The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-09-18
A MEMORY OF 1852.
How winfield Scott Was Bad y Beaten
by Franklin Pierce.

$50
by Franklin Pierce.
In 1859 the Democrats resumed power
in the land under the most favorable cir
cumstances. They swept every state but
three in the Federal Union-tWenty- eight
out of thirty-one. Nobody supposed, at
that tine, that Whiggery was dead, says
the Utica Observer. The Whig party had
met in national convention and had
nominated General Winfield Scott for
President The old warrior expected to
be elected-to carry everything that
Zachary Taylor had carried and other
states besides. To clinch his impending
victory he made a tour of the country,
visiting Utica among other places, and
reported himself not only satisfied, but
highly pleased with the reports of the
local Wings. Yet this was but the stir
ring of q corpse. For as General Scott
discovered the day after election, Wing
gerry was dead even then. Clay and Web
ster finished their earthly careers pend
ing the campaign. Willard Fillmore,
who was then Pre- sident, had driven the
knife into Whiggery when he signed the
Fugitive Slave laws; and had given it
an extra twist when he appointed Brig
ham Youngsgovernor of Utah Territory.
The Wing party was now thoroughly
committed to those twin relics OF bar
barism slavery and olygamy So it
died.
The fortunate Democrats appeared
dazed at their promise of success. In
their national convention they had be-
slowed their presidential nomination on
G eneral franklin Pierce, of New lamp
shire. Governor Seymour had gone to
the convention big with the idea of
nominating Governor William L. Marcy,
OF this state. Uticans have heard HIM
tell how ne might have succeeded in COM
passing Marcy's success but for the per
sistent opposition of David Moulton OF
Floyd
General Pierce could not hold a candle
to General Scott rs a fighter He had
volunteered from New Hampshire, dur
ing the Mexican War, and after being
chosen colonel of the New Hampshire
regiment had been commissioned priga-
der general of volunteers by the Federal
government. There was a painful story
circulated by the Wings that the only
time General Pierce had been under
fire he fell in a dead faint from his horse.
While we are inclined to denouunoe
this story as lie, we didn't know enough
about Pierce to give the color of proba-
bility to our denial. Nor was it until
General James w. Nye addressed a Demo-
cratic ratification meeting, at the old
Mechanics hall in Utica, that we harmed
to appreciate fully the value OF sharp
tongue in dealing with sJanderous state
ments. And how did General Nye deal
With the soanda? He repeated it from
beginning to end, and then, turning to
his full height, he said in tone Of in.
tense dramatic effect: 81 know not how
it is with others, but as for me, give me
the soldier who fights till he faints 3"
The cheers that greeted this were-suffi-
cient to almost raise the roof from the
barnlike structure that we were accus-
toned to speak Of as hall in that print
tive day.
Franklin Pierce had the singular good
fortune to enjoy the warm personal
friendship of Nathaniel Hawthorne, who
had been graduated with him In the
same class at Bowdoin College, What
more natural, than that Hawthorne
should write Pierce S biography, or that
Pierce should reward this signal service
by making Hawthorne consul at Liver
pooll-an Office which paid better at that
time than any other place in the Pres1-
DENTS gift
When President Pierce was inaugural.
ed we all knsw that Whiggery was dead
but soarcelJ<one among us could see the
rising tide of Republicauism which was
destined to sweep over this land, soon
after the body OF Whiggery was laid in
decent Iepose.