Eastern times., 1852-10-14
The Base Slander Refuted.

The Base Slander Refuted.
Among all the unscrupulous and foul
mouthed sanderers of Gen. Pierce, there is not
one who has descended deeper in the pit of
low and mean detraction than Rev. Austin
Wiley, of the Portland Inquirer. Right in
the face of all the high and unmpeachable tes-
timony to Gen. PiERcE's private moral worth,
as neighbor and citizen, testimony from po-
litical enemies as well as friends, flowing in
unsolicited and unmeasured this wilful, dogged
defamer, keeps intently at work reiterating his
low and mean charge of drunkenness.
1t is hardly worth the while to notice such
miserable attacks from such a source; but
coming as they do from one who wears the IL
tie of Reu. and who may have an influence
with better men, it may be expedient to brand
the defamer and let him slide There is abun-
dant testimony to show, portion of which we
give on our first page, that the charge of
drunkenness against Gen. Pierce is infamously
false. He is temperance man in every re-
spect, and no respectable whig papers or speak
ers make such charge at this day. But Aus
tin Wiley, who has engaged to do the dirty
work Of the whig party, does not want the
American people 10 submit to the degradation
of having 'drunken President" He always
pretends TO see moral point in political ques-
tions. We wonder the peculiar erhileration
which JOHN P. HALE gratifes himself with
very occasionally, has escaped the observation
of this keen-eyed moralist.
But it is said Wiley has given up Hale and
is going for Scott-has been bought over with
his confidential adviser on the Kennebec, who
went TO Pittsburg free soil delegate, came
to Canada. 1t is very evident that Wiley has
for consideration agreed to give full scope to
his blackguard instincts in defaming Frank
Pierce and it is understood that he is to he on
drunkenness exclusively. Ifthe Rev. gentle
men succeeds in snarling up the whig party in
his labors for the cause as he has some of the
churches in his labors for certain kind of hy-
pocritical righteousness, the money they spend
upon him will be expenditure lost. The past
history of the man and his own obliquities,
known and read and understood in this State,
will render him of no real value to the wings,
and of no injury to the democrats.
Mr.. Wiley attempts to impair the influence
of the letter heforc alluded to, by calling Mr..
Wood ''clericaL scamp" Mr.. Wood is
gentleman of high standing in the denomina-
ton, but unfortunately, with Dr. Cummings of
Portland, goes against the radical abolitionism
of the Portland Inquirer. Wonder if the
church to which Wiley belongs considers it
according to gospel rule to call such a man as
Rev. Mr.. Wood a clerical scamp
The Argus in an article on this subject, re-
fers the honest seekers after. truth TO Rev.
Messrs Bouton and Parker, Orthodox clergy
man, Rev Mr.. Dempster President of the
Methodist Collegiate Institute, and Rev. Mr..
Caverno, Free VIII Baptist, all of Concord.
Rev. Joshua Leavitt, one of the ablest lead
ers of the free soil party, formerly editor of
the Emancipator, and now connected with Rev.
IL. w. Beecher and others in the N. Y. Inde-
pendent, said in a speech made in public
meeting the other day in New York city:
Mr.. Leavitt- Gen. Pierce is man every
where to be spoken of with respect
Rev. Mr.. Ray. (colored) i heard The 9TH
er day in Boston that he was seen drunk
Mr.. Leavitt- You heard He These and
other charges have been made against his
| private character, but those who made them
had never brought forward one respectable ,rit-
ness 10 prore them. The men who associat-
ed win him every day, and were intimately
| acquainted with his habits, declared the re-
verse to he the fact For instance, Rev.
DR.. Couton, pastor of the Congreg gational
church at Concord, who was always intimate
with Gen. Pierce, has within a few DAYS,
stated that lie never knew him to be the
worse from the effects of liquor, or that fe
used it al all. 10 fact that there was no
man in the community who bore higher
| reputation for sobriefy. 1t does not, there
FORE become us. the free democracy, to fol-
low the lead of the Greeley clique in run
ming down a man who represents any por-
ton of the democracy. This much say of
Pierce personally. M
We are aware that our democratic friends
hardly think it necessary 40 notice this base
i,I~. =. ioiarivm 10 the habits of Gen. Pierce.
Nothing good comes Of handling the vipors
ready TO fasten and fatten upon ISLANDERS violat-
ing the sacred recesses, of home, family, and
all true man holds dear Perhaps we have
devoted too much space to the subject if so,
it is our mistake. - .'"