enalile the home manu- factnrer to make wholesome competition with foreigners, but not so high as to subject consuinei-s to a home monopoly of product (n- supply. A moderate and permanent protection was the doctrine he always ably snstained. It would be instructive to recall the expression of his views embodied in his speeches upon these sulijects, which he photographed upon the minds of those to whom they were addressed, EULOGY BY NATH^^jyiEL P. B^VNKS. C9 but inappropriate at the present moment. His speeches on occasions of ceremony — to most persons difficult and eml)arrassing because of their departure from the usually impetuous and often stormy courses of debate — were numerous, and always classed with the best records of connnemorative and ajsthetic oratory. Few men in the history of the House of Rep- resentatives liave actpiired a liiyher reputation, and none Avill be more kindly and permanently remembered. It was said by one of the Avisest of the ancient Greeks that it is " impossible to penetrate the secret thoughts, quality, and judgment of man till he is put to proof by high office and administi'ation of laws." AVhatever we may think of the si)lendid record of the late President in every walk of life he followed, it does not enable us (o anticipate the character and ultimate success of the administration upon which he so happily entered. In other positions of public life the concurrence of so many different influences is required to accomplish even slight results, that individual credit or responsibility therefor is often slight and intangible. In the administration of govern- ment, the highest secular duty to Avhich men are ever called, responsibility is indivisible and unchangeable; and the final results, whether for good or evil, are indelibly stamped on the Avoof and Avarp of the web of time, and Avill so remain forever. Good intentions are of no account, and a plea of confession and avoid- ance, — admitting failure but disclaiming error, — so 70 MEMORIAL OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. advantageous in other cases, never influences the woi'ld in judging' meu wlio fail riglitly and success- fully to administer government. AVe are happy in being absolved froin the responsibility of such judg- ment where authoritative decision is impossible. Of his ideas of administration and go^x'rnment, their object, method, scope, and power, he has left a record Avhich will tbrever stand a monument of his capacity and genius for investigation, discrimination, learning, a just comprehension of what should be required, and the best method of achieving desired results. His inaugural address is a masterly exemplification and vindication of his views, and the satisfaction with which it Avas received, an indication of the confidence of the country in his ability to execute purposes so wisely and well stated. But the vigor of war is not always equal to its sounding protocols. A comi^arison of what he had done, with what he might do, would give assurance of splendid success. It Avas on that principle that the late presidential can- vass terminated in his elevation and honor. He had been faithful in a feAv things ; he Avas made ruler over many. But, beyond that, no tribunal is com- petent for a final decision, and judgment must be sus- pended. We have other duties more closely identified Avith his fiune, and our success and happiness, that claim our attention. What influences and Avhat measures may be relied upon to avert the repetition and extension of this EULOGY liY NATHAXIEL P. BANKS. 71 terrible calamity Avhich has again I'alk'ii uijon the EeiDublic and its people — inexplicable, immeasurable, and unnatural — is a subject of supreme importance, possibly, of unconquerable difficulty. To shield ci'inic by folse accusations of innocence will not accomplish it. To attrilnite this calamitj' to causes which are inseparable from liberty, which are inherent in every free g-overnment, and from which this country has never been and can never be free so long as liberty exists, will neithci- protect us from further peril nor absolve us from weighty and crushing resj^onsibilities now and hereafter. The political complications and convulsions of the present year are slight in comparison with those of other periods of our ])()litical history, not in one city or state, but in ever}- city and state throughout the coimtry. The city of Boston cannot have foi-gotten the riots incited in her streets against Washington and the measures of his administration. The men of this generation have never known nor heard of such jjolitical violence as that directed against Jefferson and the measiires of his administration. We ought not to forget, even here, Ihat against the administration of Madison, the father of the Constitution, — a modest, peaceful, timid, irresolute man, — we ourselves