The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1852-09-10
John s. Pettitt,s Speech.

or all low, dirty, contemplate speeches,
ever we had the misfortune to hear, that
made by John s. Petit, of Lafayette, in this
city, last Wednesday night, was certainly
the lowest, drtiest, and most contemptble.
in every loathsome form and feature. Never
before was the decency and intelligence of
the citizens of Evansville more grossly in
suited and shocked, we venture to say, than
by this exhibition of moral and political cor
ruption, in one whose position as State Elec
tor should have secured an Indiana communi-
ty from such an insult, but whose notoriety
for infidelism, blackguardism and drunken
ness, made such an exhibition appropriate TO
the man and anticipated by those who know
him. That such speech could do the least
possible injure to the party to which it was
opposed, is as ridiculous in supposition as
that judging John Pettitt by his speech, he
could privately be an honest man, or knowing
him privately to suppose that he could make
any other than low, filthy, BLACKBOARD
speech. We but express the voice of the
mass of Wings present, that the speech will
do the Wing party more good, than any half
dozen Wing speeches which have been made
here this campaign-and we know we ex
press the opinion of at least dozen respecta-
bic Democrats, when we say that through
out, the speech was disgusting, and a dis
grace to the Democratic party land would have
been disgrace to the speaker, if he occupied
position which might permit him to be dis
graced by that which would make infamous
any man pretending to honesty or common
decency.
From beginning to end, and full two hours
long, it was tissue of vile personalities
without single allusion to the present min
ctptes OF the parties or of their candidates.
1t was "Pettitt larceny" of every thing
vile and rascally in the English language, and
vicious and corrupt in the lowest passions of
human nature perverted. The language
alone, rightfully might have disguised anv
nearer, by its low vulgarity, if not in many
cases actual obscenity-while the ideas
never rose above the language, but often sunk
ONSA LIAR anu
Err were connected repeatedly with the name
OF Gen. Winfield Scott, with the most infa-
nous accusations, which if but the one half
OF them were true, Gen. Scott would bet
ter deserve elevation to the platform of a
gahows than to the Presidency of this Re-
pubic. And as to the Wing party, such ex-
pressions as this-that "the Who's were all
direct descendants Of the Tories and Federal
lists OF the Revolution, and if they had all been
hung, there would be no Wings atthis days.
and ne might have added there would have
been no John s. Pettitt, if his father or GRAND.
father at all resembled him. The whole
speech was literally besprinkled with the
words, "lie," "liar," "scoundrel,~ ~cowar1~
murderer &C., &c. It was filled with
appeals to the lowest passions which ever
hnd a home in depraved human nature.
without single redeeming attribute which
might presuppose in him, his audi enee
were composed of any other than the lowest
and vilest of the city's scum, instead of the in
telligence which gen orally marks Evansville
assemblies. His appeals, more especially to