Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1880-12-08
Senator Conkling as a Libertine.

Rsh 4. stfairs would be reIegated to
it may be said, with an equal lie.
gree of truth, that il the America a
people entertained any real respect
for clearly living aud morality
and virtue one, at the least, of our
more prominent politicians Cor
statesmen, IL the reader likes the
term betteD would be driven, In
shame and disgrace, not merely
from public life, but also from so.
ciai intercourse with all respecta
BILE people who are possessed of
self respect. We refer to the dis.
tinguished Senator from New
York, Roscoe Conkling. His public
career has been brilliant, but his
private life has been filthy beyond
the power of decent language to
describe or fittingiy rebuke. His
| questionable relations to Mrs. ex.
Senator Sprague have from time to
time been alluded to in the news
papers for the past three years or
so. Mrs. Ex-senator Sprague is
the daughter of the late distin.
guished Chief Justice Chase, of the
United States Supreme Court. At
the time she married Sprague she
was regarded as one Of the bright.
est ornaments of society in the Ma.
| tional Capital. 1t is said that
Sprague has squandered his prop
erty eince his marriage, that he
has turned out to be drunkard,
and that he has failed to become
the brilliant man he was once ex-
pected to. 1t Is also said that Mrs.
Sprague, nee Kate Chase, is an am
| bilious, dashing woman, whose
Instincts would naturally lead her
into the society, and fit her for the
companionship, of bright, able
man like Conkling. Surprising
that all this is true, does it in any
wise excuse or palliate this lo,0.
makers crime in becoming a
breaker, not merely of the laws Of
man, but also of the law of God?
This foul, if distinguished black
guard, Conkling, has wife and
family of his own. How far his
course has affected their peace
of mind and happiness may
be judged from the follow
ing extract from the Boston Post:
"Mrs. Conkling and her daughter
are SO overwhelmed by 1t this
scapdsD that they rarely go into
society, and liveas secluded as pos
sible. Mrs. Conkling is a proud and
self-contained woman, but tell
tale lines on her face, which were
not there three years ago, betray
the fact that she is heart.broken.u
OF Sprague 1t is said that he feels
his disgrace "keenly.'. But what
anguish will come to his innocent
children in after years, when they
begin to realize that the finger of
scorn may be pointed at them, and
that they may be told that their
mother was an adulteress. But
| Conkling's amoroEs exploits did
not begin, and they will probably
not end, with the ruin of Mrs.
Kate Sprague. He broke up the
Howe family, in New York City,
and the Hayden family, in Al
bany, years ago. The happiness
of thousand cheerful homes and
the good repute of a thousand
wives and mothers, when placed in
the balance against his bestial lust,
weigh as nothing. And yet this
man occupies seat In the highest
legislative body in the United
states. He Is received into soci.
ETY.; virtuous men and women, even
innocent children, meet under the
same roof and breathe the same
air that his presence contaminates,
He practically controls the public
affairs Of the great Empire State Of
the Uuion, New York; and when
he condesceuds to show himself in
public asse N blages his appearance
Is the signal Tor tumuItuous ap
piause. And still the America u
people claim to have respect Tor
virtue aud chastity! Great God (!
now we-that Is, society-do ago.
nize when the police officers drav
out OF a house Of prostitution some
poor. misguided girl of tender
years How disturb, d becomes
our moral tile when our Madame
R-iters capture some inuocent girl
and seek to force her to lead Y life
Of shame! How shocked We are
when tragedy ike the Wheeler.
Fiilson murder brings 10 |
Iight the fact that common.
pisce people are living in
our midst who deliberately
practice adultery and foruieatlon!
How asitated We, the good people
of San Francisco and adj .uru,
places, were over the "w,cked bad.
uess" Of the young mu-ic store
clerk Of San jose, who seducsd aut
starred on the road to ruin the fair
young girl WHO, last spring, shot
herself by the side OF her dying
param our, in Oaklandi Aud 10 |
what way WAS that young mau
worse than the great and dislin-
guIshed Senator CoDkling, upon |
whom the highest honors are iav-
ished? Well, the only psreeptibIe
between the two lies in
the fact that the obscure music
store clerks power for evil is linn
tied to the circle of his personal 81
gu .intances, whilst that Of the
United States Senator extends far
beyond the women whom no per.
debauches, the innocent
whom he personally
brands with shame, and the happy
homes which he personally scat
ters 10 the winds. He Is a distin-
guished man. The eyes Of the
whole nation are on him; and
when our wives, our sisters, our
our sons and our broth
srs are brought face to face with
temptation, they turn to this lust
aden human monstrosity and say:
Here 10 q United States Senior who
openly does this thing; IL 1t were
wrong, he would not do 1t; IL 1t
we're wrong for him to do 1t, his
eliow.men would not place him in
positions of trust, responsibiIity