The Writings of Carl Schurz/To Henry C. Bowen, August 6th, 1884
TO HENRY C. BOWEN
Last Monday I was in the office of the Independent at the instance of your son who desired me to look at an article written by Dr. Ward upon the Cleveland scandal. I did so and found that the article was based upon information which entirely coincided with that which I had received from Buffalo myself. The conclusions to which Dr. Ward had come seemed to me also entirely justified, and I was rejoiced to see reason to hope that the Independent would give its powerful aid in guiding the conscience of the country by positive advice through the acknowledged difficulties of the present situation. I need not say that I was greatly disappointed in not finding the article in the number of the Independent which appeared to-day, and considering the large number of people who are looking to the Independent for counsel, and some of whom had already been led by me to expect positive advice now, I cannot help thinking that its non-appearance is a public misfortune so great that I cannot refrain from writing you about it.
The cause we are engaged in is the cause of honesty in politics. The election of a man like Mr. Blaine would be such an encouragement to the base and rapacious impulses apt to govern the conduct of politicians, it would so demoralize the public mind and open the floodgates of corruption so wide, that it is no exaggeration to say the success of our free institutions is at stake. I carried out that idea, which unquestionably is the true issue of this campaign, in a speech which I delivered last night at Brooklyn. I may say that I am convinced all the great vital questions of the anti-slavery struggle are in this, and while in the anti-slavery struggle we could wait, a defeat in this present contest would be a decisive one and produce consequences which cannot be obliterated.
I think I am not wrong in believing that the present silence of the Independent is owing to the scandals recently told about Mr. Cleveland by some newspapers. I understand also that the investigation carried on by Dr. Twining comes to the same conclusion at which other investigators of the same case have arrived, and that the only thing of importance it leaves standing in the case is the charge of bastardy. I would certainly not ask and expect you to make light of this charge. But what alarms me and what would greatly distress other friends of good government is the apprehension, that your laudable desire to vindicate and promote virtue in all private relations might be allowed to stand in the way of your making your great influence felt in behalf of the great cause of public virtue in the present pressing emergency. You will certainly not fail to see that if this cause does not receive the full support of those devoted to it now, the consequences will be so disastrous to the whole American people that no good man in a position of influence will like to share the responsibility for having checked the movement for honest government now going on, on such grounds.