The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-09-03
4 PuDLIC CHARACTER,

The High Standard by Whlcl, It Is to be
a ~ aIcasuro,l. 75.gf
Rtr. DR.. llm. iikmdltn ", J.. Erangelist. q gt!i s
| took up just now ior little Saturday
afternoons reading, Burke's speech or
s'Thc Bristol Election" Il was impelled
to stop for a few minutes with tho book
before me, while ! thought Of ono passage
in it as it reads in the light Of to-day In
that remarkable speech fuller perhaps
than any speechwith which l am acquain-
ted OF admirable and wise thought, clothed
in strong, incisiye words, and Illuminated
with figures perfect in taste and sunlight
in cicarness-hc is explaining TO his con-
stituents his political action iii Parliament,
with which they had found fault. +.
But The says] must first beg leave lust
to hint to YOU that wo may suffer very
great detrimcnt BY being open to every
talker. ~. 1t ian inquiry into
conduct must be with discretion, and
With attention to all the circumstances
and 10 all the motives like sound Judges,
and not like caytiliug pcttiloggers and
quibbling preachers, prying into flaws and
hunting for exceptions. Look, gentle
men, to the nhole Tenor. Of your members
conduct. Try whether his ambition or
his avarice have jostled him out OF the
straisht line Of duty, or whether that
grand foe OF the offices of active life, that.
master-vice IN men Of busiless-a desen-
crate and inglorious sloth-has made him
flag and anguish iii his course. This is
the object OF our inquiry. Ii our members
conduct can stand this touch, mark 1t for
sterling. He may have fallen into errors;
he must have fallen into faults but our
error is greater, and our fault is radically
ruihous to ourselves, if we do not bear, ii
we do not even applaud, the whole com
pound and mixed mass OF such charac-
ter. Not to act thus is iolly-I had almost
said it is impiety. lie eSasares God uho
Guards ,rith The impe!jlclious OF men. ( 4
The italics ! find in the printed speech.
~ AS / read these words, I wonder at the
utteranccs which have read OF late even
by good men, III their dcnunciation Of Mr..
Blaine. My sense OF manlincss and honor
is shocked by the accusations-unbac
by proof, and built only on vague reports
lin the public prints. Has any man the
I right thus to assail reputation, even il tile
victim be 4 candidate for Office? But that
was not the point that was before me-
sI4ook, gentlemen, to the ,rhole tenor Of
your members conduct, cxclaims Burke
Do these persons so look p Hero is an otIi-
cial lilo which has been before the country
for this quarter. !ofa century. What has
been its ",wholei tenor" Who can deny
that it has been for the honor, advance.
mcnt, purity OF government, the good OF
this people, and the enlargement OF tho
country's power and prestige? In what
scheme tending to the retardation Of cdu.
cation, OF home life, or business, ofmaterial
or moral good, has tho srttp and drJtoithis
mans actions been found? Here has been
q life with nothing OF degenerate and in
glorious sloth" in it, full OF intense and
4 leading activities; but where have their
intensity gone but to the good OF this ma
ton, ut least in manifest intention ? Grant
4, land i am entirely willing to do ~ that
this man has been ambitious OF the APP
i ptduse and honors which his countrymen
{ might give him; but hus the DRIFT OF it
been except in the ono direction Of what
was intended to make this country strong?
The whole tenor, 1t seems to me, has
been in that direction. "a
: HE may have fallen into errors; he
must have fallen into faults; but our error
, is greater, and our fault is radically ruin.
! Gus to ourselves, We do not bear, il we
,, do not even applaud, the whole compound
and mixed mass OF such character,
{ The words were spoken 4 hundred and
four years. ago, but they seem to me living
: and with clear finger pointing now. NJ
[tt5slttE - ,..-.- =. a. s7 so