Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1852-10-20
Trickery Exposed.
MANcHrsrrR. N. H. Sept. g

GENrLEEN In the Manchester american and
in several other papers, have been published
documents, or certificates, numerously signed
and intended as an answer to the letter
which I, in conjunction with few Cath
olics Of Concord, addressed to Mr.. White, Of
Milwaukee, generating Gen. Pierce from the
charge Of inactivity or Indifference in relation
to the abroga,ion test
! deem it duty to myself and to the signers
Of that letter to show how those counter state
men;s were manufactured. Before doing SO,
must premise
LIST. This is my fifth year in Manchester, Con
cord, &c, and during that time have never,
in any way. interferred in elections. Yet !
have atteniivey, watched the movements of
the political parties in this State, and partieu-
iarly when the convention for revising the con-
stitution was in session. As a Catholic, l was
interested in at least one measure before that
body. Hence read and filed the daily reports
OF its proceedings. From these, it was evident
that Woodbury. and Pierce exerted themselves
strcnuousiy for the removal of the test.
I'd. When Gen. Pierce was SO unexpectedly
nominated as the candidate Of one party, he
was at once accused. by certain notorious par
tsan. Of being the principal. if not the sole
cause Of the failure. on the pan 81 the people,
to abolish the test. This accusation, so astound.
ing to honest men in this sestion Of the eoun
try. who knew Gen. Piercs ha1 Isbored ssal.
ously in behalf = Issia -
that some -
TIC Catholics ! 4 y d L Y H. ~
sions which this most untrue charge was likely
to create. 1t was nothing to me how Catholics
voted. but was not willing that party hacks
should be permitted. with impunity to trade
upon what they called the Catholic vote
Sd Yet il seemed to me, that as the Catho.
lie press throughought the country promptly
exposed this unworthy artifce for entraping
the votes of Catholics, all had been done that
was required under the circumstances Yct,to
the establishment of all persons here in New
Hampshire. who are not totally blinded by
party ties, the same charge was repeated-for
the western market suppose. as few persons
in this quarter would be deceived by the story
unless, perhaps. such persons are not only will
ling but determined to be deceived.
Mr.. White. of Milwaukee, wrote 10 some friend
in New Hampshire, that this repetition of the
charge against Gen. Pierce was indust-iously
circulated in the west. A few Catholics in
Concord, who were supposed to know some
thing about the matter, were requested to state
what they knew. Accordingly they affixed
their names to the White letter But it was
brought to me, and was requested to certify
that the names appended to that document
were names Of Catholics living in Concord.
not only complied, but also knew that
Gen. Pierce had been shamefully bcied in this
matter, l added my testimony to theirs. Its
true that do not fully agree politically, with
the party which has nominated General Pierce
but respect the man. knew that he had
done all that man could do in our behalf, and
that hence he was grossly eliminated ] saw
that the votes Of Catholics were made into stock
In the vilest ofall markets-the political mar
ket-and apart from the indignation which
Catholic would naturally feel under the circum-
stances, felt that common gratitude required
from us, the Catholics from New Hampshire, "A
clear recognition of the fact that Genera, Pierce
had truly and zealously labored in our be half
and, If he failed to command the State in this
matter, the fault was not his.
certainly supposed that the matter so very
simple in Itself, would rest here No question
would have been raised about it if Gen. Pierce
had not been nominated-no question will be
raised about it three months hence. It seems
however that the document signed by me and
the unanimous testimony of the Catholic ma.
pers' well nigh destroyed what the Pilot calls
the trap for Catholic votes II was resolved to
mend the trap. So Mr.. Cooney. of ALBANY.
an Irish Catholic, i believe visited New Hamn-
shire. His object was to get up a counter doc.
ument, signed by Irish Catholics. An other
partisan, whom need not name, was also in
terested in the matter. The result was, that
documents numerously signed, were obtained
from Manchester, Dover and other towns. As
brownson,in his number for the present month
speaking Of this very matter, says the fools
are not all dead yet and new brood is hatch.
ed every year. The persons who got up these
counter certificates regard the Catholic voters
as fools. | suppose. had determined to be-
stow no attention upon the matter; but, upon
reading the documents in question, found,
not only that they contained contradictory
statements-a thing which did not concern me
but that they Were intended as an impeach
ment OF the truth of the certificate signed by
me-nay The documents insinua:e that our sig
natures were not all genuine or course NV
honor was here concerned
know something about the manner in which
the signatures were obtained in Manchester
and Concord. Few, believe of the sipners
are voters. When / state that Manchester Isl
wing city that it is supported by corporations
lis alive with factories, boundaries and ma.
chine establishments-I suppose that state
no new thing when say that many Of the ON.
eratives. in matters Of this sort, act nader :
species Of moral restr1fnt.
What inducement sutIiced to bring Mr.. Coon
ey all the way from Albany. to help the Cath
olcs of this State to settle their own affairs. 1
will not stop to inquire. Perhaps he is person.
ally interested in the defeat OF Pierce. Perhaps
Mr.. Robinson is-for he al,o, although he has
no part or lot with us. kindly undertook n ;opr.