The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1852-10-28
General Pierce's Exquisite sense Of
PrOprietY.


Speaking of Gen. Pierce's legal career,
his friend and bographer, Hawthorne, SAYS
alt has left few materials from which it can
be written"
The same remark may, with great propri-
ETY., be applied to the three grand divisions of
Pierce's life-the legul, the legislative, and
the military divisions. Whether he was
smallest as u lawyer, legislator, or military
character, is a question which his friends
may discuss both with pleasure and profit
Much may be said on either side, IS Sir
Roger de Coverley would say. What he
has done as a lawyer his friend Hawthorne
cannot discover, notwithstanding his many
and painful inquiries. All the world knows
that nobody ever heard Of him as legisla-
tor. He tried the House OF Representatives
for several years, and failing to make a name
tor himself in that body, he sought and Sc
cured seat in the Senate. After u few
years experience in that body, he resigned
and went home, feeling that he could very
well be spared from the legislative halls of
the nation. Then he tried himself in the
position of hero In that line, he tainted
when he ought to have fought, and nobody
knows how he would fight if he could only
keep from fainting. cay, there's the rub"
and the Democratic candidate has bad the
great misfortune always to faint precisely
ut that point of time when he was about to
cover himself with ever-blooming laurels,
and the Mexicans with prodiglous defeat.
The truth is, if we were forced to take
sides on triangular question of such amaz-
ing difficulty, we should despair of deciding
which side should be ours. We think it
likely we should toss up cent perhaps that
one with which the stick of candy was
bought, and let it decide for us. If it came
down tail up, we should then undertake to
show that he was smallest as hero-that
that portion of his life has left fewest mate
rials from which it could be written. The
materials offered by this portion of his life
are indeed few, and may thus be recounted:
He was in skirmish at the National Bridge
where nobody was killed ;he was ate Contreras
instead of falling on the enemy, fell on his
knee and sprained or somewhat damaged it;
he was at Churubusco, where he again fell
on the ground instead of the enemy, and a.
gain the battle was fought and won without
his assistance; he was at Molno del Rey,
after the battle had been fought; and was
also at Chepultepec, where he was SO un(or-
tunate as to be 50 sick that he couldn't fight.
: Thus succinctly told is the career of Gen.
} Pierce in Mexico. lie didn't hurt any
| body, and his satisfaction is even greater
; than that of the famous Murut who rcioced
that he was not aware of even having killed
man, while Pierce cRn rejoice in knowing
5 that he never tried to kill one, and that no
enemy was ever near enough during a battle
to kill him. 1t he is less legisl lator, or as a
5 lawyer that as a hero, he must certainly be
: very small indeed. His bographer tells us
that he continued to grow until he wastwen-
] ty-fve, and it may be that he may now be
5 growing in his heroic tendencies and will
come out as Il true hero yet. So far, how
ever, the heroic has not grown up in him.
$ His shrewd bographer in aluding TO the
, career of Gen. Pierce in the Senate says
D that Pierce, "with his usual tact and exquis-
! ite sense Of propriety, saw that it was not
, the time for him to step forward prominently
= on the highest theatre in the land" We
wonder when the time will arrive for him t.
5 take so gallant step! If his "CXquiste
= snse of propriety" restrained him from
, placing himself higher in the admiration o
, the public Than Clay, Webster, Calhoun
Benton, Wight, and others who where in
: the Senate while Pierce was there, we think
the same "cXIuisite sense OF propriety'
ought to have kept him out CT the Senate al
together. The great Senators whose names
VIC have mentioned are certainly very much
Indebted to Franklin Pierce's "ex1uisite
u sense Of prupriety."
But for it they would have been overshnd-
> owed, as the wing Of an eagc ovcrshadows
. a dozen tomtits' heads aud tails. Its Ger;
, tsinly the most scll-sac,ihcing incident in
" " the biography OF apy man. That Pierce
: should have been kept back by his"cxquis
it sense of propriely" from rising above
the giants Of the Senate, shows that thai
: ''exquisitc sense of proprety" was indie d u
> marvellous gift, quality, or attainment. Iti:
: well that all other great men are not bless
y ed with such an "cXquisito sense of propri-
: cty," for, if they were, then they too would
!, :, bo kept from becoming great and distin.
Il guished, and instead of rising to influence
i they would be consigned to obscurity. -
= There would be no great men if they were
n all endowed with pierce's "exquisite sense
+ of propricty." 1t is the most complete ex
n tiDguisher ever put upon big man to dwar
= him down to the proportions of mediocrity.
I, AS it was Pierces'" '"exquiSte sense OF pro.
# priety" which kept him obscure in the Sen.
+. ate. we fancyit was the same ''exqustt
sence" WHICH kept him from displaying
> soldier-likc qualities superior to those dis
n played by Scott, Worth, and--Julius Casal
). Pillow. We suppose that, just us he wa,
!, about to achieve "the bubble reputation" Al
= the "cannon's mouth" and TOWN more laur
n els stan'd with blood than anybody else wor
: his "eXquisite sense of propriety" causet
him to faint, and he fell into bitches aud OF
o "stones of red-hot lava" and remained pant
: ting and blowing in the rear of the grant
It movement, while the other Generals rushel
!. onward and gained victories. oh magma
It nmity, thy name is Franklin Pierce!--
= Louisville j Tadl. . ..
FosTER's QUARTETTE.- are mott
A fed that this company of singers will soor
/. visit Lancaster. The Marietta Republican
e thus speaks Of their performance in tina
city:
: "We attended the concert given by this com
pany last evening, and we are of the opin'
ion that it was one of the best musical en-,
tertanments we ever attended in Marietta
1 1t is worth double the price of admission tc
4 hear them sing "The Old Folks at Home,
and "Welcome to Kossuth." Go to the Liber
t ty Hall tonight, and hear them. We hope
I, there will be much larger number present
than they had last evening. Their perform
: ances are chaste and refined"
LIEUT. PORTER AND THE ADMINISTRATION
We learn from Washington, ON good author
ty, that Lieut.. Porter has not been detach-