The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1854-02-17
ANOTHER BAD MEMORY-rHE PRESI.
DENT ON THE STAND.


IfGen. Picrce's administration fails of every
other distinction it may well be characterized
rs the era of bad memories.
In the great Salem murder case, which was
conducted by Daniel Webster on the part Of
the prosecution, the prisoner attempted to
prove an aliji by his aged father. ale strives
to remember" said Mr.. Webster, in comment.
ing upon The old mans testimony, "perhaps
persuades himself that he does remember,
that or the evening of the murder he was
himself at home at ten o'clock. He thinks,
or seems to think, that his son came in ut
about five minutes past ten. He fancies that
he remembers his conversation; he thinks he
spoke of boiling the door; he thinks he asked
the time oi night; he seems to remember his
then going to his bed Alas! these arc but
the swimming lancies OF an agitated and dis.
trcsscd mind. Alas! they are but the dreams
of hope, its uncertain lights, Pickering on the
thick darkness of parental distress. Alas the
miserable father knows nothing, in realty, of
all these things"
No more did John Cochrane remember ans
thing, in reality, of all the things which he
strove to remember, and perhaps persuaded
himself that he did remcmber-for John
Cochrane is naturally an honest sort Of man
AS contained in General Picrce's letter, for
the very good reason that General Pierce's
letter never contained them. And we were
very naturally reminded of the extract which
we have quoted from Mr.. Wcbster's argu-
mcnt by Mr.. Cochranc's desperate effort to
save the President by remembering things
which never existed.
But when Cocbrane and Waterbury united
to drag the President out of the ditch they
proved u bad matcll-they reminded us of II
pair of oxen which VIC once saw yokcd to-
gether by IN Irishman, one heading each way
The position of these two gentlemen, one
giving his impression that the letter was full
of blood and thunder towards the free soil
movement, and the other that it contained
nothing at although both of them read it,
both of them had it-their position, we say,
was already ludicrous enough, when 10! n
third party appears in the field. This is no
less parsonage than General Pierce himself,
who, with touch at the absolutely sublime
in impudence, maintains that hc wrote no
letter at all to the free soil committee.
The old story runs that the King, travelling
in disguise, accosted peasant with the in
quiry what he thought of his Sovereign. ale
is villain, a robber, q murderer, man GOV.
cred with every crime" was the reply. "But'
continued the inquirer, 81 am The king" The
peasant, raising himself to his full stature,
exclaimed: "Your Majesty, swear | never
said it," He has never had 4 more faithful
imitator than General Pierce shows himself
to be in his denial of his free soil letter
We find the following in the Washington
Evening Star, generally known as the White
House Seycnger,) of Thursday
The Alleged Pierce Letter 10 The Free
SoilerS.-lt is understood in democratic cir.
ccs here that the President is of opinion that
he did not write even dccIcnsion Of the in
vitation to endorse free soiism in 1913, as
alleged by Judge Waterbury in the letter
published in another column in this days Star,
(Scavcngcr) We hear that he has made it
u rule throughout his public life not to reply
to printed circulars such as Judge Waterbury
says was sent to him, aud also never to reply
to any political letter from committee with
out filing copy of his answer among his pa
pcrs. 1t is further said that he has no such
copy in this case, nor has he the slightest re-
collection of having in any way noticed the
circular to which the Herald refers.
Now, for this there could be no other au-
thOrity than the President himself. Isn't this
pretty piece Of business! Cochrane is con.
fdent that the letter of General Pierce to the
free soil committee was one thing; Waterbu-
ry is "quite positive" that it was another;
while Pierce himself has forgotten all about
it, and most earnestly wishes that everybody
else would follow his example. 1t is the era
of bad memories. What comfort to the
President if they could become universal!
The fact clearly aud fully established by
the testimony of Cochranc and Waterbury,
for on this point their testimony agrees, and
is full and plump, while the Presidents denial
goes for nothing-is that Gen. Pierce did
write letter to the free soil committee in
this city in 1913. There is also, we think,
ample evidence to establish that the character
of the letter was anti.slavery.
The Evening Post of July 10, ls4s-thc
day after the ratification meeting which Gen.
Pierce was invited to address was held
published anonymously letter from Concord,
N. II. Gen. Piercc's place of residcncc-n
which the writer says
Everybody here is in favor Of keeping
free territory Free" &C., &C., &c.
In answer to the charge brought against
him, Gen. Pierce had already attempted to
prove an alibi by two witnesses, who at.
tempted to show that he was in two other and
entirely different places when the offence is
alleged to have been committed, when he
HIMSELF through one of his organs, comes out
with the avowal that instead of being in
either of those places he was just "no whar"
at all
Nobody doubts that the letter was written.
Does any one doubt that it went for ;he vii.
mot proviso If it did not, let the letter be
produced. The lettcr-the lctter-thc letter.
eN A Western editor copying story
about drowning man who had wonder
full memory Of every event of his life, advis-
.s .ome If his sul,scrihcrs In pracfice hath