New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-08-31
AN OLD WORD WITH A NEW MEANING.

President Pierce has been recently making q
speech at the Virginia White Sulphur Springs.
In tina, speech, by way of Offset to welcome
from ex. President Tyler. he conpliuented that
ex-Chef Magistrate on the "purity OF his ad-
ninistration," which he characterized as one
of "high purposes, bravely and wisely eX'
"ecuted."
Had this allusion to the special purity Of OK.
President Tyler's administration been made on
any other occasion or come FROM anybody else,
!. !. vel, wc- bod fail Of being set down as bitter
piece of satire, in ended to hit off the deplorable
and deplorably unsuccessful attempt of Pres-
dent Tyler TO purchase reelection by prostl-
tuting the public patronage at his disposal to
the buying up Of such politicians OF all parties
as were willing to cell themselves for that pur.
pose. But in the mouth of President Pierce
such reply to eI-Prcsident gyler'S welcome
to the Virginia White Sulphur would not
only be very rude and unmannorly; it would
be at the same time hit at himself, calling to
mind, as il hardly could fail Of doing, his own
gross misuse Of the appointing power in the
hopes Of thereby creating at the North party
willing TO aid in his retlecsion-that gross abuse
being one of the most marked features of his
administration.
This talk about purity must then have been
intended, not ironically as stab, but as bona
.fde compliment As President Pierce can
have little occasion or inclination himself
to employ the term purity, or to have others
employ it in its ordinary political sense, he has
S.u e,btootaA hat 70 fha
go customary among politicisns-thst Of giving
to it an entirely new meaning. In speaking Of
a pure administration, whether bis own or ex.
President Tyler's, Mr.. Pierce intends allusion
whatever to freedom from corrupt and selfish
motives-DothiDg could possibly be further
from his thoughts. He does not mean that
ex-President Tyler was not, and that he
himself is not, ready to purchase up by
official patronage every member of Congress
who has a vote to sell, hnd every political buck
ster and wire-puler Of Baltimore Conventions,
"hard" or "seft," whose support for presi-
Dental nomination is in the market. 1t is impos.
sibe that, as to himself, Mr.. Pierce should fall
into any such delusion-a2d as TO ex-President
Tyler, is there not General Gushing able to give
MIN full lDlofmatlon as 10 WHAT Was tuo yicl
modus operand'
In speaking of the purity Of ex-Presdent
Tyler's administration, MIR. Pierce evidently
means to indicate only and simply that it was
purely Southern, in which respect indeed no sd-
ministration except bis own can come into CON-
petition with it. So when be speaks Of it as Eau
decentralization Of high purposes, he evidently
means an administration which undertook to
carry things with . high hand on behalf Of the
South. The "bravery" of it, no doubt, consisted
in the audaci,y with which Tyler set AZ defiance
and tIampled under foot the opinions, feeliOgs
and interests of the North in the matter Of the
annexation Of Texas.
Ex-Presdent Tyler lie, indeed, evidently tie
model of political greatness which President
Pierce has set before him. But imtators seldom
come up to the originals In one particular, in
deed President Pierce is not likely to fall behind
his prototype, namely, in the m.tter Of reelee.
tic n TO the presidency. But whether he will
have the same success in carrying out tao Kan
sas-Nebrssks fraud that Tyler dad In securing
the annexation of Texas remains to De seen.
Ii is not surprising that President Pierce
shouh devote something Of his time and talents
to little, complimt ntsry speeches designed to
recommend himself to Southern favor he