New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-27

nying religion, for we have no opinion OF an
urrcli,,ious bicamist or polygamist; but what
-. des;ro IN irouire ia. if Mr.. Bowen was n
t;,..,,,;,, INV obould he desire to be % MEM
H. Tor co,cress also 7 If he had led lilo
A.. I'D ,crdcr his old age liable to suits
D., ,,ar;ous women for the possession OF his
-, frame. what the world recognizes as
n,o antyard and visible Bowen, why should he
cot into such q conspicuous place lor Tue eA-
bibtion of his penitence as the House OF hcp-
rosentatiyes3 Did he imagine that 1t is KIND
Of nillor of st. Simon We should, however.
mo disposed TO leave Bowen, b. g., to the law
and Bowen, NJ. G., to legislation; but he
onncors now in a new character to
which our attention is called. The present
Mira. Bowen, late Mrs. Petgru King. writes to
the newspapers in depreciation of the pcrsecu-
ton of her husband, who is described as
thoroughly repentant of the past, and, let us
hone, anxious about the future. He had been
can orphan boy without relations or friends,
chad drifted into the company of gamblers
"and prostitutes, and had lived their life until
ait pleased the good God to lift him from the
"mre, and stir within him the spirit of
reformation and publication" Ii is no dis
credit to person TO be an orphan, unless 1t
is by his own fault, like the unfortunate French
man who murdered his father and mother, and
then pleaded orphanage in mitigation of his
sentence; but there is nothing in the Const-
tuition of our country encouraging one to be
an orphan, bgamist, and Member OF Con-
gress at the same time. We are IN
formed, also, that when he married MIS-
King it was with firm resolve to lead Il tenn
peratc, studious and honorable life. For
months be has adhered to this resolution, we
also read, and yet he continues to he perse-
cuted by prosecutions just as if he had not
repented. We exceedingly regret that Mr..
| Boven had bad start in the world, and that
he has until lately led q disgraceful life and
we rejoice that he is resolved upon reforma-
| tion-eyen if, we were about to say, 1t costs
him half his wives. But we remember that IL
is the plurality of wives that is the very thlng
| in question We sincerely deprecate persecu-
| ton of one repentant. In all kindness, We
! should say, Go, Bowen, and sin no more. But
don't 90 TO Congress. Sit down in some IN
conspicuous place for while, and gro" III
| grace and in the knowledge of mOn0gamy,
before YOU appear upon large stage
of action and faunt your penitcnce. 1t
|
"company of gamblers and prostitutes but 1T
is no recommendation to Congress that you
were IN that company so recently. Really,
| Congress is not a house of refuge, nor a re-
form school, nor Magdalen asylum for men
however much il may have that appearance
at times.
Let lis not get confused. II is still, even in
| this world of complex relations and natural
selections, better to have married one woman
at n time, than to have married four simulta-
ncously. and to have repcnted of three of the
marriages. An outraged law will exact It's
penalty one way or another, and 10 penltcncc
can altogether stay it. This is an era Of
rather soft sympathy for criminals, and We
never feel like rebuking it when the criminal
| is modest and II anxious to make neither his
sins nor his recantation too conspicuous.
We must try. however, 10 preserve n
place III the House of Representatives
for those of unassl,ming virtues. All
cannot have the advantages OF Bowen for
making a record bad that pcnitcncc over
it will be a recommendation 10 Congress.
Bowen may say. and he doubtless docs and
has right to console himself with it, that
there is more Joy in Heaven over one repent
ant sinner than over ninety and nine that
never went astray. But Congress is not
Heaven And we can say IA MT. Bowen, IN
the present complication of his Affairs, as
Sergeant Buzhz said to Mr. Pickwicl, " it
would have been more decent IN him, more
becoming, in better judgment, aud IN better
&" taste, if De had stopped away