Gen. Scott as a Civilian.
Speech of John C. Spencer, at Albany,
J July 16.
Retired as I have been for several years
■frcm the active scenes of political strife, 1
Should net have appeared at this meeting,
had not a sense of uuty to the diatiu
zuished man whose nomination for I resi
dent vou have met to ratify, constrained
me to accept the opportunity thus presented,
of doing justice to his character in a particu
lar that has not been so well understood.
Of his unsurpassed military I
have nothing to say. The world is lull ot
bis renown ; his only competitor in that field,
the Duke of Wellington, has but anticipated
tho judgement o! history. Ido not under
rate them, or their value to their countiv .
but others will speak of them, and I wish to
devote my share of your time toanothci sub
iect. I wish to meet the objection that mili
tant men are not fitted for the highest civil
employments, and that there is danger to
our institutions in elevating to the Chief
Magistracy a man whose life has been em
ployed in giving command, enforcing dis
cipline and uiaintainingobedience. Although
it might he an estoppel, as it is termed, to
those who make this objection, to remind
them of their support of Gen. Andrew Jaek
eon, —the success with which, as they main
tain, he administered the Government for
eight years : and to remind them of their late
candidate Gen. Cass, and of their present
candidate, Gen. Pierce, both of whom were
distinctly presented as having great military
reputation ; yet as closing the mouth of an
adversary is not conclusive to others or to
ourselves, I propose to examine this point
xuore at large.
The fitr.es3 of a military man for civil em
ployment, depends upon two circumstances:
first, the natural constitution of his mind and
feelings: and second, whether his military
habits have been so mingled and tempered by
social and civil duties, by extended and va
rious intercourse witii his fellow-citizens, and
by public employments requiring the talents,
learning and adroitness of a statesman, as to
have obliterated ail the stern and repugnant
features of the soldier.
As to the first, is there a man who has
cr?r seen Gen. Scott, who has not marked
the legible hand-writing of a beneficent
Creator in hi? nob!" poison and countenance,
beaming with philanthropy and individual
kindn •-?? Who ever heard fiuin him a rude
rem ..k of pcrstnal clibuee, or even in his
anger, an vpiihet unbecoming a gentleman ?
ills way and manners are so gentle and kind,
as to be almost feminine : and I have heard
foreigners express their amazement that a
raau so inured to scenes of blood and car- '
nage, should be as simple, as natural and as
affectionate as a child. Blnchcrand Haynau
would probably disown him as a soldier of
their mould.
And wlhi does not know how this gentle
ness and sympathy with his race have been
exhibited, constantly, daily, hourly, by Gen.
Scott, when in the field, in the camp, on the
march, or in barracks? The sick, the dis-
a l led, the wounded, the dying, among the
troops he had commanded, were ever the pe- .
culiar objects of his most assiduous care.
There is not a hamlet in our country but con
tains living witnesses of this remarkable 1
trait, or witnesses who have received and re- i
peat the testimony of their dead fathers and
brothers. Pardon me for alluding to a per
sonal instance, when, visiting a brother in •.
1814, who had been shot at the battle of
Niagara, and who was dying within the Brit
ish lines. The recollection of the empathy
and assistance of Gen. Scott, on that, and on ;
another occasion still more trying, swells my
heart with, emotions that would break it. if
they could not find utterance, when speaking
of the constitution of that man's nature, j
Who has not heard of his unjustifiable ex- ,
posure of his own life among the troops j
when the Cholera swept them off there by j
hundreds in the Black Hawk War? Ask ;
those who served under him in the pestilential j
climate of Mexico, whether he has a heart
open as melting charity to the sufferings of
his fellow-men, and a readiness and ability to
relieve them, equalled only by the affection j
of a brother.
No, fellow citizens, t!ie hardships and
habits of military life, instead of indurating
his heart, have hut touched him with a feel
ing of the infirmities of our race, and have
taught him the great duty of man in imita
ting the example of his Saviour. Such a
man will bring into the administration of
the Government neither reserve, pride, arro
gance, nor stubborn ess.
