Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1852-08-28

refers to his pre- vious votes, as sufficient qua
antee for his soundness on the Slavery que
ton. Now, we have previously said that "
could easily sbelieve that the speech of Gener,
PIERCE to which he refers, was one Of patrio
ism, sustaining the laws, constitution, &c
this was the POLICY of the politician; his re
ply to Mr.. Foss, where he says, eff l must al
swer," &c. shows the sENTlMESTs of the ma,
Would it be safe to elect a man to the Presi
dency whose feeling of duty conficted wit
his sense of right? But, to
GEN. PIERCE'S LETTER.
CONCORD, N. H., July %, 1852.
My Dear Sir: Surrounded by present en-
gagements, | seize the earliest opportunity t.
reply to your letter of the 18th instant. I mucf
regret that anything connected with mysel
should have been the cause of disagreement be.
tween you and gentlemen with whom you have
been associated in the editorial department oil
the Southern Press. | DO not remember evel
to have seen what purports to be a report of a
speech delivered by me at Boston, in this State
in January last, until my attention was called
to it as republished in the Republic. The pre-
tended report is, and | presume was designed to
be, an entire misrepresentation. 1t is not mere
ly %untruthful, but is so grossly and absurdly
false as to render, in this vicinity, any denial of
| of its authenticity entirely unnecessary. The
two papers q~uoted-the independent Democrat,
published in this place, and the Democrat pub
lished in Manchester--are thoroughly abolition
journals, and have been and are Zealously op-
posed to the Democratic party. For a long
time prior to the meeting at New Boston, and
ever since, they have been unsparing in their
attacks upon me personally, and in their bitter
denunciation of what they have been pleased to
term my pro-slavcry sentiments. But it would
be something new for either of these papers to
deny the consistency of my opinions upon the
subject ofthe constitutional rights of the South
in relation to slavery. My opinions and the
avowal ofthem have been everywhere the same.
Ever mindful of the difficulties and dangers
which so long brooded over the assemblage of
wise men ana pure patriots to whose spirit of
concession and earnest efforts we are indebted
for the Constitution under which we have en-
joyed such signal prosperity, advancement, and
happiness, | have regarded the subject as too
vital and delicate to be used as an element of
sectional appeal in party conflicts. My action
and my language in New Hampshire, touching
this matter, have been at all times and under all
in entire accordance with my ac-
and language at Washington. My votes
in the Senate and House of Representatives
were not republished in the Era for the first
They have been again and again para
ded to arouse the passions and prejudices Of
bur people against me individually, and against
The party with which it has been my pride and
to act. There has been no attempt to
the force of the record. 1t has been at
times freely admitted, and my position sus-
upon grounds satisfactory to my own
mind. am not surprised to know that the at
empt to prove me an abolitionist proyokes
much merriment among men of all parties here;
this weak and untruthful sketch of what
to be my speech, is really too ridicu-
GUS to be considered in any serious light.
am in the daily receipt of letters, propoun-
ling the greatest variety of curious questions
lpon all conceivable subjects. Letters of this
cannot be answered, of course. No
could command either the time or
the %herculean task would require. / :
lay add, that such a correspondence would by
o means comport with my views of duty. The F.,
party sent its delegates to Balti-
lore not alone to nominate candidates, but to
saffirm principles and to present the leading
sues upon which the canvass should be con-
s
III could deem myself capable of improving :
le platform there adopted, it is quite certain L
lat | should decline, either at the call of indi- t
duals or associations, to incur the charge of
to which any attempt to alter, amend
enlarge it, would inevitably subject me. :,
Your letter is ofan entirely different charac- u
r. 1t seeks truth in relation to an alleged Ii
ct: it speaks of history, to which too search e
g an appeal cannot be made. appreciate the I
timate you seem to have of my character for =
r~ectness; and beg you to accept my thanks for ii
'ur efforts to vindicate my claim to that trait, fl
least, before the public. q
| am, with high esteem, your most obedi- ::
It servant, IL
FRANK. PIERCE. "
EDWIN De LEON, Esq, Washington, D. C. "
Thus, you have in full this anomaly in the c,
urse of Presidential candidates-for we ven-
re to assert that no other Presidential candi-
te, during the canvass, vas ever reduced to lie
. extremity of writing a similar letter 10 N
ash a similar charge; if so, there was never n
more signal failure. It seems to us that a dl
m in the exalted position of Democratic no. in
nee for the Presidency, should have scorned c
notice a rank falsehood, nailed upon him in in
) face of hundreds! And this very notice bs
Gen. PIERCE descends to in the above sc
nous letter, is another strong point in favor G
the allegation made against him. This will da
We great weight with those who have studied be
man nature well--its motives and its prompt W
Is. W
- Il
But here is another remarkable feature in OF
above letter-and in drawing to it the at
Ition of the public, we wish it to be distinct
understood, that in criticising the actions or no
ertions Of Gen. Pierce, we place no high lf