Worcester daily spy., 1858-11-01

For the spy.
Mfr. Editor Il find in the Spy of this morning
letter from MIR. Register PTentiss, in reply to
my communication OF Monday last The heat of
the letter indicates deeper disappointment than
what had supposed could possibly exist in that
quarter. 1t also reveals a phase of character
which L, at least, WIS not prepared for In the
long secusion of his office. Mr.. Prentiss had be-
come invested with a reputation for decorum,
which he should have been careful to preserve,
on the eve of retiring from official life. But none
OF us knows what is in himself until the hour of
trial Hazael did not, and perhaps Mr.. Prentiss
dc not. Certainly, he has now furnished occas
ion for his friends to lament, that, among his 9TH
er graces, it was not given him to possess the
grace of silence. But to the contents Of his COM
munication.
He charges that my own communication con-
tanned "fasehoods" Mr. Prentiss may be as
sured that shall always be ready to attend to
such charge. AS do not mean to publish false.
hoods, so l do not mean to suffer the charge of
having done so pass unrepelled
The first charge is expressed in the following
paragraph from his letter:
Justice says that early in the Spring an.
nounced that should not be candidate for the
new office. This is bold assertion destitute of
shadow of truth never, until after the nom.
nation OF Mr.. Piper, iutinated to any one an IN
teniion Of retiring or Of not being a candidate for
election"
did not say "early in the Spring." nor did
mean to say so; my expression was "early in the
season, ANY time in the Summer would have
been early In the season ; that is to say as every
one would understand, politically early. Perhaps
II would have been better to have said, "ong be.
fore the campaign opened" But this is not ma.
terial. The point is this Mr.. Prentiss asserts
that he did not at any time declare that he should
not be candidate. In reply, | have to state
that some time before the campaign opened. Mr.
| PTenuss declared to citizen Of Worcester not
Republican, but Of his own way OF thinking in
politics, and every way as respectable as himself
that ne should not be candidate for the new of
| nee. state this on the authority of the gentle
man to whom this declaration was made
The next charge of falsehOod is as follows:
| ''ustlce says 1.-THE nephew did not 90 before
the convention. but the uncle did"-another
talsehood. did not 60 before the convention,
| nor near it -
In common parlance, " to 60 before conven-
ton" as candidate for office is to suffer ones
name to go before it. This is all that | meant
10 assert, this Is all that any one would under.
stand me as asserting, and this Mr.. Prentiss did.
In TINS very letter he says, II had repeatedly de-
clared that did not intend to go out unless |
was turned out" And sgain-"I told him
(Judge Fosterl that did not feel justified in re
tiring voluntarily. If l was turned out must
| go. have said the same to others"
| On MS own showing, then, he had, in effect an
nounced to divers persons that he was candi.
date for the nomination. So his friends under
! stood him, and accordingly they were active in
his behalf before the convention. If he is now
astonished and mortified that he, venerable Of
hce holder, of twenty one years standing. was
vanqushed by that despised upstart, 'Pipet."
would respectfully suggest That he should re pc.
ruse the Legend of Sleepy Hollow" as a means
Of throwing some light on such an untoward phe.
nomeDon. In charging me with affirming his
| bodily presence in the convention il would he
charitable TO suppose that he did So through iq-
| norance OF the common mode of speaking If
| So ne has yet to learn the A b of the political
horn-book.
These two are all the falsehoods" $50 charg.
| ed) which Mr.. Prentiss has succseded in "sift.
| ing" out of my communication. meet the first
charge by producing authority for my statement
as unquestionable as his own. meet the second
charge by showing that l never made the state
ments which he represents me to have made and
that the statement which did make was, on his
own showing, true
The last half of the letter is occupied with
fresh recommendation Of his cousin (not his
nephew,) Mr.. George NJ. Prentiss. Referring to
his former letter of advice, he says;
"Having concluded to retire, deemed it no
more than my duty to tell the people who l
thought was qualified to succeed me"
Ii does not appear where Mr. Prentiss finds his
warrant for assuming it to be his duty to name his
"successor" am not aware that his own com
mission makes such an act to be his duty. Nor
do find it set down in the statutes prescribing
the duties Of Register of Probate, Neither. yet,
| w uHu ~ w lhe ACT creating the new court
That act makes it the duty Of the people of Wor.
cester county to elect a Register of Probate and
Insolvency but so far from imposing any 'du.
ty" in the matter on Mr.. Prentiss, It re.
lieves him OF all duties whatever Ii fact it
aboshes him and his "duties" together and
though he may indulge in fond talk about his
successor, be will yet have to awake to the fact
that in himself the line has become extinct
Nevertheless, he persists in recommending his
cousin George for the new Office George, he
| haut tall fha .,srsta
eminent degree" This may be so; but until the
ugly facts disclosed in Mr. Luther Hills letter,
and Others Of the same sort, are cleared up, the
eminent qualifications" will be held at a dis.
count. George is not rich, he says; he has only
"a few thousands" iFew" is a comparative
term II in this instance 1t means "ten or Rf
teen most OF the country people, whose favor
is especially sought, will be very apt to
think him measurably "rich," notwithstanding.
leave it with the lawyers to deal with the par
agraph aimed at them, and come to this
But, the " Prentiss family, awful aristoeracy!
This dospicable attempt to stir up the sediment
will not avail. Tho people understand it too
we'll"
It was Senator Hammond, believe, who styled
the aborers Of the North the "mudsills of soc-
ety." Mr. Prentisss term is sediment" As he
he has taken pains TO nout the Republican party,
and its candidates, it is not strange that ho and
the South Carolina senator arc so nearly agreed
But Mr.. Prentss should bear in mind that even
"sedimonP is TO be respected when one like him
self is in danger Of being mircd beneath il. The
letter closes with this elegant extract
al think II would be doing great wrong to in
nict this Piper upon the Judge and upon them, -
1.-THE peoplc.l
Mr.. Charles G. Prontiss snys this Of his success
| ful rival before the convention For ono think
that oven "sedimenp would be peryndod with
truor instinct Of gentleman.
In reviewing Mr.. Registers lette', aud consid.
cring IL in its parts and in its totality, in its
statements and in It's temper, | venture in concln-
sion to express the sentiment that though wine
long settled on tho Ices may improve and grow