The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-07-06
Walt Whitman as a Conservative.

Following extracts from letter written by Mr..
Charles W. Eldridgc, one of Walt Whtmans publishers
recently read the annual convention OF the Walt Whit
Fellowship in New York
L only of the Boston publishers Of Waits
third edition of Leaves of Grass but for ten years from
1868 to 1873 in Washington probably intimate
with him than person now living except perhaps Mrs
L. NJ Colder now of Providence, and then the wife Of
William D. OConnor of blessed memory. During that
period at OConnors house every night for months
time, with hardly break, and talked Of every
thing that the human mind could conceive. have often
wished that had kept diary, at least memorandum
of of these memorable conversations, Walt
then in the prime of his splendid manhood and OConnor
the most brilliant talker have heard
poet to hear.
will surprise some of Waits admirers to learn that
revealed by his conversations he OF the
conservative of He believed in the old ways lie
had faith in any reforms such, and thought that
change could be made in the condition of mankind except
by the most gradual evolution never heard him give
counenance the contentious of the Womans Rights
people; thought they namby-pamby lot a whole
and he did not believe that suffrage would 30
particular good Susan B. Anthony far from his ideal
Of fierce athletic girl" He delighted in the company
of odfshoned mothers of large families preferred
who did not talk about literature reforms No
honored motherhood true womanhood than he did
Anything like free love utterly repugnant to his mind
and he had liberation for the Mormons In the early
sixties there organization of free lovers in the upper
part of New York city we'll known those familiar with
the Bohemian life of New York In those days One Of
circle led astray and abandoned his wife and children
in Washington to join this unsavory crowd Walt met this
after this happened and he him severe
a verbal castigation received AS William
y Connor SAID, he actually knoucd him. WORDS ala NOT
adequate express his contempt for such crowd
and their practices He likewise very hostile to
thing like anarchy, communism socialism. At one
time, after the war Albert Brisbane, perhaps the ablest
exponent of Fournersm in this country spent the winter
in Washington and often visitor at OConnors and
Walt They had many talks together which listened
to, but Walt yielded inch of ground him, He
thought that any such readmade plan for recognizing
ciety ridiculous and not quite Our form Of
government he thought about good could be under
present human conditions He in favor, however Of
strengthening the executive branch which he thought not
quite powerful enough He stTenuousy opposed the i'm
parchment OF President Johnson unwsrranted attack
the independence of the executive In the headong i'm
peuosity of youth warmly in favor of it, but the
lapse of time has convinced me that Walt right
For the aboitionists he had sympathy While OPP
posed to slavery always he thought they considered the
subject too all important and incendiary in their
methods. OConnpr and /, who always ardent aboli
tonsts had many hot time" with hin this subject
OF the negro he had poor opinion He said
that there in the constitution OF the negros mind
irredeemahe fing volatile element and that he would
never amount much in the scale of civilization never
knew him have friend the negroes while he
in Washington, and he seemed for them
they for him. although he manifested any particular
aversion them. In defense of the negro capabilities
once cited to him Wendell Phillips eloquent portrait OF
Toussant Louverture, the pure-bac Haysn warrior and
statesman. He had read the lecture but thought 1t a
fancy picture much ovedawn and then he added humorous
y remember, paraphrasng Betsey Brig in Martin Chuz
zlewit, II don't believe there was no such niger"