Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1852-09-30
Mr. Halls SneecI,.


day Of court. TO the fact of court being
in session and suitors, jurors and wit.
nesses IN considerable numbers in at.
tendance, he is indebted fora pretty good
audience, the courthouse being very
well filed.
We missed the commencement Of the
Electors speech; If the portion we beard
was fair sample Of the whole. the gen.
tleman evidently had not only bad
cause, but failed in presenting it in his
usually PLAUSIBLE and effective manner.
We have never attended Democratic
meeting so near Presidential election,
where SO little evidence was exhibited OF
sympathy between speaker anG his
audience.
Mr.. Hall made poor attempt TO apol.
ogise for Pierce voting against Rivers and
Harbors Of tile West; passed to John
Tyler; glanced at Henry Clay; fired a
broad side at Gen. Taylor; sympathized
with Mr.. Fillmore; rung the usual charg-
es on Ga!phirism, saying however not a
word about a Democratic Congress
passing and Mr.. Folks signing the Gal
phin Bill, and G. w. Crawford the Al
lorney in the Galphin case being now
staunch supporter of Pierce, and wound
up this part of his subject with the ssser-
ton that the presen, administration las
spen, almost 5000, 900 more in a time
of peace, than Mr.. Folks did in time of
war. This was pal pable misrepresenl-
alton, as this administration has had
large amount of the expenses Of that very
war to pay of, besides the vast addition
al expense of a territory nearly doubled
! in extent We refer the candid enquirer
after truth to an able article on Thu SUBJ
jecl on the first side Of this paper; from
which itappears that the expenses of this
administration for the same objects as the
preceding, have not been greater, bu,
considerably less.
We were surprised TO hear Mr.. Hall
speak in The manner he did of General
Scott. 1t certainly was in very bad
taste; and it was bad policy for him. He
canno. injure the old hero by this kind Of
talk. Disguise Ii as he may--damn him
as he attempted by faint praise, the de.
sign was apparent, to ridicule and de-
grade, so far as he could, the grey head
ed old veteran who deserves better at
the hands of his countrymen of all par
lies. To the honor of the Democratic
portion Of the audience, there was no
sign Of appreciation of, This train of re-
mark. A small effort at fun was attemp.
ted TO he made out of the compaign life
of Gen. Scott, containing representa-
lions of the battle fields OF the country.
This Mr.. III. called Comic Almanac
We could not help thinking, as he poin-
ted in apparent derision at the represen-
ialions of these memorable scenes, wher re
our brave armies led by Gen. Scott COW
cred themselves with glory, and where
SO many OF them offered up their lives
upon the altar of their country, a: the
depth ofinjus;ice to which party spirit is
capable of degrading men.
Mr.. Hall near the close of his re-
marks bethought himself of his cand-
date. He said he would conclude with
a word about Gen. Pierce, and il was a
word, in a very limited sense of The
term. He exhibited no pictures in il
Illustration OF has exploits, bu, wound up
with a story, which the result of the
! election will forcibly illustrate, in the
discovery in the Democratic party OF
that Yankee disease which Mt. Hall ma.
med but we will not.
We would not do Mr.. Hall or any
one of our opponents injustice; he has
the reputation of being man of talent,
and scholar of fair attainment, though
an old Hunker of the s,ric,esl kind; aud
we certainly expected, if anything could
be said in support Of Mr.. Pierce, and
especially Of his claims upon the West,
to hear it from Mr.. Hall. But we were
disappointed. Amos; the W hole of the
portion of his speech we heard was de-
voted to the abuse and misrepresenta.
lion of the Wing Party. and Gen. Scott;
to say nothing of his fierce assault upon
Messrs. Clagett and O'Conner behind
their backs. The very brief postscript
allotted 10 Gen. Pierce was laborcd and
unsatisfactory, devoted mainly to the
Qualification of Pierce for his alledgeG
enlistment in the ranks as common
soldier, a meritorious act to be sure, if he
really expected 10 serve there during the