The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-09-30

and strength of intellect that is claimed for this
gentleman in the little book before u.s. This, them
lie our idea of him as a member of the House: He
was an ardent lover of his party. His attachments
and powers were exceedingly good, and he used
them to the utmost of his ability to forward the
views Of his idol, who sat about mile from him, In
the form and features of Andrew Jackson
TWAS W hiic in the House that Mr. Piercesupported
the veto of the " Maysville Road BILL" This was
of a series of public works that had been fos
tered by John Quincy Adams, and had, according
to our author, " attained gigantic growth at the
close of his administration" He proceeds: " The
estimate of works undertaken or projected at
the commencement of Jackson's administration
amounted to considerably more than a hundred
millions of dollars" For this broad statement we
expected to take MIR. Hawthorne's ipse diIit
since he neither makes quotation nor directs
us 10 one single authority. But let II be well
marked, these hundred and odd millions were for
works undertaken projected! How many
were actually under way! That 10 the real
question for Us, and to it we lind no answer
here. We might fairly make a counter broad
statement, under wing of our author's and say that
only some fifteen twenty OF these hundred
aud odd millions were for enterprises really going
on and all the rest of the expenditure was mer,
probability.
Our specuatng biographer makes an argument
against this expenditure Ito forhfy Pierce's oppo-
sition to it, which comes forward after a little)
which is simply ridiculous. He says: "This enor-
mous sum''-whch seems to rise like Mount
Athos before his vision-"this enormous sum was
to pass through the agents and officers of the Fe-
deral Governmental means Of political corrup-
ton not safely to be trusted even in the purest
hands''
Now, this argument would hold against collect
ing the annual mi!!0us Of revenue. 1t would hold
against the voting Of enormous appropriations
every winter. 1t would hold against all public
enterprises and payments whatsoever. And in
that it would do away with all these, without
which we would have no Government at all; the
position is palpably absurd. We should like Mr.
Hawthorne to show us any public money that docs
not pass through the hands of Government agents.
But he has hardly given vent to this proposition
before he makes another statement Of the same
case, if possible ridiculous still. "This dis
ease, ;" he experimenting internal improvements
"would have soon destroyed the individuality Of
the States, and have rendered our national CAPT
tall ultimately, like Rome of DID, where the high
ways of the whole world met!' This ia the most
humping piece of nonsense We recollect to have
met with. 1t ia sad evidence of what antics
this subject has been party issue this long while,
but we venture to say that never before did any
such idea as this occur TO any friend enemy Of
the system; nor do that it is any the better
tor its originality We will not stop to make
exposition Of its hllacy, that will be on the tongue
of every reader.
After these two profound dives into political phi
osophy, author proceeds to state, that from his
opposition to the Maysville BILL it is not to be in
ferred that Mr. Pierce was or ia opposed to certain
forms ofinternal improvements. But Mr.. Haw-
horne in trying to avoid setting his friend at points
with the policy generally, misrcpresents and mis-
states this policy, and then says he opposed to
this! Here it is:
ale doubted, indeed, the power of Congress to
undertake building roads through the wilderness.
ope ming unfreQuented rivers, to create commerce
tDhere IL did not eryt."
Now no mortal ever conceived and advocated
such u policy is set down as opposed by Mr..
Pierce in this paragraph. The assertion that the
Wing policy ever was to improve wldernesses,
merely for improvements sake, is false Here is
the theory the party has always advocated: wher
ever, in the length and breadth of our land, there
is place where commerce can be fairly started
place where there is lively and increasing pop
ulatlon "a place where enterprise, industry, and
spirit show themselves the force and energy
for brick trade are already uIated, could
be brought together; there let the proper chan
nels be afforded for this energy to work; let every
natural advantage be improved, and let art be in
troduced where nature has not provided; thus let
commerce be created where it does not exist, and
the wilderness be converted into a dwelling place.
This is what MIR. Hawthorne means by the absurd
sentence above; and this is the great theory of the
Wing party, which Mr.. Pierce denies is within
-
Our author endeavors to help his friend out of his
anti improvement position by saying that he would
not be opposed to remouing obsructions where COM
nerce actually exists But this is but small part
of what is meant by "internal improvements"
The cesence of the whole theory is to watch
fully for every chance for spreading commerce
TO seize every opportunity and stamp it forever,
and thus enrich the nation by developing its innate
resources Our hero would have huge snag pulled
out of the Mississippi Ohio rivers but he couldn't
go much farther, because then, says Mr.. Haw-
throne, VIC would soon have another Roman em-
pire down upon us
The next act Of Mr. Pierce which his biographer
notices is his opposition to the West Point Acado-
my. He has, it seems, expressed sorrow for this
course, since he saw in Mexico how the graduates
of that national institution can manage a battle.
Mr.. Hawthorne inters, that since his hero has
pressed no regret for his political course on any
other question, therefore his conscience and reason
sanction every such course. We hope this is true,
though we acknowledge our inability to see its
logical necessity. But after deducing such infer
cnces as this in his book, Mr. Hawthorne need not
have told US in his preface how little of poIiti
clan he is.
We nre informed (page 3l) that it was while in
the House "that Pierce took that stand on the sub
ject of slavery from which he has never since
swerved hairs breadth" He may be as sound
as any man CAN who has been born and raised
and has lived nearly half century in the ex-
IRENE North Yet he cannot, in our opinion, have
those feelings with regard to it that part of the
sentiments prejudces, if you will, IF every
man who has been reared in its midst, and been
familiar with it from his infancy. To make any
other superstition, is to suppose what is contrary to
human nature.
MIR. Pierce's next chance to display "his genuine
ability" and innate force was the floor of the Uni
ted States Senate, where he obtained his seat in
lS37-bavng served out four years in the House.
There noble circle there, as the author we'll
esys CLAW. Webster Calhoun Silas Wright