New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-06-10

RSDAY, JUNE 10, lSz5-TRIPl
Of friendship, celebrated it has been by tho noblest
philosophers and poets you find anything equal to
the tributes which Henry Ward Beecher has paid TO
Moultoni shall ask your attention to that by and by
particularly. But in passing ask you to consider these
testimonials originating from Henry Ward Beecher in
favor Of the and whom his counsel have so
bitterly and loudly denounced All gentlemen, there Is
the difficulty in this It is just the difficulty which
originated in the first place the charge Of backnal.
agree that Henry Ward Beccher is great man. great In
intellect and great in many noble and distinguished
qualities, and I shall not attempt at oil to reduce
the estimate of him by his counsel, by this jury.
and by the world except that when my learned
friends elevate him that degree of perfection that he
Is utterly good and siness take exception to the state
ment, and shall attempt to show you IN the course OF
the argument have the honor TO present to You, that
there are exceptions to be taken to the character OF
Mr. Beecher. For however great and good he may be,
he Is not yet sness and perfect and the whole argument
Of Our learned friends Is based upon that proposition,
and that proposition alone that he is too elevated and
good his life pure stainless the law OF his nature
too pous and worthy to permit the mpuaton OF sin and
ofense. Bnt this man. great good, has borne in
variable testimony to the integrity and fidelity OF the
persons assacd in this court by his counsel And the
difficulty, as said has been that Henry Ward Beccher
surrounded by the influences which envelope him, gov
erned by the interests which control him. not his own,
Influenced by considerations which spring not from his
own nature, and his own difficulty has
been that those who were interested In Henry Ward
Beecher have been continually fighting against the
generous and magnanimous Impulses Of his nature.
Why, you remember that description by Mr. Beecer OF
the controversy between him and Mr.. Tracy and Mr..
Sherman upon the question Of blackma most anus
ing but illustrative example Of the influences which
have controlled Mr.. Beecher. In the first place In his
prosecution Of Mr. Tton before tho Examining Com
mitee and In his unworthy and insincere defense
against this action
HOW Mr.. BEECHER OBSERVED THE POLICY
OF SILENCE.
Gentlemen, you believe me, hope, when
say that the task have to perform most unwclcomc
AMI painful 1t is not pleasant to speak III OF Others
especially OF eminent and gifted this defend
would gladly escape the necessity OF this discus
sion. The subject of this action is not agreeable to
consider In my judgment, 1t Is which, except under
the most mpcrous necessity should not have been dis
closed to the public 1t belongs to the domain Of
private social life, and all tile parties to this con-
sidered it, and for years acted upon it, Titon and
Beecher and Moulton and Mrs Tlton Tracy, Woodruff
everybody who by necessity OF circumstances became
acquainted with the truth OF this scanla-a agree that
1t should have been preserved within tho strict
est possible limits of silence and secrecy. You
will perceive that when Mrs. Tilton had
made communication of this wrong, not to her
husband alone, but to Others and when under
circumstances which necessarily required the interven
ton Of friends under the seal of confidence the same
communication made by Mr.. Titon, will at once
perceive that there OF discovery aud dis
closure which could not be controlled by either OF the i'm
mediate parties to this controversy The secret nccessa
rily leaked out But yet all the minds interested agreed
upon the policy OF silence. Mr.. Evars venured the
declaration yesterday the day before that Mr. Beecer
did agree to this policy; that was forced upon him;
that he necessity for coEccamcn upon his part
that only anxious for tie interests OF the family
who had been unc0nscously, unnontionay disrupted or
disturbed by his influence, that he ready at any time
except for that consideration to meet the issue and the
consequences OF this secret Well 1t Is pretty evident
from the testimony that when in January, 1871, mmed
datey blowing this memorable month OF December,
1870 Mr.. Tilton proposed to publish his letter to
Bowen-t pretty certain from the testimony that Mr.
Beecher begged then FOR silence IL pretty certain 1t Is
uncontradctel 1t appears from the written words OF
Henry Ward Beecher that when Mrs. Morse wrote to
Mr. Beecher that Theodore Tlton had told twelve per-
sons 1t quite certain that he approved the policy OF
silence and begged for silence il pretty certain that
he was striving for cOnccalment when he sent Mr.
Bell to Mr.. Halliday TO suppress church investigation
Mr. Bell gentleman upon whose intelligence and in
tegrity both Of these parties rely and who has COM
mended himself to you by exhibition OF intelligence
and OF candor upon the stand which marks him as an en-
iirey trustworthy and reliable gentleman and he tells
Beecher when in reply to his nephew, Perkins aIr'
Beeche wrote to him put his foot the hot embers
OF scandal &C. he advised The policy OF silence When,
in that letter 0ueery construed by my friend Mr
Eyarts and to which shall ask your attention by and by
called "thc bottom facts letter. Mr.. Beecher said that
the real point to avoid an appeal to church ana
council. Why, assuredly that was an effort for silence
and for cOncealment. When, in that letter which he
wrote to Mrs. TtOn which he sent by the hands OF Mr.
Tton and which lac requested to have returned by the
hands Of Mr. Tlton because there were subjects spoken
Of I'm 1t and facts revealed which should not
run any risk Of disclosure by miscarriage, he
evidently looked to silence and conceament And sup
pose execution Of that "Trpartite Covenant was
device conceamen for the suppression OF this scan
dal for its Limitation within the immediate circle to
which IL had already been communicated And you Will
remember that in one Of his letters Mt Beecher uses the
expression, IL the papers will hold OIL Tor month we
will outride the galc and suppose, gentlemen, that
when he wrote that and when lie wrote to Theodore III
ton advising him resign from Plymouth Church for the
purpose slppessng the pressure OF the West charges
and avoiding inyesga Mr. Becchcr striving Tor
conceamen Well there expressions in the ragged
edge letter, IL Is called, when he andes 10 the Efforts
he makes and made for the purpose Of preventing
any questioning tho subject and how he should stop
runous defense OF hmself reads how to stop ruin
Gus defense Of me-" and noticed that yesterday or the
day before reading it, my friend Evarfs omitted the
words "of mel suppose that in that letter Mr..
Beecher was contemplating conceament There Is
very remarkable letter. too, in which he
speaks OF "stuldfying all the devices by which we
have saved ourselves" What were those devices
What was their object, IL not conceanent, secrecy,
suppressoni But the most notable instance to my mnd
whereby his desire to conceal and to suppress
investigation is when that lady, Mrs Bradshaw, under
the pressure necessity 10 appear as witness before
O Church Committee writes him, and his answer begs
advises the policy OF silence and refuses to
info. .ftof hnr
that II il subject that should not be disturbed And
which, gentlemen finally, in his statement before the