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     Albert P. Lewis, 8 Spring Terrace, Boston:—The head of a great nation, a worthy citizen, defender of the flag and constitution in the dark days of civil war, an old and honored hero of those grand days when character, courage and honesty were of more account than birth or wealth; loved and respected by all, as husband and friend, more than President or successful politician, now lies stricken by the bullet of assassination. The seeds of crime sown by heartless tyrants in the long centuries gone by, have borne fruit, and the innocent, the free ruler of a free people must reap the harvest. It has been the past boast and glory of our republic that its executive could mingle freely with his fellows, as any other citizen, without being hedged about by bayonets and guards, like a criminal in fear of the lynch-mob, or a European tyrant in fear of the avenger. Must we go back to such conditions? Lynch law is getting more popular every day; not in the south alone but in all parts of the country. You hear of threats of lynching. An “Anarchist,” murderously honest, shoots the President, and instantly sober, respectable citizens cry, “Lynch him!” and for a moment becom e [sic] as murderously inclined as their victim.
     This crime has injured not one man alone—the President, but seventy millions of people who read and hear of the crime. A feeling of wrong and hatred for the assassin and all his class rises in their hearts, and sows the seeds of many future crimes. Virtue, honesty, charitableness and love beget their like; and crime begets crime. You cannot destroy Anarchy by killing the Anarchist. Force has never yet reformed any man. One force creates another, which in turns destroys its creator. Intelligence and kindness are the enemies of life-destroying, force-performing men called Anarchists. Education is the only force capable of wiping Anarchy from the face of the earth.