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Show .HATTER. (Being tho personal opinions or the writer and for which no ono else is in any manner responsible.) Apostlo Hyrum Smith may ho nil right as a prophet, seer and rovolator but when It comes to predicting things that havo already taken place the writer can give him cards and spades. Apostlo Smith may havo an eye that can penetrate tho future, but it doesn't seem to bo worth a continental In loking hack over the past. Ho may be enabled by his sustaining at the hands of tho mighty congregation to peer into the darkness and uncertainty uncer-tainty of the eternity that looms up ahead of us, but he does not appear to have very clear Ideas about matters mat-ters and things of our own day. I don't like to mingle in matters religious; re-ligious; I don't like to criticise people who aro designated as agents and ministers min-isters of the Almighty, because having an extremely comforting religion of my own I am so happy in it that I have not time to rant at others. But if I am anything I am n newspaper man. For nearly a quarter of a cen tury I have devoted the best hours of my life toward making newspapers. Henco I cannot leirain rrom rising up and resenting the statements made at the last conieronce by Apostle Smitli wherein lie places the responsibility for tho killing of Lincoln, Garfield an. I McKInley on the shouldois of the ed Itors of the country, on the cartoonists and other attaches of the press. The immortal Lincoln was assassin ated by John Wilkes Booth, an actor, whose sympathies wore with the cause of the south. Booth was an erratic character and hy his intimate friends was regarded as not exactly right in tho head. He slow Lincoln because ho had an insane notion that it was right. His last words were: "Toll mother I died for my country; 1 thought I did it for the best." Barnes, who wrote the text hooks of history for the common schools when I wa3 n lad, declares Booth was insane. Other eminent historians take the same ground. Bootli had an idea the killing kill-ing of Lincoln would make a change that would enable tho south to renew Its fight, but "God reigned and the government at Washington lived on." There was absolutely nothing In tho slaying of Lincoln that can bo by tho most vivid Imagination twisted into a condition such as is alleged by Prophet Smith. Garfield fell at the hands of a crazy cuss whoso brain was turned because he was denied ofilce. Gulteau was a crank. He had n6 wrongs to light save his own. His mind was not Inflamed hy newspaper publications, hut was In nn unsettled state because he had brooded over a fancied wrong until he thought It was a just cause. Serious doubts have existed ex-isted in the minds of many men as to tho rightfulness of hanging him. He was undoubtedly a sort of lunatic and there Is a grave Idea that he was not morally responsible. The lamented McKInley fell at the hands of n man who was an anarchist; a man who had been trained In a school of anarchism; who believed in tho abolition of all forms of government. His mind was not Inllnmod by newspaper publications, publica-tions, nor wrought up by cartoons. As a matter of fact a cartoon never cnused a man to slay. People never kill tho victims or cartoons; thoy either Inugh at or pity them. Nor had Czolgosz been brought to a state where murder became, as he thought, necessary through reading the papers Whntovor may be said or the press of tho country, it is nothing ir not patriotic. patri-otic. The assassin got hi3 ideas rrom foreign ngitators and not from tho press. To my mind Apostle Hyrum Smith was, at tho conference, In the position of father's old gun: "Went ofr half cocked." I commend to him a line In my old copy book: "If anything strikes you ns being particularly smart; doift do it." Because Apostlo Smith mndo a monkoy or himself by his assertions. Prior to that time, I had presumed him to he a mnn of learning and attainments. Now I know him to bo a man of much less learning, and certainly less discretion, than I believed him to bo. But it was ever thus. All of us have noted rrom time to time that whenever when-ever a minister, no matter of what denomination, forsakes tho work ho should bo engaged In br 777" H up. Just the minute t , Z J" halM preacher closes the sarrr t ' or "e Boes to monkeying win, meanJ B things; just as sco.i h'VOr the gospel and quits i.r, Zh 'a0ns and Him crucified 2LChrlst 1 worldly discouiso. ju-r . " fP ,n gets tangled and mal J ,q" clil' he himself Apostle Hy -.m Smith I,t I done the newspaper fvZrnU, has justice through ignoran", tl'1 I ness no doubt, and I hr, Je "de what I have said abU,"0,, S profit, because If ho mi(.s m'm th he will stop trying to ra, 1 he does not understand. tters H |