, 1879-08-17
PUBLIC OPINION.

CHICAGO, Aug. 15.-Would you please tell ua
/ il, in your Judgment, there is any stage in the
| proceedings OF woman.s life ut which she may
inform the world that her husband gets drunk
and threatens her lifea Assume that such are
the facts, can she ever be justified in making
them publics
If you hold that there is no such period, you
are consistent in your condemnation Of Mrs,
Spraguc; but If forbcarancc ever can cease to be
| a virtue in the case Of wife, she must haye
| reached the time when ,.'airlng her domestic
difficulties" becomes an imperative duty,
! II "the father OF her children" is ia drunk
ard, spcndthrift. brute, and a ouify," it is
quite time that for their sake the world we're
made aware OF the fact, since it is. much better
for them that he should be all this, and even
worse, than that their mother should publicly
bcerthc brand OF "wanton" set upon her by
the act and deed OF their father.
No calamity which could possibly happen to
her children, outside OF crime on their own souls,
would or could he SO utterly ca1amitons as to
permit their III other to remain in the position
She has been publicly placed bv their father.
lit be wrong for woman to charge crime
upon " the father Of her children" how is It for
man to stamp fnfamy upon the mother Of bis
children!
Do 5ou forget the airing which Gov. Sprague
gare to his t*Gomestic difficulties" In his ruff
Now, when q husband hangs tue dirty clothes Of
hie family on the front-feuco for air, Is there
any good reason why his wife should not turn
them over and let both sides have an airing!
Remember that the cpithets ron apply to
Gov Sprague are yours, and naturally suegcst
themselves from oil the known facts OF the case;
!. but hia vile does not use them.
l fail TO see either in ''the delay Of Mrs.
Sprague's statement II or In 1.-THE peculiar char
ac1er Of its co1npostion,' amy sign Of the
Iady's reliance OH the Judgment aud advice Of
Mr. Conkling. On the contrary, the paper
shows great lack Of any lawycry presenta-
tion Of the case, especially where the writer saws
Il lhe two men never met" aud oDe is left to
wonder what tmo men, aud where she jumps to
the conclusion that y the attempt to complicate
Nj. Conklng with the matter is absurd!''
That is the work Of a woman, and one writing
under strong. excitement! No lawyer with .
cases enough to Day Office rent As for the
part Of the German Profcsso RI being so ex-
ccedingly comical and yastlr amusing, the wit
reminds me OF that which js' 50 lavishJy ex-
pended BY the press on executions, suicides,
murders, and other kill1ngly funny occurrences
There is a woman in the question:! Sne has
no vote, but far more than life at stake; go
to, boys! isn't it jolly! Let's pelt her with
kittens used to be; and it's safe! Ii she we're
man she'd bo tried by jury Of her peers snd
held innocent until proved guilty; or we might
get cudgcled; but she's woman and a little
one a. Il1L! ally leilo" cOulu u0E nGf+ 0llu
she can't help herself! Hurrahl there's lots of
mud!
Who has said that drunken husband Is ian
excuse for profligacy!' Where is the proof Of
the profgacy: i maintain that it cannot be
found in any statement yet made public, grant
ing they are alt true. The whole case against
Mrs. Sprague rests on an assumption Ut evil
when an opposite Interpretation is more proba- |
bic.
II ron live five years you will know that DO
itcal maIignity and rivalry are at the bottom Of
the case.
There are Republicans stupid enough to think |
Conkling would be dangerous rival to their !
pct candidates FOR the Presidency, and who are |
making desperate efforts TO get rid Of him; but |
il they had Il inodicum Of tense they would |
know tllut no man who dresses as we'll as he !
does can bo President Of these United States for |
one hundred years from dntc.. No man so |
get nomination for the Office. He sayors too |
much OF Eastern 'tcultuah." Que might as
we'll talk OF ex-Secrctary Fish. In the days J
gone by Conklsng got the name OF "gentleman !
aud scholar" uud this shclvcd him more COM
plctely than any scandal could do; but ii It had
not, his hair would have stamped him as forever
Ineligible Why, he Inns little curl right up
above the middle Of his forehead; aud from this
fact any one would know that when he is bad he
is very bad. ana when he is good he il horrid.
NJ candidate need attack. auv friend or client
Of Conklng's Ia order to get rid Of him; for he
neTer WAS, or could be, ia the way Of any one
OF them. That curl settles him so far as the
Presidential CHAIR is concerned. All he would
hare to do would be to take off his hat in q
nominating convention. and Of would 60 his
for him. JANE GREY Sw1ssHELs.