Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-17
Posthurnous Calnmnx.
From the Mobile Advertiser and ResistSr.l >

From the Mobile Advertiser aud Register. afad
| Among the most prevalent Of popular err
rors is the delusion that Truth is mighty
and will prevail that there is vitality
in mere truth which insures it, triumph I;
that falsehood, "vanguished, writhes in pain
and dies = &c, &C.,, 5sarQns o. f-ra-ss8a
/ We are disposed to think, per contra, that
there is a sort of satanic vitality in falsehood
which tends to secure its pefpetuation. Is
pecially is this the case With falseheod af-
fecting the. reputation OF illustrious men,
living or dead. I 1t Is bad enough in the case
of the living, but with regard to the dead it
is atrocious. ~ i7'fA
These reflections are suggested by the re-
publication, in Detroit paper of aspuriOus
letter attributed TO the late Lieutenant Gen
eraI Polk. This document was published
more than once during the war. The forgery
was so palpable that at first 1t was scarcely
noticed BY the friends of General Polk. Ii
was not considered worthy of notice, except
as a clumsy hoax. On its repeated reap
pearance, however, it was Indignantly de-
nounced as a miserable forgery. ia bnEiori
Yet, in proof of our position a. TO the VII
tally Of calumny, this effnsion is again sent
to Detroit paper by a correspondent who
has the effrontery to state that "the copy Is
accurate, even 70 the orthography;1 and
we regret to see il copied, without CONF
ment by Southern Journal. 90
The malignant ingenuity Of the device
consisted liz expressing just such sentiments
as General Polk might have been supposed
to entertain, but expressing them in q style
and language that would be discreditable to
Christian minister's he was.
To those who knew General Polk--whO
knew the dignity Of his character and the
exquisite good-breeding Of his department
to saw nothing OF the stainless purity and
gentleness of his Christien bearing--it is
quite needless to say that he could moi have
been The author OF such expressions as those
attributed to him: {. .t,. -
What praise and encomia In you have fur all
other people who have tried 70 obtain their free
dom, save and aecep. only we poor thrice damned
God. TT
ayes. 5iess God Old England shan have Us.
ishe win have rs. and with twelve millions Of
infdd puritans. ratisnalists and rsvishers " our
mothers, wives daughters, and sIstersi
The Puritan inidels ssseeeded for a time, but
went. under afteruzra. Truth--Cstfkoitr God re-
rim Is the enemy 10 ODD Is the enemy TO Christ.
the enemy to truth. 10 order. 20 Obedience and
therefore the enemy TO- free, jast. and equitable
government: None so blind az 10 who will not
see. Black slavery q nothing and white slavery
i nothag all siak u view Of ne true cause e
Meantime, hook 10 your United States fiOverl-
n9enti When the the South Is safeiy anchored
in an English hari,or and FreHeh pest, whsfe
are YOU You miserable sinner before Godi May
Cad have mercy on your SOUL Amen.
Gent b. ny midnight angel.
We would once have thought il a waste
Of words 10 denounce such document a. a
nnisersbie forgery. bot the experience Of the |
last few years has shown that no character
is so fair, no. life so .blameiess, no death so !
noble, as TO be beyond the reach Of the most |
Infamous detraction.