The second circumstance which determines
the qualification of a military man for civil
employment is, whether he has already ac
quired the learning, experience, and tact of a
statesman. The military life in this country,
which lias been blessed with peace for at
least sixty-five of the nearly seventy years
that have passed since our independence was
achieved, is not lik-- that of the European of
ficer who has spent his life in long and blood
dy wars, or secluded in garrisons and forts.
Gen. Scott, probably more than any other of
our great generals, has, from the nature of
his employment, maintained for the greater
part of his life an extended and various inter
course with his fellow-citizens in every part
of our Republic ; and with men of all trades,
business and professions, he has been in con
stant communion. The frankness and repub
lican simplicity of his intercourse with men,
13 the result of this extended acquaintance
with their habits, views and feelings. Strip
him of his uniform and ail other military
trappings, and a stranger would scarcely sus
pect him of b'-ing a soldier. He is not a cit
izen of the world, but. he is emphatically a
Citizen of the whole Republic. He has re
sided in every quarter of it—has cultivated
the intercourse of families and of domestic
life, eo that wherever he has lived he is as
much, or more, loved as a neighbor than ad
mired as a soldier.
No military man in this country has been
called so often to the discharge of civil du
ties of the greatest difficulty and delicacy,
and of the utmost importance, and indeed
few civilians have encountered so many per
plexing and sometimes repugnant occasions
of public service.
Justice to him, and duty to a reflecting
community, anxious to cast their votes worth
ily, demands a brief synopsis of some of
these services.
In the year 1815, after the termination of
a war which placed him at the very pinnacle
of glory, he went to Europe, and was em
ployed there by President Madison, to ascer
tain the views of Great Britain respecting the
Island of Cuba, in relation to which there
were some suspicious indications; and also
to fathom the designs of the European Courts
respecting the Revolutions in South America
—a subject of great iiiior>*st to our Govern
ment and our riii/.i-ns, who were i pp.ehon
; vc of the establishment of monarchies in
our neighborhood. The ability with which
he performed these delicate duties was attest
ed by a particular letter of thanks written to
Lirn by the then Secretary of State, Mr. Mot
>ro<\ by the special directions of President
Madison. In 1832, he was confidentially em
ployed by Gen. Jackson, to repair to South
Carolina," which openly threatened forcible
resistance and nullification of tho laws, and
there maintain the authority of the Govern
ment, and secure order and peace, and the
protection of the public forts and property.
Many of ua remember the alarming indica
tions of that period. We were on the verge
of a civil war. The great presence o? mind,
coolness, forbearance, and tact of Gen. Scott
averted the dire calamity. Among an infu
riated people he mingled, and by acts of
kindness, and words of peace and patriotism,
he accomplished what the sword could not.
In 1838, our own frontier was in arms
against a neighboring province, and there ex
isted a frenzy that threatened to bring on a
war with England. Gen. Seort was des
patched by President Van Buren to the thea
tre of disorder; not so much to quell it by
force, for he had no army with him, but to
subdue it by his wisdom, his eloquence and
his firmness. These events are so recent,
that it is only necessary to recall your recol
lection of the universal applause bestowed,
without distinctton of party, upon the suc
cessful pacificator. Day and night lie tra
versed, through the intense cold, the frosty
regions of the north, from Detroit to Ogdens
burg, and harangued the misguided people,
until they abandoned their projeit. During
these scenes, he visited our own city, and at
a supper given liim by members of the Le
gislature and our own most distinguished eit
1/ ns, the following toast was given and rap
turously drank. As he was not then a can
didate for any office, it may be supposed that
the truth was spoken and acknowledged by
the men of all parties there assembled, and I
beg leave to quote it, not only as evidence of
what we all then thought, but of a fact of the
greatest weight in tho estimation of his civil
character :
u The soldier, \\ ho has ever made the law of the land
his supreme rule of action, and \vh>, white tie has always
fulfilled its utmost requirement*, has never, in a single
instance, transcended its limits."'
