Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-16
a FRANK STATEMENT.

One or two newspapers appear greatly
exercised over the fact that the Journal
declared that it believed letter atfribu-
ted to Senator ingalls, misrepresented
him, was forgery and q distorted rep
resentation. These papers have begun
to call names and otherwise disport
themselves in a manner quite as foolish
as the penchant they have developed for
publishing private letters, and getting
themselves into all sorts of positions en-
barrassing for them and their friends.
Senator Ingalls, himself, it will be no
ticed, has given the matter no attention,
further than to plainly pronounce the
alleged letter forgery. This was quite
right, but the political enemies of tho
senator were greatly grieved because he
gave the matter no more concern and
did not worry over a trivial matter that
his opponents wished magnified to his
discontinue if possible.
A few days ago the editor Of this paper
received a letter from the senator. As it
contained frank and clear statement
and also an interesting explanation of a
paragraph In the Forum article, the SEN
ator was asked to allow its publication,
particularly as the publication of the
statement was only matter OF justice
to him, and would give pleasure to his
friends. Under these circumstances, the
senator saying he had no objection to the
publication, what he says is herewith
given:
1.-The publication imputed to me was
shameless and impudent forgery. 1t was
a CARRIED and mutilated recollection, dis
torted and seasoned by malicious omis-
slonS and interpretations, of private let
ter. Coney wrote me that he considered
my Forum paper below par from the
literary point of view, and not equal to
my reputation as writer regarded it
myself as commonplace and hardly
up to concert pitch, and in good
humored way | said l didn't
think much of it myself, but that
it was the best | could do under the
circumstances: the circumstances being
that one of my children had been criti-
cally i'll at the time. SO that | was in such
mental distress and anxiety that | was
hardly in a condition to work or study at
all. L jocularly alluded to different
comments that had reached me, but said
nothing about being 'on the fence, nor
was there any intimation of insipcerity.
nor any expression from which il could
be inferred that entertained opinions; at
variance with those declared over INV
signature. The incident is trivial and
unimportant.'
The closing paragraph of my pa per |
was variation of the idea that no evil |
is destroyed till it is replaced by good. /
The saloon and the distillery crafty |
certain inherent and ineradicable though |
morbid and misdirected appetites and /
instincts of human nature, which in |
some form or other Will have indul- |
gence. Unless enlarged opportunities |
are afforded by the church, the |
school, the home, the reading room, the
coffee house and places of public amuse-
ment and resort, for recreation, for |
enjoyment, for the happiness which
flows from companionship, for moral
elevation, for the activity of the higher
energies of the soul, the reformation is
incomplete. 1t will be followed by dis
astrous relapse and the last state of the
man will be worse than the first.
The seven devils mentioned in holy
writ. entered the house because it was
empty. The first devil was elected by
his landlord | suppose because he broke
the windows, burned the fences for
kindling wood, let the weeds grow in the
garden, paid no rent and was bad ten
ant generally.
After the house was swept and garn-
lshed, if the premises had been promptly
leased TO industrious, careful and respon-
slbie tenants, when the seven devils rang
at the door bell and were Informed bv
the maid that the place was occupied,
they would have dropped their tails be-
tween their legs and departed; so the
last state OF the man would have been
better than the first.
kansas has expelled the devil of the
saloon. The house has been swept and
garnished, and is empty. The habitual
Joint, the professional boot-legger. the
duplex drug store, secret indulgence,
perjury, hypocrisy and contempt of law,
are the seven devils that are looking
around for an unfinished residence.
The conscience of New England was
not thoroughly aroused to the immor-
ality of African slavery till it ceased TO
be profitable, and the north did not
finally determine TO DESTROY the system
till it threatened their industries and
political supremacy.
The latest fake in Lawrence is for a man
to appear at your door with package and
claim p or 80 cents as express. He most
Il