The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-23
E' Mirabeau'' of France, and {" "MOrrow
b. of Erie.

question of allowing the running of cars IN
Philadelphia on the Sabbath. We have re-
ceived a letter from that gentleman, in which
he accuses us of misrepresenting him, states
that we were guilty "of gross libel, " and
requests that, as an act of reparation, we pub
lish his address in full. We certainly had no
intention of doing anything but justice to any
one and as we used the synopsis furnished
by the Associated Press, and published in all
The daily papers the next day, we can hardly be
accused of misrepresentation. We feel keen
regret that we cannot do the gentleman the
reparation he asks, as we do not hap
pen to have four columns of space adapted
to that particular style of literature. For this,
however. we are not to blame. The readers
of THE EVENING TELEGRAPH are alone respOn-
sible. We give them what they indicate
preference for, and as they have never shown
an overweening desire to be treated to an
Grafton of such a length as Mr.. Lowry amazed
the Senate with, we must yield to their tastes,
and decline to make room for the vigorous
address of the member from Erie. In order,
however, to let our readers know the nature
of the speech and that Mr.. Lowry cannot
accuse us of keeping our patrons or his con-
stituents in the dark in regard to his senti-
ments, we make as many extracts from the
full text of the address as our space will
permit.
We have already compared Mr.. NJ. B. Lowry to
Mirabeau, founding the analogy on the rapid
ity of his ideas, the vigorous manner in which
he expressed them, and the plentiful crop of
spersed. We again repeat that the soul of
Mirabeau has entered into the honorable gem
tleman from Erie, or else he has learned to
copy the "spotted leopard, and plagiarized
his voice. Is Lowry endowed with the mantle
of Mirabeau, or is he only, like Chatterton,
passing off good limitations of bygone literary
eforts3 But we will let the gentleman speak
for himself, or rather, we should have said,
speak for his constituents, who are like the
ghosts which visited Ossian, selected promis-
cuously from every race, age, and people. He
says:-
"I drew my sword and threw away my scab.
bard one month ago tomorrow, and now pro-
pose TO speak, without fear, for Man, for God
for Adam, for Noses for Cromwell, for Penn
for Pennsylvania, and for minority of Chris
tian citizens OF Philadelphia, who have no i'm
mediate representative on this question who
will speak for them"
As the gentleman represents the inhabitants
of the county of Erie, we infer that these
curious constituents have become residents of
that healthy locality; or can it be that the
gentleman, to show his knowledge, mentioned
in rapid succession the name of every historic
character he had ever heard of! We would
also suggest, as a matter which so bold a
champion for religion should always attend
to, the proprety of giving God the precedence,
and not arranging them ''for Man, for God,
for ADAM" etc. Having thus mentioned the
high constituency which he represents, he
attacks the Philadelphia churches, because
they, as he says, opposed the blacks riding in
the street cars, and declares that
philadelphia Christian will stand in the
pillory of time, requiring the black soldier to
walk TO Heaven on one leg, while they ride
thitherward in cars and carriages"
Now this is not true. Philadelphia Chris
tians require no man to do an impossibility,
and everybody knows that it would be i'm
possible for a man to ,0dlk on one leg. If the
entleman had made Christianity require him
to hop to heaven on a single support, there
might be some show of probability. As it is,
Circumstantial evidence convicts the orator Of
libelling our church members. In fact, vague.
ness is characteristic of the gentleman, for q
few lines further down he says:-
81 will vote against this bill because IL Is q
side-blow at religion, a side-blow at the minis.
ters of religion, side-blow at the observance ot
religion, and a direct blow with the deyiIi,
sledge- ge-hammer on the devils chisel, 10 cut ou
the letters written by the finger of God on tn,
keystone of the Ten Commandments"
Now, moments reflection will show tn,
gentleman that he is again wrong. No one
would use a sledge-hammer to direct blow OF
a chisel for the immediate consequence woul,
be to knock the chisel, as the light an,
thoughtless would say, into jilfy. The gen
tleman means a mallet, and not sledge
hammer.
Again invective is resorted to- and the hor
orable member from Erie declares:-
81 would be coward and dog did place
sin individually upon the shoulders of an uI
thinking unwashed, ungodly mass IN Philade
phta that dare not assume myself"
In the language of the classical Nasby, eth
servant would be dog and the son of dog di
he consent to any such thing" To charaotsriz
any class of citizens as "unthinking, III
washed, ungodly men," exhibits an absenc
of that oommendable virtue, charity, which
the greatest of all virtues, not excepting regar
for the Sabbath. All who favor the runnin
of the cars are aliterativey termed "ret
nosed rumsellers," lovers of ,'beer bett,
than the Bible" and "keepers of purlieus
vice." The gentleman had better devote hin