The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-08-13

WASHINGTON, Aug, 10, 1874.
Ny DEAR ARGUS The state of dull
ness, in regard to news, which | described
in my last letter to you, still continues and
with the exception of some vigorous push
ing into notice of somebody or other as the
man for the Presidency, there is little
spoken of besides the Beecher- Tilton scan
dial.
The whole affair is so thoroughly painful
and disgusting, and shows such an i'm
mense depth of social rottcnness beneath
the surface crust Of respectfully and so
called religion, that it seems like handling
the worst kind Of moral pitch to say any
thing at all about it yet. as | in my letter
to you of Jan. 20, 1873, mentioned a con
versation | had had with Mrs. Stanton and
Miss Anthony which had direct bearing
upon that subject, and which convinced
me of the truth of the accusation brought
against Mr.. Beccher and as | have since
then met with those Wrought to know the
truth of the matter, if anyone besides the
two principal persons does know, | feel
impelled to state that nothing | have yet
heard from these sources has enabled me
to change my first opinion but that, much
ash admire Mr.. Beecher's grand intellect
and wonderful power over his hearers, l
can never again look upon him as a guide,
in either spiritual or worldly affairs, while
my present beiiefin the necessity of tread
ing the narrow path of rectitude continues
And here I wish 70 remark that one
phase Of all the discussions concerning Mr..
Beecher strikes me as very singular: With
few exceptions men with their hard, solid
sense and wide experience ~(surely the best
judges Of the sex) condemn him, while his
advocates are found almost entirely on the
female side of the house, among women
who hold the embroidery of slippers for
ecclesiastical feet, and the making of
dalnties for ministerial palatcs, as OF vastly
more importance than the clothing of the
shlvering outcast and the feeding of the
suffering, starving poor.
Then, in reading that farce of a commit
tee investigation, what logical mind can
fail to arrive at the conclusion of the great
preachers guilt? The whole proceedings
remind me torcibly of the way MIR. Baker,
the Commissioner of Pensions. slipped out
of an Investigation Of his conduct. The
persons bringing the charges against him
had, IN payment for political work-on
some committee or other-heid nominal
positions in the Interior Department, i. E.,
they had worked for the committee, and
drawn their pay on the rolls of that de-
partment. Well, the gentleman executed
a Hank movement by loudly denouneing
them for holding thee nominal positions,
and succeeded in Withdrawing public at
teEeon IRON himself, while directing it to
the short conlGgs OF these parties; thus
shielding hlusei! successfully behind their
mistakes.
Ia Brooklyn, instead Of adheripg to the
simple inquiry whether the charge against
Mr.. Beecher is true or not, they drag the
dark spot on Hilton S record to light, thus
attempting to wipe out Beecher's guilt
with Tiltons sins, and diver,iug public
curiosity into Il side channel of comparative
safety.
L have never met Mr. Tilton myself
much as have desired that pleasure: but
others who know him intimately describe
nun to me as being a genius of the true
type, with all the waywardness. noble im-
pulses, generosity, hckleness, the vices and
virtues OF that erratic class. And taking
that temperament into consideration all
his InconsIstences are at once explained
aud one can easily see why he 50 long re
manned silent and tried to Shield his fam
lily, under circumstance which would have
caused another man ieven If practically as
much a Tree lover as Tilton) to indulge in
target shooting at once, with a ministerial
breast for a mark.
Besides all this it must not be forgotten
that every friend and admirer of Mr.. Til
tons urged hin to drop the mantle of 81.
lence into which ne had shrouded himself
so long, aud claimed it due to these his
friends that he should free himself from
the burden of aspersions placed upon him
by Plymouth church. l remember, among
other incidents which prove this
fact, that one evening accident
brought together at my house a
number of people who all, more or less, !
are given to thinking, writing for the press,
and such like sins among them was a
lady IRON Califprnia, Q deep thinker,