The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-12-03
Post Mortem Adulations.


ton, and very naturally, therefore, he cs-
tecmed his patron q saint. and no words
were severe enough to characterize his
condemnation of our remarks.
The Democrat asks It's readers to COM
parc our article with the remarks Of Chief
Justice Bellows of New Hampshire ON
the same subject. This Is an injustice to
the c.. j. His remarks were very care
fully worded. ms when he said ''Of his
public character and the patriotism with
which he discharged the duties of his high
station. it is not necessary for mo to
speak" But, cautious as he was, he
made a mistake for which he can give
nothing but custom for an excuse, when
he said. Tho Court sympathize with tho
Bar In It's expression Of esteem and re-
spect for the memory Of the eminent gen.
tlcman whose early death is dsplored by
wide circle Of warmly attached friends,
and as national loss To be sure. like n
lawyer. the C, j. has or has not expressed
any opinion in the quotation just made.
and his own individual opinion may be
buried In words.
We should not have noticed the last re-
marks except 10 speak Of q custom which
Is getting to be oyer-wrought. Some
clergymen make practice of preaching
every body after they are dead, straight
into heaven, fla member of some leSis-
lative body dies which body has not al
iourncd sine dc. several members an
nounce the demise, pronounce ex:rava-
giant eulogiums over the deceased, and the
whole body adjourus after passing vote
that the family Of our deceased friend be
furnished with copy Of those proceed
ings.r A member Of the Bar dies, and
while he was known TO be, perhaps. u
complete rascal when alive, yet the eulo-
gums of the Bar and the tears OF the
Court cause You TO wonder why. in tho
name of Justice. the deceased was not
thought more of when such thinking
would have done him some good, and
why, il he had such enormous integrity
and talents, he was not made Chief JUS
tice
Itisa weakness in many localities 70
laud person afler death, because such
person is dead. The decease Of one who.
during life, has been regarded rs n dem''-
gogue. an unp,itriotic person. oran enemy
TO his country. or stupendous fool, gen
orally. causes him To be transformed ut
once into IN patriotic statesman whose
death is n national loss" by the geese who
WELD the quill in writing obituaries.
Now, death makes man no better or
worse, and while the grave should close
auimositieS. ii by no means requires us to
lie to the living, or make egregious asses
of ourselves concerning the dead.
The fact Is. we Americans are great on
buncombc. and little seven by nine so
ciety will make more, or rs much, display
over the death of one of its members, rs
ought to be made when the President
dies. Invariably il is resolved "that the
Secretary DC instructed to have these reso-
buttons published in all the papers and n
copy forwarded to the family" when
doubtlcss.thc public and the family don't
care continental about such resolves.
Some are naturally bores. and some run
To- resolutions rs easily rs our honorable
friend John Lynch, who can resolve more
i'm three minutes than the whole human
race can perform in thousand years.
But while inflated with tremendous
string OF nljectivcs, ready at any moment
to pour them out in resolutions and culo-
gies, we are constrained from doing any
thing worse, and where's the harm ?
There Is no harm In this universal lauda-
ton. only it is lying. cheap and shiitless.
Tell nothing but the truth eithey of the
living or dead. and that not at all times.
That Franklin Pierce was y patriot or
statesman. Is rs much and no more to be
disputed, than whether the government in
1861 commenced the war by returning the
fire from Fort Sumter which was r,ined
upon 1t by the patriotic rebels" The la
bors of the Democrat since that time have
been to show that the rebels were perse-
cuted by that fire and that Pierce was n
patriotic statesman. and one was and is rs
true rs the other. The administration Of
Mr.. Pierce was cancer upon the body
polite. II inflicted terrible wounds, deep
and grevious, upon the nation, from which
II has not recovered, aud from which IL
will not recover until traces of the rebel
lion shall have vanished. II demoralized
the public service; Il sought to debauch
the public conscience; 1t upheld the as
saints Of the Border Ruilians; in its zeal
tospread tho desolation of slavery over
virgin territory, IL butehered men In Kan
SIS because they loved Freedom, and 1t
was and is lasting disgrace to the name
Of the United States whenever mentioned.
When the chief actor Of that four years
conspiracy dics,-hc who was potent for
evil and powcrless FOR good. the Macbeth
OF American politics, ambitious. unscru-
pulous but wcak-a decent regard for the
public veal requires that the story shall be
faithfully told. that the living may profit
by the errors Of the past; that no coniil-
sion Of vision may ever Justify the con-
science Of public man TO do public
wrong. nor lead him, like Picrvc. to become
m apostate to the Commonwealth who
may not expect to be pardoned in this
world till he be dispatched to the other.
Minister Sickles, under date OF Nov. %.
tole.xr, ,,l,.l A.. C<,~.,t - E;sL n. f,Ilnv..