The Nevada journal., 1852-09-24


had not the motive rs village politi-
clan that he now has in his inflated po-
sition, to disguise his sentiments. His
letter is received since our last, and we
shall see by and by how that bears on
the question.
+The matter was before the people,
and WAS working Pierce serious injury
in the minds of compromise men. We
asked for some thing definite from his
pen, in his own justification, and the
State Journal says we have got it. We
shall see.
1--WE wish the reader to bear in mind
the nature Of the specifications against
Gen. Pierce. The statements were not
general, they were pointed and direct,
and to be denied in such manner as
to give the lie TO the charge" it was
necessary that Gen. Pierce should spe-
cifcally state that he did not say he
"loathed the fugitive slave law w"-that
Slavery was introduced against the
moral sense of mankind and "should
bc extirpatedn If he had said this, he
would have denied the charge, and as
affecting his credit would stand the tes-
timony of the two papers, and the cath
Of the eporter. But Gen Pierce con-
fonts himself with saying in difruse
terms:
81 do not remember ever to have seen
what purports to be report of a speech
delivered by me at New Boston in this
state, il January last, until my atten-
tion was called to it as re-published in
The Republic. The pretended report is,
and presume was designed to be, an
entire misrepresentation. llis not mere
ly untruthful, but is so grossly and alb
surdly false as 50 render. in this vicin-
ty, any denial of its authenticity entire
ly unnecessary
And again:
~ am not surprised to know that the
attempt to prove me an abolitionist pro-
vokes much merriment among men of
all parties here and this weak and un-
truthful sketch of what purports to be
nv speech, is really too ridicu Gus to be
considered in any serious light"
Here is every shadow Of denial that is
to be found in his letter. The denial is
too broad to be definite or conclusive.
1t involves the subject in mist. In
deed it is hardly possible to discover by
this denial whether he made any speech
or not. An entire misrepresentation
would imply he made no speech. Yet
the fact is as we'll established that he
made a Speech and in it spoke Of slave
ry, as that he ever went to Mexico or
ever fell fiom his horse. It is very we'll
to say that it ''is really too ridiculous to
be considered in a serious light" but
the matter 10 too serious to oe ridicu-
lous.
No one charges that Gen. Pierce is an
abolitionistin the extreme sense of the
term, or that he ever acted with that
party. But his speech shows his sympa-
th'fs are that wy. If his majority
clique were opposed to those who held
to political abolitionism," selfish aspi-
rations would keep. him near the track.
But his New Boston speech was the op-
portunity for an unwilling display of his
sentiments, apart, us he supposed, from
political effect, and thus we find him as
much an abolitionist as those he politi-
cally opposed. lie may have never
used slavery as subject of sectional
appeal" as he says, but it was because
! political associations restrained him not
because he did not loathe fugitive
slave laws, or desire slavery to be "cx.
tirpated." We should hare held Gen
P,ercs's rord of much raluc eren in oppo-
S'tion TO the mass Of rebutting testin,onH
If he had been specific and pointed IN
his denial but as 1t is, re can ONLY hon
es;iy look upon the rhole letter as an era.
sion, called out TO deeeirc The friends Of
The compromises, by the desperate state Of
! his prospects.
SThc State Journal has not published
every letter Gen. Scott has written on
politics" and in those it has published,
its aim has not been "that the people
might understand his political opinions y
but to twist his opinions into impcach-
ments upon his credit and honor. The
State Journal can publish what it pleas
es. We defy it to prove we have, in our
quotations from Piercc's letter, injured
its spirit, or garblsd it. We have sim,
ply left out the mass Of matter in refer
/ ence TO other snhiecfs m his roo cana e.,