Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-09-01
ROBERT O. fsaEss0tt,s fSfiDRtffY
ACCOUNTED FOR.

ROBERT O. fSGEss0tt's fNffDktffY
ACCOUNTED FOR
Robert G. Ingersoll, the bold, blatant and
blasphemous infidel. has been treated with
great consideration by the Christian people
of the country. They have assumed that,
although grossly wrong In his opinions and
offensive In his utterances, he was sincere
and was at least an honest unbeliever and
disbelieyer, and many have indulged the
hone that he was already struggling
against growing conviction that
he was in error and would
ultimately come out into the light and
make amends by advocating the truth. II
seems however, that Mr.. Ingersoll has not
been convinced by the process of reasoning,
but that he is simply a sorehesd. Mr..
william Reynolds, of Peoria, ILL.,, presi-
dent of the International Sunday school
Association, is an old neighbOr of Mr..
Ingersoll. and recently gave an &C
count of his career, Ito re-
porter of the assembly Herald, at
Chautauqua,) which shows precisely
what ails the great infidel. We met Mr..
Reynolds, who is an old friend of Mr.. Will
liam Rodgers and Rev. James L. Rodgers.
of this city, and know him to be man Of
unquestioned veracity and very high per-
sonal character.
Mr.. Reynolds gave an account of the
causes of Mr.. Ingersolrs failure to receive
the republican gubernatorial nomination,
when he was a candidate. He says that,
in 1867, a German picnic was held one Sun
day afternoon. across the river from Peo-
ria. He had already become known as a
free-thinker and had been very free with
his sneers, but it was on this occasion that
lie made his first open and violent assault
upon Christianity.
1t appeared that newspaper reporter
was present, and. Is result Of his vigilant
and timely work, the entire speech was
printed in the next mornings edition of the
Peoria Daily Transcript. As a
matter of course it excited
much comment, and Mr.. Reynolds
went to the counting-r room to secure . few
extra copies. The edition, however, was
exhausted, but Mr.. Reynolds succeeded in
having one hundred additional copies struck
off. These he salted down for future use.
The next year Mr.. Ingersoll was the
most prominent Of several candidates. The
convention was to be held in Peoria, Mr..
Ingersoll's place of residence, and II was
believed by his friends that local pressure
could be brought to bear In his favor. just
before the day Of the convention the lead
ing hotel Of the city was burned, and when
the delegates arrived they were distributed
about among the citizens to be lodged
and fed. There proved to be local press
ure, indeed, but 1t was not of the kind de-
sired by Mr.. Ingersoll, for, the night before
the convention, these old copies of the
Transcript, containing Mr.. Ingersoll's
speech to the Germans, were brought out and
placed in the hands of delegates.
The result of this was that a meeting of
delegates was held. previous to the opening
OF the convention and the contents of speech
made known. At the same time Metho-
dist conference was in session at Chicago
Bishop Simpson presIding-and the Bishop,
having seen copy of the Transcript and
read the speech, announced his intention of
taking the stump against Ingersoll should
he receive the nomination.
When the convention had done its work
it was found that Mr.. Ingersoll had been
left in the lurch; Gen. Palmer having been
nominated.
From that time Mr.. Ingersoll was open
and bitter in his attacks on Christianity.
The next year Gen. Grant was elected to
the presidency, and Mr.. Ingersoll was an
asplrant for high position, but Bishop
Simpson went to the president with copy
of IngersolI's infidel speech, and he got
nothing.
A few years later Mr.. lngersoll's splen-
did speech, in nomination of Blaine, at
Cincinnati, gave him national notorlety and
fame, but Gen. Hayes was nominated and
elected. and when Mr. Ingshll desired to
be minister to Germany, the old Peoria
speech materialized once more, and his
hopes were blasted. Thus it seems that at
the bottom of Mr.. Ingersolrs virulent and
brutal attacks upon Christianity, lie these
repeated personal sights, the fruit of his
own fool-hardiness and wantonness In
attacking an institution which is the very
foundation and the most efficient element
Of strength and prosperity, in our Ameri-
can system and our modern civilization.
And, let it be added, Mr.. Ipgersoll has be-
come SO irritable and violent that he has
lost his personal following. to very large
degree, and has become. in fact, a spent
force.
ST4GG, THE PITCHER