Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-05
r. G.. INGERSOLL
In His Own Defense-The Gentleman
Denies the Charge OF Plagiarism
Made in the
Appeal of January 29th, and Asks to be
Set Right-The Facts in the
Case.
WAsHIyGToS, b. C., February "a, Is,

WAsHISGToS, b. C., February "A, 1852.
To the Editors OF the Memphis Appeal:
In your paper Of January 90, 1882, Is an
article entitled 'Ingersoll and Religion" In
which / am charged with blasphemy. | take
it for granted that you do not wish to circu-
late falsehood, and | hereby inclose you
the facts II you feel like doing NE justice,
you can publish this, and | shall be much
obliged. For several months charges have
appeared, mostly in christian papers,
that l am guilty oil appropriating the
writings of others and palning them
off my OVID. 1t Is charged that
| delivered . speech Temperance"
IN which used the language of another and
pretended that it was original. The facts
concerning this foolish and malicious charge
are as follows: In 1876, in the course Of my
argument in the Mum trial at Chicago, l
used the following language:
al believe, gentlemen, that alcohol, to
certain degree demoralizes those who make
it, those who sell il, and those who drink 1t.
| believe from the time il issues from the
coiled and poisonous worm OF the distillery
until it empties into the he'll OF crime, death
and dishonor, it demoralizes everybody that
touches it. | do not believe that anybody
can contemplate the subject without becom-
ing prejudiced against this liquid crime.
All you have to do, gentlemen, Is to think
of the wrecks upon either bank of this stream
Of death-of the suicides, of the insanity, OF
the poverty, of the ignorance, of the dis
tress, of the little children Juggling at the
faded dresses of weeping and despairing
wives, asking for bread; OF the men of genius
it has wrecked; of the millions who have
struggled with imaginary serpents produced
by this devilish thing. And when you think
of the jails, of the almhouses, of the prisons,
and OF the scaffolds upon either bank, / do
not wonder that every thoughtful man is
preiudiced against the damned stuff called
alcohol"
This is the only temperance speech l ever
made. A year or so after this some temper
ance lecturer appropriated what l said in
the Mum trial, and also the following from
some one else:
"Iutemperance cuts down youth in its
yigor, manhood in its strength, and age in its
weakness. 1t breaks the fathers heart, be-
reaves the doting mother, extinguishes natu-
raj affections, grasses conjugal love, blots out
6lial attachments, blasts parental hopes, and
brings down mourning age in sorrow to the
grave. 1t produces weakness, not strength;
sickness, not health; death, not life. 1t
makes wives widows, children orphans,
fathers fsnds-and all of them 'paupers and
beggars. 1t feeds rheumatism, nurses govt,
welcomes epidemic, invites cholera, imparts
pestilence, and embraces consumption. 1t
covers the land with idleness, misery and
crime. 1t fills your jails, supplies your
almshouses, and demands your asylums. 1t
engenders controversies, fosters quarrels and
cherishes riots. 1t crowds your penitentia-
ries and furnishes victims to your scstfolds.
1t is the fe-blood of the gambler, the ali
ment of the burglar, the prop OF the
highwayman, and the support of the mid
night incendiary. 1t countenances the liar,
respects the thief, and esteems the BIAS
phemer. 1t violates obligations, reverences
frauds, and honors infamy. 1t defames be-
nevolence, hates love, scorns virtue, and
ISLANDERS innocence. 1t incites the father TO
butcher his helpless offspring; helps the hus-
band to massacre bis wife, and the child to
grind the parricidal ak. 1t burns up men,
consumes women, detests life, curses God,
and despises heaven. 1t suborns witnesses,
nurses perjury, defles the jury-box, and
stains the judicial ermine. 1t degrades the
citizen, debases the legislator, dishonors the
statesman, and disarms the patriot. 1t
brings shame, not honor; terror, not safety;
despair, not hope; misery, not happiness;
and with the malevolence of a 6end it calmly
surveys its frightful desolation-and, unsat-
isfed with its havoc, it poisons felicity, kills
peace, ruins morals, blights condolences, Stays
reputation, and wipes out national houors
then curses the world and laughs at its ruin.
1t does all that and more-it murders the
soul. 1t is the sum of villinies, the father
Ol All CrlIuts, the HotheT Ol dpOmludliOnS,
the DEVILS best friend and Gods worst
enemy"
These two pieces-one taken from me and
the one Just quoted-were put together and
published as one piece. Somebody recog-
nized the frs. part as mine and charged that
the whole had been stolen from me. paper
was sent me in which both pieces appeared
as mine. / at once disclaimed all author
ship and knowledge of the second piece, but
admitted that the first part was mine. /
have made this explanation hundreds of
times, but the charge is still made. Now |
wish to say that the first article is mine, and
L will give $1,000 reward to anyone who will
show that it is not original.
As to the second article: will give the
same amount to any one who will show that
1 ever pretended that l was the author; that
| ever uttered it, or wrote it, or repeated it,
or published it, or claimed it directly or in
directly, as my own. Some persons without
my authority have pretended to publish my
lectures. Rhodes & Mcclure, of Chicago,
have published book filled with pretended
sayings of mine. In that book this temper
ance speech appears. l commenced suit TO
enjoin them not only, but wrote them that the
second part OF the temperance speech was not
mine and requested them not 10 publish it as
such. Hundreds of times / have discaimed
the authorship of this piece. Persons who
know my religious opinions ought to know
that under no circumstances could | be the
author, and that under no circumstances
could | afford to appropriate the language
of others without giving full credit. Hoping
that you will have the justice to print this
denial, remain, yours truly,