The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1885-01-10

called. I'm going to quit now
said Pierce, rising and pocketing
the money. L intend to have it
said that l came out ahead in at
least one game with you.' The
story went that Clay was so sick
over the loss of his $50 that he
stayed in bed two days.
"There was some very fierce al.
tscks on Pierce after he was nom-
mated. Henry Wood, editor Of
the Congressional Union. declared
that il he was elected President
his evil influence on the country
would be so great that all the
churches in christendom could not
Offset it. Wood, however. was
seem by the party leaders, and he
afterward gave Pierce certificate
of character. lauding him to the
skies as a man who had been viii
lainously slandered, but whose
character was so pure that he
could defy his defamers. The
Congressional Union was a power
then, and Woods Endorsement did
a great deal of good.
"Pierce was great favorite with
the Southern men, and he ought to
have felt grateful to them, for they
made him President. The bargain
was made at Concord in March pre-.
ceding the meeting of the conven.
ton. There was q committee of
seven Southern leaders, who Sc
cretly went up there to arrange the
business, and the Pierce Cabinet
was fixed up there and then. The
men who went there were Cobb,
Of Georgia; Benjamin, of Louisi.
ana; JEFF Davis, of Mississippi ;
Mason, of Virginia Slidell, of Lou.
isiana, and two others, whose
names l cannot recall. meeting
was held in room of a hotel, and
an attendant who overheard the
proceedings gave the whole thing
away. John Hatch George,
Pierce's law partner, acted as sec
retary of the meeting,anda a regular
contract was signed, sealed and
delivered. OF course these South.
erners hogged all the best places
for their section. JEFF Davis was
made Secretary of War.
"One of Pierce's most intimate
friends was Clement @. Clay
though two men could not have
been more opposite in their ma
lures. Pierce was generous fol
low and very open and frank il
his dealings with men. while Cla,
was a skinhint, with insufferablt
egotism, who imagined that thu
whole State of Alabama belonge,
to him. Still he was fire.eater
and prided himself on being a rep
resentative of the highest type o
Southern cbivalry. He had a NOR
tai hatred for w. w. Cobb, also o
Alabama, and the two were al
ways at loggerheads hero il
Washington. Cobb was Yanke,
clock.peddler, who went to Ala
bama to peddle clocks. But h
had such a talent for kissing younl
) babies and Hattering old womel
that he soon got to be the mos
popular man in the Huntville dis
trict, and the people sent him t,
Congress. Clay, who was in tn
Senate, seemed to take it as a per
sonal affront that his own Con
gressional district should hav
sent q id Yankee clock-ped
dler,' as he called Cobb, to Con
gress; but Cobb's genius for kis
sing babies never gave out, an,
the people kept re-electing hit
with regularity that kept Clay Il
state of constant exasperatior
1t is strange that Pierce shoul
ever have taken a liking to such
man, but the two thought so muc
of each other that they were tt
gether nearly all the time.
"Did you ever hear how Pierc
came to go to the Mexican war 7
was visiting the Senate CALLER
when it came about. There was
hot discussion between Pierc
and his colleague, Jim Wilson, {
: Keene, N. H., who was WhiI
Wilson said that while Pierce wa
urging other men to 60 to til
= front, he did not have the courag
to enlist himself. Whereupo
Pierce arose and said he woul
prove that he had the courage
> fight by going to Mexico at ono,
> and he dared Wilson to do tn
same. Wilson was not to be ou
done in patriotism, and he, to,
: said he would go. That's ho
both of the New Hampshire SEM
tors happened to join the invadin
> army"
J. We take it for granted, therefor
, that Mr.. Cleveland will not "pls
Q favorites," as the boys say. Thel
9 will be no great rush for offiC