The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-07-08

upon less troublesome considerations. But the
public speaker has another course to pursue.
He cannot pass the subject in silence, for 1t
looms up everywhere in its full proportions; he
must not slur 1t over with stale jokes, for the
people feel that it concerns their interests
deeply; he dare not deny that the charges as
they stand have truth in them, for the official
chronicle Of Congress is open to the country,
and has already been closely scanned. In
these circumstances another plan must be re-
sorted to, and that is to represent Mr.. PIERCE
as having pursued discriminating. career in
reference to mprovements-giviDg his support
to national expenditures, when they were pro-
posed, and resisting only those that were local
in their character. We have an instance of
this in speech of Judge H. V. JOHNSON at
the Macon (Ga.) ratification meeting, where
referring to Mr.. PIERcE-he is reported to have
said:
Regarding it as unconstitutional, he never ia
vored appropriations for roads, rivers, and harbors
Whilst he sanctioned judicious expenditures for
such worko were Of a nationGl character, he al
ways voted against those that local or
tional The uniformity of his course on questions
of this sort (and indeed upon all others) shows
that he was governed by fixed and well defined
principles of constitutional Interpretation. l can
not. of course, enter into detailed reference to
particular votes. One or two must suffice spe
cimens. In June, 1886, whilst he was member
of the House of Representatives, bill was intro
duced making large appropriation for the con-
tinuation of the Cumberland road. On the final
vote his name stands recorded among the nays.
again, in 1888, whilst he was in the Senate of
the United States, he gave similar vote against a
bill for precisely the same purpose"
We will not charge Judge JOHNSON with
misrepresentng this feature of Mr.. PIERcE's
history, but certainly he has misunderstood it,.
Mr.. PIERCE never recognised the distinction
imputed to him. He voted uniformly against
appropriations for carrying on public works.
Neither in the House OF Representatives nor
in the Senate did he ever vote for an improve
ment bill of any sort. He did all he could to
defeat every grant for the improvement OF har-
bors in the northern lakes-he resisted every
appropriation for improving the navigation of
the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers
he voted to arrest the construction of the Cum
berland road, and to withhold auxiliary grants
from other roads of high importance to large
sections of the country-and he even went so far
as to vote against the regular appropriations for
the construction and maintenance oflight-houses
upon the Atlantic coast. North, South. East,
and West, all had in him logged, unreasonng
adversary. His narrow faith would have sac
rifced the commerce Of the Union. He would
have had our coasts strewn with wrecks, or de-
serted by the mariner in whose breast any care
for personal safety remained. He would have
subjected our Western farmers to perpetual
blockade, lest by opening avenues to trade
cherished article of his creed should receive its
death blow. He would have had our lake nav
igation more perilous than it is, because, for
sooth, his "rgid righteousness" taught him
that grants to save life or to facilitate trade
were political sins, fraught with peril to the
orthodoxy Of his party. Mr.. PIERCE did not
condescend to give even these poor reasons for
his policy. He never deigned to PROFOUND his
views, and to justify them on any ground of
equity or expediency. All he did was to take
care that no opportunity passed neglected
which enabled him to wage war on all i'm
provements, coasting OF internal. The De-
mocracy of Georgia may therefore call upon
Judge JOHNSON for an amended version of his
apology. His present one is bold, and wi'hal
ingenious; but unfortunately it is not exactly
true.