The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-03-02
TIE TRIBUNE ON TRIG4MY.
.:The Wrong Haven for Bowen"
rFrcm the New York Tribune of Monday.l

rFrcm the New York Tribune Of Mondayl
Itapnears that one of cur iustrious leeisa-
tors. at washington, is prosecuted on account Of
alleged bipamous practices. We say alleged. be-
cause he appears to be on trla, or giving oali 10
appear, or waiting verdict most Of the time, so
That the little modIcum Of the work ne can give
to his seat In the House seems hardly worth while;
but nothing definite ever comes OF 1t. Alter
protracted turn In b!gamy proceeulngs ana an
eclipse by reason OF the shadow cast upon MS
brightness BY the many women interested In his
lovely career, Bowen, II. e., emerges, puts on
fresh shirt collar and takes mis- seat In the House
OF Representatives as serene as II ne were not tie
prize OF contending beauties, the male Helen OF
Homerlc campaign. "Here am,n says Bowen
to himself, when he Is LEFT to himself and sits In
the hall OF wisdom among his homogeneous
peers: .shere am. and wonder who Will come
as neH M ST s gu StHs Question i
is not too attractive for member VI congress.
The House Is q tolerab!y conspicuous place.
Bowen cannot sit In his sea- wltIiout Deing tae
target OF q hundred female eyes, half OF which
may be eyes that haze looked on him before anu
loDged to have him for their own Bowen; nay.
might not Bowen rise any day 10 question OF
privilege, and, laying his hand on ms waistGGa.'
look up o the gallery and say ~ have feelifg,
Mr.. Speaker, that am marr!eI, more or less, 10
half thar gallery, and should like TO have II
cleared" Such man as Bowen draws too many
visitors to the gallery. There must be some other
sphere of life In which his attractions would in
terfere less with The public welfare.
We are not seeking, by mentioning this mltigat-
ing circumstance Of this fascination to defend
MI. Bowen In bgamy, 1.-The has committed 1t, or
even in polygamy, II he has attempted TO prac-
tice that without It's accompanying religion, lor
we have no oplnien OF an unrellgious olgamlst OF
polypamist; but what we desire TO inquire Is, II
Mr.. Dowen was hgamtst, why lnld u ne ussise ,ds
To he a member Of Congress also? II he had !eu
lre that would render his Old age liable to suits
by various women for the possession OF ms tem,
poral frame. what the world recognizes S as ae Iae
ria
into such q conspicuous place for the exhibition
Of his peniteuce as the House OF Representatyes
Did he imagine that II is kind OF pillar OF ~;
Simon We should, however, be disposed
to leave Bowen, B. g., to the law and
Bowen NJ C., to legislation but he
appears now in new character, 70 which our at.
tenti0n Is called. The present Mrs. Bowen writes
ton OF her husband, who Is described as thor.
oughly repentant OF the past, anu. ies US nope
anxious about the future. HE had been an or,
phaii boy without relations or friends had drlteu
into. the company OF gamblers and prostitutes,
and had lived their life until 1t pleased the good
God to lift him from the mire, aud stir wtthlnh him
the spirit OF reformation and purilcatlon." II Is
no discredt to person to be an orphan, uness IL
is by his own fault. like the unfortunate Frenc'l.
man who murdered his father and mother, anu
then pleaded orphanage in mitigation o! his sen.
tence; but there Is nothing in the constitution OF
our country encouraging one to be an orphan, y q
bigamist; aud q memher Of Congress at tne same
tiIla. We are Informed, also that when he last
married, It was with a Hrm resolve to lead TEN.
perate, studious and honorable HE For montns
has adhered to ts aGanaes 10 Ds we
cuted by prosecutions, Just asIf he had not re-.
pented. We exceedingly regret that Mr.. Bowen
| had bad start IN the world, and that ne mas
until lately le! dlssracefal Ge aad we we re!olSe ice
| were about to say, IL costs him hall MS wives.
| But we remember that 1t is The plurality OF wives
| that Is the very thing In question. we anGerey
deprecate OF one en rSpenan mt sin an
| more Bu5 don't go to Congress- sit down ln
some iaconspIcuous place for while, and grow
| In grace and In the knowledge OF monogamy, be-
fore you appear upon large sage OF ec1On tha, ana
you have left the company OF gamblers and pros.
tItutes,n but 1t Is no recommendation to congress
that you were In that company 30 recently
Really, Congress is not mouse OF refuge, NOE .
reform school, nor Magdalen asylum for men
however much It may have that appearance at
| times.
Let us not get confused. 1t is still, even in this
world OF complex relations aud natural selecuSns,
| better TO have married one woman at time, than
TO have married four simultaneously, anu 10 nave
| repented OF three OF the marriages. An outraged
law will exact It's penalty one way or anotner, ano
no penitence can altogether stay 1t. This Is an era
| Of rather soft sfmp ithy for criminals, and we
never feel like rebukng 1t when the criminal Is
modest and is anxious to make neither his sins
I nor his recantaton 100 conspicuous. we must
| try, however to preserve place IN the House o!
Representatives for those OF nnassuming virtues.
| All cannot have the advantages Of Bowen for
making q record SO bad that penirence over II
will be recommendation to Congress. Bowen
| may say, and he doubtless does, and has right
7 to console himself with It., that there l. more JOY
| IN Heaven oTer one repentant sinner than over
ninety and nine that never went astray. But
Congress is not Heaven. And we can say 10 Mr.
Bowen in the present complication Of his affairs
as Sergeant Buzfuz said to Mr.. Plckwick, sit
tpfn mn hnpn mn
coming, in better Judgment and in better taste
| II he had stopped 8way.n