Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1855-09-12

tane-Swearer ever known IN his native village.
Some wags, desirous Of testing his powers
In that line, hit upon an expedient likely to
bring him out in full force. The man was
carter, employed in transporting lime from
kiln at some distance. AS he started with
load, the tail-board was quietly distracted
| from the cart He walked at his horses head
until he had reached his destination, without
discovering the trick. He looked at the long
train of lime which lay in his rear, at the emp
ty cart, ond at the crowd who had gathered to
hear the .fsa, and then calmly remarked, ''It's
of no use, gentlemen, am unable to do JUS
tico 10 the subject
Some such feeling possesses us, as we COM
mence an article intended TO discuss the char
acter and public acts Of the person whose name
heads this column. To do full and ample JUS
tice to this subject is far beyond our powers.
And if We should show up the miserable object
of our present notice in the strongest colors,
and stigmatize his pififul pusillanimous and
unpatriotic course in the most emphatic Ian
guage in our vocabulary, we should painfully
feel how inadequately our performance had
| fulfilled our design and desire. The lash of a
Macaulay, such as he welded over the back of
| a Barrere, would alone be sufficient TO s<do
| JUSTICE to the merits of-PIERCE.
| 1t is mortifying reflection TO en- American,
to observe the falling-off in the character of
the men who are called upon to represent our
nation in the eyes of the world. To go back
no farther than twenty-five years, what rap
| idly progressive downward line we meet. From
Jackson-litte as We admire his craftsmanship,
| or venerate his mcmory-to PIERCE-what 4
prodigious descent! What lamentable chasm
and yet even this affords some consolation,-w
| know that we have undergone the worst. No
deeper degradation can stain our history. For
| even in the locofoco doug gh-face, negro-driyi1g
horde of office seekers, no aspirant so paltry
no candidate SO despicable, no incumbent so
incompetent, can be hunted out, even with
microscopic aid, as-PIERCE.
The performances of this popular President
the choice of twenty-seven out of thirty-one
electoral colleges, may be generally discussed
under two heads: his foreign policy, and his
domestic policy. If every act Of his, embraced
within this wide-reaching division, were i'm
partially scanned, it would be found that no
single one has risen above the merest medioc-
rity, of both head and heart, while the i'm
mensc majority indicates absolute imbecility.
1t must be promised. however, that PIERCE
is a man of one idea, and we readily allow him
to have been consistent in this one respect
He believes, with the implicit faith of the ne
gro in his fetish, that, the slaveocracy is the
natural ruler of this Republic-that the Presi-
Dental incumbent is not the chief magistrate
of the Union, but of the South and that the
Constitution is merely and solely an nstru-
ment to make this idea fact.
Understanding this, it is not difficult to com
prehend his foreign policy. Like his locofoco
predecessor, his tastes incline him to bully the
! weak, and to crouch before the strong. Deter
mined to wrest Cuba from Spain, for the pur-
pose of adding another slave state to the con-
federacy, he despatched to the Court of Spain
Mr.. Soule, foreigner, and filibuster Of the
first magnitude. Soule's instructions were to
find, or make preteXt for a war with feeble
Spain, when, in the excitement Of the great
European contest, it was hoped that our pro-
iectcd seizure of the Seem of the Antilles
would rest unobserved, at least, unopposed.-
But France and England both observed and op-
posed the scheme. PIERCE magnanimously
backed out. Soule became disguised, and
contemptuously threw up his commission.
All difficulties were smoothed over, and the
honor of the nation, near the Court of Spain,
| is now safe in the care of Ambassador Angus
| tus Gees ar Dodge.
We wish we were able to describe the bonn
bardment of Greytown. We should like to
80 +ba eli
| of war Cyane, under orders, proceeded to the
| fated city, with the intrepid march of jack
ass towards bundle of hay We should like
to tell the tale of the terrible conflict, and to
| congratulate our readers upon the honors so
| gloriously gathered by our gallant navy in
| those southern waters. But we have no room,
further than to repeat the comment of one of
the administration papers upon the achieve
ment, THAT PIERCE wanted to fight with some
one of his own size, and so set Hollins on
| Greytown.'
a few remarks upon the Kansas yilliany
must suffice to illustrate the domestic policy of
| PIERCE. We need only allude to the facts for
our readers have been fully placed in possession
| of our views on this subject But the whole
| conduct of this unfortunate President in rela-
tion to Kansas, entirely bears out our assertion
as to his trucking subservience to the South.
PIERCE and DOUGLAS concocted scheme to
make new slave state upon the free territory
of the North. To accomplish this, the Presi-
dent, by gifts and promises, bought up enough
Northern votes, to carry in Congress the re-
| peal of the time-hOnored Missouri Compro-
mise. This infamy effected, PIERCE appoint
| ed REEDER to complete the triumph of the