The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-01-13
miscellaneous.
A TERRIFIc BLAST ON CoNKL1Ne,

uelu mObC lnJlmate IrlenQs, mas an ed
itorisl on Lord Roscoe which is the SEN
sation Of Washington. The editc rial is
as follows:
This scandal, although affecting hus
band and wife so widely known, and
once leading lights in the fashionable
world, would lose its interest in the
proverbial nine days, Mrs, Grundy to
the contrary Notwithstanding, were it
not that the central figure is a tremend.
GUS swell in the political world. The
fact is, all right minded, sound.hearted
people would hasten to forget the pain
ful matter but for this central figure.
VIM. Sprague has past that endears him
to the popular heart He was a gallant
solGier during the late war, and as a
Senator, although millionaire, he mark
J ed his efforts as a law.maker by sym.
pathy with an effort to benefit the labor
of the country, and he is the only man
of that grave body through all the time
since its organization who has left US a
speech condensed into a sentence. He
did this when he said "There is moth.
ing more cruel, despotiC and selfish than
a million ofdollars, unless it be million
and half" Mrs. Sprague is the daugh>
ter of one of our greatest men. She is
what is left to us of Salmon P. Chase,
and the beautiful, charming and aCcomp.
lished Kate Chase. The men whose
vulgar tongues and dirty mouths are
noisy with her poor name are, some of
them, men who have been speaking in
her presence with bated breath and
awkward humility, as if in the presence
of a queen, crowned by natury with low
illness, as by right divine, with power
born through many generations of king
ly lineage. The fall of these two would
make all men who respect their mothers
and love their children turn sorrowfully
away with closed mouths to wipe it all
ont as something too painful for human
thought, bui for the brazen-faCed wretch
who is the sole cause of all this shame.
God might have made more despic
abe wretch than Roscoe Ccnkling, but
He never did. There have been wickeder
men, but never one who covered his
wiCkedness with such meanness and
cowardiCe. These words are not writ
ten in the impatienCe of anger. They
ara selected and printed advisedly, and
IT fleet the feeling of all men, even the
miserable dependents who ruu whoop.
ing after this creature for the moldy
bread his political favor gives their fam
lilies. 1t was The Capital that first gave
printed circulation TO story that had
long been whispered with mods and
winks about corridors, Hobbies, clubs,
hotels, and sam mple.rooms. We did not
mean it, We had reference to quite an
other and harmless affair. But the
s,direCted spark fred the magazine, to
even our Cwn surprise and sorrow. But
If the information of a scandal connect
ing his name with that of this poor lady
had not reached the ears of the male
lluldl bOlOlDy ~ bIIuCh lllb Gy co JuOus
For the newspapers, that he searches
daily to find mention of himself, were
spiCed with gossip. A right thinking,
healthy hearted man would have accept.
ed the warning, and by his conduct Civ.
en- the liz to his abuser Not he. The
poor vain creature delighted, nay reveled
ia his shame. To have it said that he
had Fascinated such brilliant woman of
the world, such a queen of society, filed
him with delight, and he fastened to
afi -m, through his conduct, all that had
been limited or charged. The people of
! Was shingtOn, the brother members of
the Senate, the very messengers, ser.
wants and haCkmen Can bear us out in
this. If there was ever DOUBT before
of ConkliDg's criminal intercourse with
the wife of William Sprague, Conkling
hastened to solve that doubt against the
poor lady. He wrote adulteress upon
her seat in, the gallery of the Senate,
along the dimly lit corridor, on her car
riaee, on her home, and smiled in vain
delight when he saw the evil.tongued
mob fasten upon and read the loathsome
word. William Sprague had been over.
/ ghhOh Wy OAuOl lhAbAOlluACp, 4lO uho 4ull-
en-, through no fault of his own, from his
high estate, socially, politically and com.
mercially. He lost his seat in the Sen.
ate. He lost his fortune, and, blindly
striking out amid the wreck, saw his
palaces, equipages, servants, all disappear,
and the sunshine sycophants Of the hour
fade away. He gathered his family and
their poor remainings together, placed
them in the rude house his creditors
could not touch, because left his wife by
her honored father, and went out to bat.
Tle with fate. This was the home Conk.
ling entered. These we're the pitiful cir.
cumstanCes that smoothed his way, and
this is the man, the chosen leader of
faction, the owner of State, a leading
law-maker in the Senate, who could in
wade suCL a dwelling, and bring shame
on such family.
A learned judge in commenting upon
this terrific editorial said II do not see
how Conkling could remain silent under
that editorial. If were the subject Of
that editorial l would kill the writer or
never again expect to hold up my head
among decent men," An Ohio official
holding high position said "You have
no idea Of the feeling in our State
against Conkling on account of this
Sprague affair. We all feel that he has
dragged down one Of the most honored
names in our State and degraded in the
vile slough Of his society the fame Of one
of our society queens. His pursuit Of
Mrs. Sprague, when he knew that his at.
tentions made her the laughing stock Of
Washington, has had much to do with
Mr.. hayes's dislike of Conkling and his
desire to break down his political power
in New York. l know that Gen. Gar.
field has the same feeling of indigna.