Fellow-citizen?, can loftier praise be be
stowed ou a military chieftain, who, with
hosts at his command ready to obev his slight
est order, never, no, never transcended the
limits of the law ? Of whom else can this be
said with truth ? Can the military habits of
such a man alarm you with apprehensions
that lie will forget that which he always rev
erenced ?
But I may not dwell on tins. In the midst
of these extraordinary labors he was sum
moned again by Mr. Van Buren to th" Cher
okee country to effect the removal of that un
fortunate people across the Mississippi. This,
probably, was the severest trial of his life.
But he was bound to obey the order of his
Government, and he doubtless ft It that be
Could da it in mercy. A great and :vmi-sav
ag< p'uple wive r anov d from the g"uv -h of
their fathers and the hearth-stones of their
in ones, without one drop of blood being shed,
lite admirable self-command, prudence, for
bearance and tact of Gen. Scott, achieved
that which the bayonet would have failed to
accomplish without the destruction of one
half the Cherokee race.
In the next year we find him again under
the order of Mr. \ an Huron, on the North
eastern frontier, pacifying the disturbances
respecting the boundary, and arresting the
hostilities, for which adverse troops were ac
tually encamped, burning with mutual hatred
and revenge. Again, by tire diplomatic tal
ents of this General, was the country saved
from war.
I lie last opportunity for the exhibition of
his qualities as a statesman, was presented
in Mexico. In the midst of a hostile popu
lation, and the most frightful disorders, he
organized a civil administration that gave
peace and protection to the inhabitants, and
restored order and responsibility. He de
vised and established a system of finance,
through military contributions and expendi
tures, which saved millions to the countrv.
llie last article of this description was his
plan—so characteristic of his great soul—of
a military asylum for the disabled and worn
out soldiers; —founded by the proceeds of
their own conquests, which he insisted be
longed to them.
And now, fellow-citizens, you have before
you some of the evidence of Gen. S • -it's ra
pacity for civil government. There are oth
ers, which from their nature cannot be pub
lic. As commanding the army, or divisions
of it, and much at the seat of Government,
he was necessarily often consulted bv the
Presidents and their Cabinets. They" thus
liecame thoroughly acquainted with his ener
gy, his sagacity, and his prudence. Madison,
Monroe, Jackson, \ an Huron, and I'olk. have
given testimony which may not be questioned
without impeaching them, of their estimation
of his qualities, by the employments which 1
have enumerated.
i he success which has invariably attended
all his civil labors affords still stronger testi
mony to his great ability. After"this, it
looks like holding up a farthing candle to il
luminate a subject ail glorious with light, to
add any individual evidence. But trivial as
is the authority, it may he satisfactory to
some who know me, to hear the results of my
own personal observations during a period of
great official intimacy. lam ashamed to put
my indorsement on Gen. Scott's paper, but 1
certainly will not dishonor it. A more scru
pulously honest, honorable, and just man,
never came in contact with me. The in
stances and proofs were constant, of daily
and iiourly occurrence. Personal enemies
he had, although few, yet never in his admin
istration of the affairs of the army could the
slightest indication of the influence of enmity
or of favoriteism be discovered in his official
conduct, 'lo the contrary, instances have
fallen under my own observation, where
preference was given to an officer known ff>
be inimical, over one known as his most de
voted friend.
Matters of the gravest importance, neces
sarily become often the subjects of considera
tion and discussion. On such occasions I
have been struck by the comprehensiveness
and justness of his views ; with what fidelity
he planted himself, as it were, on an emi
nence, and calmly surveyed the whole hori
zon before him, discerning the least indica
tion of a cUmd, and watching the counter
currents, and estimating their direction and
force with a sagacity which could be acquired
only by a long experience in public affairs,
and a knowledge of our own as well as
European politics, derived from profound
study.
