Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1874-08-22
Beeeher's Tardy statement.

From the 81. Louis Republican.
Mr.. Beeeher has had his say at
last, and we presume the case may
be considered made up. At all e.
vents we hope so. And, hoping
that it may never be necessary TO
recur to tue matter in any form,
we submit a brief analysis of the
Beecher statement, as il presents it.
self TO our understanding But be-
fore proceeding with an analysis of
the statement itself, we desire to
call attention to few extraneOus
facts which, to US, seem to initiate
with some force upon the good
faith of what Mr.. Beecher has said.
When Tilton's expose first came out,
Mr.. Beecher at once promised a
prompt rejoinder, stipulating only
for "time in which to prepare it,
That was more than three weeks
ago. A week, at the outside, would
have seemed ample time in which to
prepare the statement Mr.. Beecher
has now laid before the country
But shortly after Mr.. Beecher had
announced his intention of making
q statement, Mr.. MOultOn appeared
in the arena with his mysterious
documents, Whereat Mr.. Beccher's
anxiety TO lay his story before the
public suddenly abated. Then fol-
lowed mysterious diplomacy and
carefully covered consultation, the
result of which was the refusal of
Moulton TO make his documents
public. There was yet another
item III this mysterious affair: No
sooner did the Tilton charges come
to light, than the Woodruff pack
hied them from California to New
York, poisoning the atmosphere
with all sorts of vile inuuendO.-
Presently it is definitely announced
that MoultOn will make a state
ment, but will not publish the mys-
terious letters in his possession
Then the Woodruff pack take pas
sage for Europe in a steamship
MOultOn makes his statement, but
does not say anything. The Wood
hull pack are out of the way. Then
Beecher comes out with a page-full.
Now, then. the logical sequence
of these events is most suggestive.
Why did Beecher wait till the
Woodruff pack were out of the
wav, and MOulton's explanation of
the correspondence suppressed, be-
fore he came out with that state
ment which he had originally prom
ised should be delayed only long e.
nOugh to enable him To prepare il:
Mr.. Beecher opens his statement
by placing himself in the attitude
of an injured man. lie pursues his
story in the tone of man of good
intentions miscOustrued and we'll
meant actions misrepresented. lie
closes his recital in the manner of a
man savagely prosecuted and gross
lv maligned. And this, in three
sentences, is an analysis OF Mr..
Beecher's statement, which would
make an ordinary pamphlet of sew
enty or eighty pages. To Mr.. Til
toms point-blank specifications ne
/ opposes a general denial. To the
categorical charges he replies in
bulk by eyading them in severalty.
And to explain away the damnato-
~ letters and expressions, whose
authenticity he does not impeach,
he pleads in some instances ''play-
fulness," and in other instances
"great excitement We repeat, we
have no desire to make 4 case for
TiltOn by demolishing the case
l.
But leaving Tilton out of the mat
ter and reducing the Beecher state
ment in the crucible of unimpas-
stoned and cold-blooded judgment,
we find it all dross, with not 4 sin
gle glObule of pure metal remaining
after the test.
The impression made upon the
Republican by Mr.. Beecher's state
ment is that he imagines the men
tai and moral vision of the whole
community to be distorted by gsz-
ing through the malfOrmed specta-
Cles OF Beechcrism, that he faucies
his statement to the world will fall
upon the same intellectual soil that
receives his spiritual seed-sowiug
. from the pulpit OF Ply mouth church:
in word, That he dreams OF the
universal dominion OF his own pc
. euliar cant, whereas its actual sway
is bounded by four chUTch-walls
and the sound of his own minister
ing voice. Mr.. Beecher talks OF
/ blackmail paid to TiltOn We have
heard and read good deal about
blackmail. But we have vet TO
hear or read of wholly innocent
MIN submitting TO the extOrtiOn OF
blood money. Innocence" saws
Montaigue, "iS lis own shield
Guilt, how small or light soever.
requires q coat of MAIL" Mr.. Beech
er is not 4 child. Children do not
find incomes of $4,000 year in