Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-08-08
ARETuRNED wANDERER.

:
| In the good book there is no parable
more fraught with interest, that touches
the sympathies more and so deeply
than that of the prodigal's return. be
had left his fathers house, had sought
home among strangers, had squandereo
all and upon the very brink of ruin
without sympathy and without friends
the wanderer returned, not indeed to an
offended parent, but to the arms of wei
come, for the fathers heart yearned to-
ward the stricken one. 1t thus that true
Democracy offers welcome to those who
may have been estranged from her ma
ternal embrace-those who are really
penitent and acknowledge their error,
and come back to the old roof-tree, to
be sheltered by its protection and be
made glad by its abundance. This
broad welcome is not vouchsafed to such
as are constantly fitting in and out,
seeking the warmest corner, and carry
ing aid and comfort to the enemy, in the
hope of sharing the spoils wrested from
their former friends Let them keep on
wandering. "Come home" will have
no music for their ears. But for those
who have been guilty of grave and
serious error, and becoming early con-
WINGED of their great mistake, modestly
return and resume their places in the
ranks. there should be always words of
graduation and the best Of cheer. We
are so proud of our great victory-we feel
so elate that the Radical chat has been
completely swept away, we could be
almost on good terms even with those
who .mistook the other side for theirs
and identified themselves with Radical
ism at the wrong time for maturing
great expectations Among those
who made the mistake of lifetime and
went into the Radical ranks a year or
two ago under the impression that the
so-called party would be long-lived, was
our old and highly esteemed friend John
Fl. Bowen, who in an unlucky hour found
himself on the same side with Barbour
Lewis and Ed. Shaw. But he could not
remain there 1t was an impossibility
to eradicate the earlier impressions of
patriotism that had grown up with him,
and he quietly resumed his place in the
Democratic ranks, and is as good as new
and as though he had never sinned.
There is not a sound Democrat who will
not be gratifed to know that he could
not affiliate with the mongrels, and, like
Sawney, is "bock agin." The portals
are wide open, and penitent sinners had
better get back in time for the guberna-
torial election. We make this public
mention of Mr.. Bowens return to
Democracy, because we were cognizant
of the causes of his detection, in which
his weakness very much resembled Rad
icalism-the desire of holding offiee-but
in the exercise of the duties of which
he did not resemble his new comrades,
for he was a thoroughly honest and eff
cient city officer In conformity with
his expectations he was elected, and has
only recently gone out of Office which
he did not covet so much for itself, as
that it enabled him to assist near rela-
tives, in addition to his own family, de-
pendent in great measure for support.
Knowing these particulars, which in no
injustice to Mr.. Bowen we now make
public, we feltmore tolerant Of his course
than if he had been solely inspired by
love Of office, and the filthy lucre "
supposed to be inseparable from Office
holding, and we record his full commu-
MON and companionship with his old
friends with unalloyed pleasure. We
have it from him that he never voted the
Radical ticket but once, and he felt then
that it was the meanest act of his life
We are disposed to regard it in the same
light, and congratulate him most heart
lily that his stay in the Radical camp
was of such brief duration and so dis
tasteful to himself, not a tinge Of its
sooty hue begrimes him.