Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1874-08-20

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minds to what we refer in the caption
70 this article. In the language Of Mr..
Bcccher, at has been an open pool of
corruption exhaling most deadly va
pors;;' and 1t has been co.extensive
with the civilized world, but more es-
pecially flooding this nation with the
greatest deluge OF promptings to in
iquity and the loosening Of the well
established laws of morality, which
has ever visited this country. 1t has
been, and now is, in epite of human
efforts made, or that can possibly be
made, in our opinion, stupendous
moral pestilence. Its complications
have been such that were it touched
by the all powerful hand of Divinity,
go as to unrayel Il completely, it
could not be given TO the public by
human power, SO as to correct the
flood Of evil it has spread broadcast,
but would need the came Divine pow.
er to make such correction in the
minds of the men and women, and
even the children Of this land, who
have been corrupted by its baleful in
tlucnces. Our own view has been all
the while, IS our Seaders have discov.
cred by our remarks from time to
time, that the pith and marrow of all
this thing would yet be found in the
advocacy, by some Of the most prom
mont characters in the drama, of the
doctrines of "freo love- q disregard
of the present legal marital relations
as right and proper. @
Now, that Mr.. Beecher has made
his statement, and we have gathered
in the light, given to us upon both
sides, to some extent We are only the
more strongly confirmed in our first
| impressions. In the outset we knew
that long ago, aud years before even
the appearance to any considerable ex-
tent before the public. of Victoria
Woodruff, Theodore Tiltop had given
the broadcast publicity to his " free
love = doctrines through the New
York Independent. We knew that
his retirement from that paper and al.
so the Brooklyn Union, was made ne.
cessity at the hands Of Mr.. Bowen, be.
cause Of Tilton's views on the marriage
relation. Hence when Victoria Wood.
hull first made ths charge ola wicked
and most heinous violation of the
marital vows against Henry Ward
Beechcr, who had maintained In bis
teachings the sanctity aud divinity Of
such vows, we very naturally brought
up before our minds the character and
principles of the accused and the &C.
cusers. Ia addition to Tilton's free
love, preached through the columns
of the Independent iu the year 1856, il
we remember rightly, he had in 1S7G
! published life of the Woodruff in
, pamphlet form which deiied, as II
q were, that woman.
u IL is natural for every man when he
hears Of conflict between two persons
with whom he is acquainted, or with
, whose history he has been acquainted,
and has not tho story Of the conflict
! itself to make up his mind from, to
,, draw his conclusions from what he
knows of the previous character of the
parties, as to where the blame lies.
Precisely SO with the case in
hand. We do not expect clear
water to flow from a muddy, i'm.
pure fountain, nor do we expect the
truth to flow from persons either in.
doctrinated with or practiclng i'm
: purity. Hence, when We have seen il
, stated in many newspapers that "it
matters not what Tilton has been,"-,
aTilton is not on trial now" they beg
the question and show guilty or an
ignorant prejudice. Shall the state
ment or the oath of q witness not be
tried by his character, bis deeds, to
test his credibility9 Shall not q mans
acts shown as circumstances bearing
upon his motives, his incentives, to
! the charge he makes, be considered,
and especially where that charge
E is for an ofense which by his own
teachings for eight years he has de-
clared to be no ofe,se, though an en-
! lightened community everywhere pro.
, nounces it the very highest of crimes
In short. does 1t make no difference az
to the character of q witness whether
he is worthy Of belief or not. Mr.. Til
ton has frequently said and in hie state
ment sworn to, that his wife Is of that
guileless, simple nature, and possessed
OF that high christian rhapsody tcer-
tainly a misnomer) that though she
committed the otfsnse charged, yet she
was guiltless in fact. Her Trusting,
i yielding nature was such, he swears
she was not to blame. Take Mr.. Tilton
upon this, his own ground of reason
ing,and certsinly be ought to be q good
/ judge Of her disposition, and where
n does 1t place strong point in his own
/ / side Of the case. We believe from the
Testimony adduced and in which all
agree that Mra filton in her great
sorrow, in her goodness of heart,
under promises Of peace, has been
yielding and plant to the very ex.
J IRENE, but In no sense such as Tiltou
represents. But ~ we said, take hia
view Of her, and what becomes Of the
value TO DO attached TO the con-
fesaion she gave to him Of Mr.
Beccher making improper advances Il
, her? Doesit not appear at once thai
he, Tlton, with such . nature to work
upon In his frenzied moods, could
force such confession from such . wo-
man and that woman his wife Beech.
cr SAWS that when he saw her and ask