This, fellow-citizens, is my testimony;
take it for what it is worth. 1 rejoice in the
opportunity of offering it, as the discharge of
a duty It i g at least disinterested. My po
litical life is ended. I neither wish nor ex
pect ever to hold any office to which any pe
cuniary compensation is attached
Still, my friends, hbwi ver qualified, patri
ot!.-, and deserving, our candidate* may be •
whatever the debt of gratitude we owe them
—it is impossible for national parties to be
organized and maintained merely for the
support of individuals. They must lie based
' ga principles comraor. to &U who belong to
the party, and must have in view the good of
the whole country. Otherwise, they become
factions, of the most dangerous character.
Aware of this truth, the two great political
parties of the country have recently, by their
respective conventions, promulgated the sen
timents of each. On two points of great in
terest they have directly taken issue.
One of them is thus presented by the Dem
ocratic Convention:
Resolved, That the Coin titulinn dos not confer upon
ihe General Government the power to commence and
carry on a general system of internal improvements.
Mark the vagueness, if not the duplicity of
this resolution. The Convention did not dare,
in the face of the history of the Government
under all administrations—.Jefferson's, Madi
son's and Jackson's, as well as others—to
deny the power of the government to carry
on some internal improvements. And it did
not dare to provoke the wrath of the people
by a sweeping declaration against all such
works. A middle course was adopted, deny
ing the authority of the General Government
to carry on a general system, of internal im
provements; as if the Constitution permitted
some, as might he dictated by caprice or fa
voviteisin, but prohibited the regulation and
exercise of this important power by general
principles of equal and common benefit to
the whole country.
Every other subject of legislation is, or is
supposed to be, governed by a general sys
tem : the imposition of duties, appropriation
of public moneys, the establishment of post
offices and post roads, coasting licenses, inter
course with foreign nations and with Indian
tribes, pensions—these and every other instance
of legislation by our own or any other Gov
ernment, are conducted upon a general sys
tem, governed by general principles. Is it
not a subversion of all theory of Government,
to maintain that internal improvements only
are to be made without reference to a general
system I
The declaration of the Whig Convention on
this subject is as follows:
6. The Constitution vfts MI Congress the power to
open aiul repair h lrliorg, am) remove obstructions from
navigable rivers; and u is expedient that Congress shall
exercise tilat power whenever such improvements arc ne-
Ct searij fur the common defence, or fur the protection and
fuciltly of commerce with foreign nations or among the
Siuli s; such imporveuionis being, in ev ry instance, na
liotiiil and general in their character.
Daily witnesses of the obstructions of our
noble river, which impede the commerce of
some dozen States, how can any man among
n* sanction the evasive, Jesuitical declara
tion of the 0111 Convention, or fail heartily to
applaud the open, manly, explicit and consti
tutional argument of the other?
As if, however, to give distinctness and
meaning to their resolution, the Democratic
Convention have nominated for the Presiden
cy a gentleman who, during his -crvice in
Congress, was distinguished more for his in
veterate hostility all appropriations for the
imf roveuient ol harbors and rivers than for
any other political act. Even the limited ap
propriations which the majority of a Demo
cratic Congress voted, and which (Jen. Jack
son sanctioned, were opposed by Gen. Pierce.
Is it not amazing that a candidate with such
sentiments, who would be bound by his con
victions of duty to veto every bill of that
character, should he presented for the suf
frages of the men who so recently at Chicago,
either personally or by their representatives,
demanded the exercise of this power by Con
gress, as one not only clearly given by the
Constitution, but as a duty imperatively re
quired by that instrument? The citizens,
whose annual losses by the want of burbots
are counted by millions, and the families who
have been bereaved of fathers and brothers
by the saute cause, together with the multi
tude of traders, merchants, forwarders and
producers, whose business is ham tiered and
embarrassed by the obstructions of our navi
gable rivers, are emphatically called upon to
east tle-ir votes at the ensuing election with
reference to the certainty that the existing
evils of which they complain will be contin
ued bv Gen. Pierce.
On the subject of the protection of our
own industry, against the power of foreign
capital, the two Conventions are also at issue.
