The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-07-21
The Pierce Explosion.

|
We republish this morning from the Union
| Of the Goth instant an article, with certain let
tiers and extracts from newspapers annexed, in
relation to the reports Of an alleged speech Of
General PIERCE, made at New Boston ON the
I'd of January last, taken from the Manchester
Democrat and the Concord Democrat We
desire to place the whole matter fairly and fully
before the public. that they may form their own
conclusions on all the evidence adduced on both
sides.
The Union charges the Republic with being
engaged in conspiracy against General
PIERCE, and resorts to harsh terms and express
sons, which prove nothing except the exceed
ing alarm Of that journal at the exposition Of
General PIERcE's home opinions in regard to
slavery. "Infamous conspiracy" is easily said.
What are the facts2
We received from a correspondent at the
North two extracts from the Concord Demo-
crat, and the Manchester Democrat, purport-
ing to give an account Of the speech to which
We have above referred. The papers which
we quoted were printed months before General
PIERCE received the nomination of the Balt
more Convention, and at a time when it was
not imagined that the opinions Of that gentle
man would possess any interest beyond his i'm
mediate neighborhood. We were assured by
our correspondent that there was no doubt Of
their accuracy; that they had never been contra
dicted or questioned, though they appeared i'm
mediately after the delivery of the speech, and
one of them in well-known newspaper, pub
lshed in the town of General PIERCE's resi-
dence. All this furnished strong, and to our
mind satisfactory, prima .facie evidence of their
accuracy. We relied on the authority of t,ro
contemporaneous reports, given to the public
through two different channels, one under the
very eye Of General PIERCE, at time of high
political excitement, and neither of them pub
licly contradicted either by General PIERCE
himself, by any one with his authority, or by
any one present at the meeting at which the
speech was delivered. OF these facts we were
assured. Nothing has yet appeared TO show
that there was any contemporaneOus public
denial Of the correctness of these reports, or
any denial of them, until they were republshed
long subsequently to the nomination of General
PIERCE by the Baltimore Convention.
Under these circumstances we were justified
in believing them to be true, though they came
from wing Of the Democracy to which Gen
eral PIERCE was opposed, but which was
largely represented among the friends of his
nomina,ioh-by the VAN BURENs, P. KING,
FLOYD, RANroUL, MoLoNY, H. B. STANTON,
DIX, CAMPBELL Of Illinois, the New York
Post, the Albany Atlas, and the thousands of
Democrats who united with GlpDINGs and
CHASE in the support of MARTIN VAN buren,,
in l94S, as the Presidential nominee of the
Buffalo Convention.
SO much for the infamous conspiracy" with
which we are charged i, making this republi
cation. u
AS to the "suJden change" of our Presden-
tial candidate, it is proper perhaps that we
should say few words. Whatever may have
been our personal preferences with regard to
the WIG candidate, we said months ago that
our candidate was sure to be the nominee of
the convention, because the nominee of the
convention would be our candidate. We have
never written a paragraph which in any wise
reflected upon any one Of the distinguished
men whose names were presented in connex-
ion with the Presidency on the Wing side, or
that would prevent us from honoraby giving
any one of them our cordial and earnest sup
port as the nominee of the WIG party. We
were in position therefore to accept any can
didate Of the convention, "wi,h the resolutions
annexed"-and we were most happy that can
didate was presented whose long life of illustr-
GUS civil and military services justly challenges
not only the gratitude Of his countrymen but
the admiration of the world. Go where he
may-to regions however remote-no Amer-
can can travel where the fame of WINFIELD
ScorT has not penetrated. or where he would fail
to be proud that such man had been elevated
by the sufrrages of a free people to the highest
office in their gilt.
We will now consider very briefly the evil
dence which has been paraded with such a
flourish Of trumpets by the Union, touching
Concord Democrats.
First comes the card of one of the Senators
and two of the Representatives from New
Hampshire. They were not present at the
New Boston meeting, and therefore can state
nothing of their personal knowledge with re-
gard to the speech. Their card is Of no inter
est, except as it vouches for the responsibility
of Nh AVER and Mr.. CAMPBELL, and denies
the authority of the two Democrats as "the
organs Of the Abolition faction in New Hamp-
shire"
Then follows the letter of Mr.. AVER, of
Manchester, one Of the speakers at the New
Boston meeting. 1t states generally that the
account in question is so false and calumnous
that there could be nothing more so. This is
pretty vague and loose testimony. But Nh,
AVER goes into specifications. Here his test
mony is good as far as it goes. He says it is
wholly untrue that Mr.. PIERCE pronounced
the Fugitive Slave law CONTRARY to moral