The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-07-07
THE GOLDEN AGE" AGAIN.

TILToN's vALEDICToRY - THE ORIGINAL
CHARGE JUsTIFIED-ITs CHARACTER MISUN-
DERSTooD-THE SENSE OF JUSTICE OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE APPEALED To.
Theodore Tilton retires from the chief ed
itorship of the Golden Age with the nextissue
of that paper, but will continue to write for
the paper. A special to the Chicago Times
saws the next issue of the Age will contain
the following editorial, supposed to be from
Tilton's, pen, on the BeecherTilton diff
Guilty: "Mr. Tiltons letter to DIR. Bacon
has not met with quite as favorable recep-
ton as he or his friends could reasonably ex-
pect. 1t did not raise an unpleasant con-
troyersy from the grave in which it had
been buried; for the controversy had not
died, and was never more truly aliye than
when the letter in question was opened. 1t
is not our intention to enter the
list of combatapts on eithir side;
but two or three of the general
criticisms on Mr.. Tilton's letter show an
entire misapprehension of its character and
purpose, and call for corrections. He has
been blamed, in some quarters, for publish
ing the letter at all, and in others, for not
going further and saying more. One class
of critics censure him for trying to injure Mr..
Beecher at the expense of his own family,
and another class is evidently piQued be-
cause he did not utter something that should
his own household, too. Careful study OF
the letter would remove the grounds for any
mistake; but perhaps it is to much to expect
the hurried writers of the daily press
to read documents as carefully drawn
up, and so long as the letter
in question, with sufficient care to see its
precise intention and bearing. To correct
these misapp, ehensiOns is all that we have
in view. The letter stands on it's own mer-
its, and tells its own tale to whoever will
read it with sufficient patience. 1t was no
part of Mr.. Tilton's purpose to ventilate the
old scandal, or drag the offensive theme
from its hiding place into publicity. He in
tentionally avoided bringing any specific
charges against Mr.. Beecher, and only al
luded to his offense land in the most indefi-
mite possible terms), because it was abso-
lutely necessary for him to do so in self
vindication. He had beer assailed directly
and in the most explicit terms by DIR. Bacon
Ia kind man and just one, too), who un-
doubleday supposed, from what he had
learned through Mr.. Beecher and his friends
that Mr.. TiltOn was knave and dog, a
creature of too forbeariDg pastors mag
nanimity, a
seANDALMoNGER AND FALsIFIER.
who had tried to ruin the most beloved of
ministers. Such aspersions, from the pen
of one of the eading and most eminent di-
vines in America, published in a religious
paper of large circulation and commented
on by the press of the whole country, were
of too serious character to be borne in ST.
lence or passed by. Mr.. Tilton's character
and standing as man among men were in
volved, and silence on his part was tacit
acknowledgement of the. justice of DIR. Ba-
cons aspersions, and the correctness of
the erroneous statements by which they were
supported. One sentence from Mr.. Beech
er's lip or pen would have drawn the pois-
oned arrow and healed the smart.
MIR. Tilton called Mr.. Beecher's at
ention TO the offensive statements, and i'm
the presence of two witnesses, told him that
unless he corrected the Misrepresentation
in his way, it would be necessary for himself
to correct him in his own way which would be
severe. Weeks pa ssed. and no correction
was made. Longer silenceon his part was
impossible. In replying to DIR. Bacon he
did what any other innocent and honorable
man who cared for his reputation would
have done under the circumstances and
the reply was not printed till it had been
submitted to DR.. Bacon, who failed to sug-