The Democratic resolution assumes what till
fact and all history disprove, that such pro
tection fosters one branch of industry at the
expense of another, and cherishes the inter
ests of one portion of the country to the in
jury of another. It is notorious that in our
wide-spread country, with climates varying
so as to be adapted to all the varieties of hu
man production, the interchange of these
products is calculated to promote the inter
ests of all. And it is equally known that no
country can flourish without a variety of in
dustrial pursuits; that agriculture is con
nected with and dependent on manufactures,
and commerce upon both. Put this is not
the occasion to discuss these matters. Suffice
it to say, that the Whig resolution presents
the American doctrine, while the other is tin
humble imitation of the English modern
theory.
Sucli are some of the issues which you are
called on to decide ; for they are decided hv
the election of your officers of Government.
The Whig Platform presents you the whole
ground on which we claim to be the Party of
National Freedom, of progress, of security,
and of prosperity. Whatever of individual
preferences or wishes we have heretofore in
dulged, the time for their further indulgence
has passed. It is to the glory of our coun
try and the honor of our party, that there
were so many distinguished citizens among
whom a choice might be worthily made ; and
we may honestly exult, that the selection of
a standard-hearer by our delegates was the
result (>f free and independent judgment,
and not of a stern necessity to avoid dissen
sion and open rupture.
We have now no alternatives, hut to aban
don ingloriously the exercise of the birth
rights of freemen, or to vote for a sound
friend and supporter of the Constitution,
whose whole life has been devoted to bis
country as a whole, rather than to any par
ticular section, and whose political principles
so entirely accord with the old doct£hes and
sentiments of his party. For I assume that
uo man who has any regard for a.single prin
ciple of the Whig party, can be found to east
his vote for a candidate who personifies the
very antipodes of everything Whig.
Death from Lock-Jaic. —John 11. Van Head,
Esq., a well known citizen of Spring town
ship, died from the effects of lock-jaw on
Sunday afternoon last. The deceased bad
the misfortune, a few days previous, to tread
on a nail, which entered his foot, causing a
painful wound, from which lock-jaw super
vened. Mr. Van Head was a useful citizen,
a worthy neighbor, and an estimable man in
all the relations of life. His loss is deeply
felt and deplored by all who enjoyed the
pleasure of his acquaintance. — Ueculmj Jour
nal.
The Staunton Spectator thinks there is
some mistake about Gen. l'ieic • being a de
scendant of the Duke of Northumberland,
and infers from his feats in Mexico, that he
Wongs to the " Somerset" family.
THE GAZETTE.
LEWISTOWN, PA.
Friday Evening, August 20,1852.
FOR PRESIDENT,
WINNELD SCOTT,
FOR VICE PRESIDENT,
WILLIAM A.GRAHAM,
of North Carolina.
JUDGE OK THE SUPREME COURT,
JOSEPH BUFFINGTON,
of Armstrong County.
CANAL COMMISSIONER,
JACOB HOFFMAN,
of Berks County.
We are authorized to say that the
finder of a port monnaie, lost on Saturday
last, with the owner's name written inside,
containing a number of papers of value only
to the owner and ?'l2 in money, can retain
the money provided lie will restore the pocket
book, with the papers, either through the
post office, the Gazette office, or directly to
the owner.
Gen. Shields, a Senator front Illinois, re
cently wrote a political letter in which he pays
the following tribute to Gen. Scott:
"It is my good fortune to be personally
acquainted with both the distinguished citi
zens whose names have been presented bv
their respective parties as candidates for the
highest office in the gift of the American peo
ple. Gen. Winfield Scott is the candidate of
the whig party. For him I entertain the
highest personal regard and esteem. 1 ad
mire him as much as I do any man living for
his great military talents, and I CONSIDER
IIIM ENTITLED TO THE GRATITUDE of
HIS COUNTRY FOR HIS GLORIOUS MIL
ITARY SERVICES."
That will do, General. The man who is
"entitled to the gratitude of his countrv"
ought to bo President: so the People have
said more than once, and so they will say
again.