organized, justified, and defended, a political convention in a neighboring city, which was supposed to have contem- plated resistance to the government of the United States. I am myself old enough to have heard, in a neighboring State, on a calm and beautiful Sunday 72 MEMORIAL OF PEESIDENT GAKFIELD. morning, influential and respectable citizens and church- nienibers say openly and seriously, in the presence of many persons, of whom I was one, tliat they would assist in the assassination of AndreAV Jackson. And this on account of his measures against the Bank of the United States. If honoral:)le and educated Christian men of Xew England entertained such ideas of Jackson, who had just then saved the government from destruction by nullilication, what must have been said of him by the nullifiers themselves, in South Carolina, where nearly every man was a nullifier, and where, as was said of O'Connell — A nation was in a man comprised ? We cannot forget what occurred during tlie ad- ministration of Mr. Lincohi, or of his successor, Mr. Johnson. AVe have witnessed no such political con- vulsions in our day. No one ever excused the assassination of Mr. Lincoln on such grounds, or could have counselled such violence against the chiefs of earlier administrations. ;Neither can it noAV be done, with trutli or justice. Those who enlisted in the opposition to past administrations were men whose intellectual and moral natures restrained them from the execution of purposes dictated by passion. Those whose feeble intellects limit their moral responsibility we must restrain or protect, and never palliate, by thought or act, oftences that, under other circumstan- ces, might have endangered the life of any President of the Republic! Tliere is no cause or incitement to crime in the political controversies of this year EULOGY BY N"ATHA>nEL P. BANKS. 73 that miyht not liave occurred under any previous administration; and ncitlier motive nor temptation, of any kind whatever, for such an ineftahle and inexpi- able crime as tlie murder of the mild, generous, ■\varm-liearted, foi-giving, and Christian Chief Magis- trate, whose loss we mourn. It is unwise and unjust that individual idiosyncra- sies or conduct should be charged to political j^arties or people, or that the institutions and government of the country shoidd be considered as inevitable, natural, proxhnate, or even incidental causes of such criminal acts. Liberty ofiers opportunity, but never justification, for crime. Political assassination is not insanity. It proceeds often fi'om temporary self-imposed infection and dis- temper of the mind. It is not necessarily limited to the reform of administrations and governments. It can as well be apj^lied to the settlement of private affairs as to the overthrow of dynasties. It is a phase of the doctrine of annihilation that has been applied to the reform of governments else- where by large classes of discontented people; and we now learn with astonishment that it is as applicable to our own free and just government as to the des- potisms of the Old World. It is not now for us to speak of repression or retribution ; but one of the many sovereign remedies for its evils is to avoid convidsions, private and public, restrain passion, sup- press injustice, practise moderation in all things, and T\ do no evil that good may come. 10 ix: JOL znz JUL iiaM- ■f-^i f v aft- <»«■ "owar ";^. w^ ■rf* ■-« -if FINAL PROCEEDINGS. FINAL PEOCEEDINGS. At a meeting of the Board of Aldcnueii, held on the 24tli of October, 1881, Alderman Charles H. Heksky offered the follow- ing resolutions, which were unanimously adopted : — JResolved, That tlic thanks of the City Council be expressed to Nathaniel P. Banks, for the interesting historical sketch of the life and public services of James A. Gakfield, kite President of the United States, which was eloquently presented by him before the City Council on the 20th instant, and that a copy thereof be solicited for publication. Besolved, That the thanks of the City Council be tendered to the Directors of the Tremont Temple Association for their courtesy in allowing the City of Boston the free use of Tremont Temple, on the 20th instant, for the observance of the Memorial Services in honor of James A. Gakfield, the late President of the United States. Resolved, That the thanks of the City Council be transmitted to the officers and members of the Boyls- ton Club for their valuable assistance, which made so acceptable and so successful the nuisical portion of the Memorial Services, on the 20th instant, in honor 80 MEMORIAL OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD. of James A. Garfield, the late President of the United States. The Common Council, on the 27th of October, concurred in tlie passage of the resolutions, and they were approved l)y the Mayor October 28th, 1881.