We had prepared .u, ai tide iast week,
g-v eg - one rather conclusive evidence that |
Win. Searight was the author of the letter to j
Hugh Keys, as published in the Gazette,
which was omitted on the reception of the
news of Mr. S.'s death. The Democrat, how
ever, we see intends to pursue the subject,
and even intimates that he was hurried to his
grave by these publications. So far from
this being the case, we have it stated
that liis physician did not allow him to read
any of the charges brought against him by
Graham for four weeks previous to his de
cease. As before stated, we know nothing of
the charges made by Graham, but if Daniel
Sturgeon or any one else will undertake to
deny the authenticity of that letter, the ad
mission of Searight's attorneys, and the tes- !
timony of Matthew Allen, the present Sheriff'
of Fayette county, and John 11. Deford, a ;
well known attorney, can be produced atanv !
time.
Gen. Scott and the Volunteers.
The locofoeo papers are laboring hard to 1
create a belief that Pierce carries with him ;
not only democrats, locofocos, and .ill other ;
shades of the opposition, just as they asserted I
lour years ago that Gen. Cass was carrying
the whole country, barely giving Gen. Too lor
six states—hut have the effrontery to claim '
any amount of changes from the whigs! As i
is usual on such occasions, a few disappointed
office-hunters, whose principles are centered
in loaves and fishes ; a few self-conceited fools I
who imagine themselves of much greater im
portance than anybody else does, and proba
bly here and there a demagogue who puts
himself up like a piece of pork to be sold to j
the first bidder, have shown their devotion to !
" principles" by gaining superlative contempt j
from all who value self-respect; hut beyond j
these, changes to Piercedom have been few
and far between. On the other hand, letters i
like the following, written by Jerome C'onkle, j
who served in the Columbia Guards during j
the Mexican campaign, to a brother soldier, j
speak a sentiment widely entertained, and ]
which will give Gen. Scott thousands of votes j
iu every State:
" MONTOURSVILLE, July 15, 1852.
" Sir : —I sit myself down to salute you up- j
on the nomination of Gen. Scott for the Pres- j
idency. I don't know whether you are a I
whig or a democrat; hut Ido know that you !
stood by Gen. Scott in several important bat- •
ties in Mexico, and I have every reason to j
believe that you will not desert him in his j
political campaign. For my part, I am a j
democrat, and intended to vote the democratic j
ticket at the next election ; but when I heard j
of the nomination of Gen. Scott for the Pros- I
idency, I felt just like I did a few minutes '
after the heights of Chapultepec were carried, j
and couldn't help but give three cheers for j
Gen. Scott. I trust there are none of the Co- I
lumbia Guards that stood by Gen. Scott in j
Mexico that will prove traitors to him ."u this i
his very last campaign. lam very anxious j
to hear from you upon this very important j
question, and will wait with patience for an j
answer. Give iny best respects to all of our ;
brother soldiers, &c."
THE ERECTIONS.' —In North Carolina, the
whigs have probably gained the Legislature j
on joint ballot; yet the locofoeo papers pre- i
tend to crow over the election !
In lowa, from present appearances, the
whigs have gained largely, aud it is likely
from the returns that they have carried both
members of Congress, &e. One whig is cer
tainly elect<-d by a majority exceeding 500.
Ephraiiu Little, a prominent democrat, of
Preble county, Ohio, is out for Scott and
Graham. So also is J. D. Gillet, and a num
ber of others in JLo Roy, Now York.
EDITORIAL OLLA PODRIDA.
Hon. ENOCH BANKS, brother of the present
Auditor General of this State, died at Bai
ley's Springs, Alabama, on the 24th ult.
Twenty-five deaths had occurred at Cham
bersburg from cholera up to la3t week, but
the disease is disappearing.
James Devinney was severely kicked by a
mule on Monday last—so severely that a fa
: tal result was at one time anticipated.
Samuel L. Russell (not Alexander, as we
| stated in our last) is the nominee for Con
gress in the Bedford district.
The widow of Gen. Taylor died at East
i Pascagoula, Louisiana, on Saturday night
j last.
Z. Rittenhouse, Esq., of this place, has
I been appointed a conductor on the Philadel
| phia and Columbia Railroad—a station lie is
j well qualified to fill.
i We are pleased to learn that Dr. -John
' MeCulloeh has been nominated for Congress
j in the district composed of Huntingdon,
! Blair, Cambria, and Somerset counties.
The Aurora was down on the Circus, and
! the circus was down on the Aurora last week,
making altogether a very interesting out-door
performance.
The Juniata Register is respectfully in
formed that we don't go out somewhere; but,
like the schoolboy, when we have nothing to
do, we go nowhere. Is that satisfactory ?
The New York Courier and Enquirer calls j
the Free Soil Convention an assemblage of i
' three hundred open and avowed traitors in j
earnest council.'
Every student of Kenyon College, Ohio, on
his admission, is required to sign a pledge to '
abstain from the use of ardent spirits during I
his residence there.
'lhe locofoeo state convention will assem- ;
hie on Thursday next to nominate a eandi- i
date for the Supreme Court aud Canal Com- I
uiissioner. Tin-re will lie lots of aspirants i
for the latter.
The llollidayshurg Standard, always an
ahlv conducted paper, this week appeared in
a uew and neat dross. We suppose the streets
of our sister "c' f v" will no-.v 1 . brilliant
lighted with— vl'-i.t 1 we say—trout oil!
The National Intelligencer of Saturday savs
we are glad to learn that intelligence rea hed
the War Department yesterday which strength
ens the belief that the report of the massacre
of Capt. Marey and his command is false. t
Gen. Pierce, the locofoeo candidate fur i
President, declined to answer various letters
addressed to him on political subjects, until
E. He Leon, late editor of the Southern Press,
an open and avowed diminionisl, made inquir
ies, and he is at once politely answered !
A hatter in Lewistown calls the attention
of 'country merchants' to his stock. If the
city of Lewistown had other wholesale estal - j
lishments, perhaps the country merchants of
Blair county might save something in the j
way of expenses, purchasing their stock there
instead of going further east.— llollidayshurg i
Standard.
The above, whether uttered in jest or earn- j
est, is worthy of consideration; and in the j
meantime we have no doubt if any of the j
Blair county merchants will give ours a call. j
they will find ample assortments of dry goods
aud groceries, at prices that may induce them I
to repeat the visit.
Madam Rumor ha it that a contract on the i
North Branch Canal was lately sold out to
another party (who also no doubt expect to:
realize a line grab) for 83(k0! Hurrah for i
taxation, for canal contracts, ami the canal
commissioners who make them.
Who wouldn't be a " democrat" and a fat con
tract hold,
With mighty little work, but lots of notes and
gold—
The people pay the piper, but what care they
for that?
they can lick the hones, while contractors '
take the fat.
That " Coon Meeting" in front of the Lew- ;
istown Hotel last week called out three more
mortal columns of the Democrat in defence
of its darling Pierce, who, that paper would
make it appear, was unjustly assailed by the
speakers, it cites a good deal from the do
ings and sayings of Major Winship in sup- |
port of the positions assumed, but finally our i
neighbor comes to the conclusion NOT to claim
Gen. P. as a " great military man." These j
"coon meetings" seem to he troublesome af- f
fairs, and we think we'll have to call another I
soon just to keep our opponents from faint
ing !
The Demcrat don't like the term locofoeo,
and would like to have its party styled the
Democrats. This may he sincere enough, but
ought not a party seeking a popular name
do something to deserve it? In our younger
days, when we hurrahed for "Jackson, whom
the British turned their hacks on," a demo- I
crat would have felt insulted had he been told !
that British manufactures ought to be encour- j
aged in preference to our own. How is it !
now ? Then, improvement of rivers and bar- j
bors, as well as whatever tended to foster :
commerce, was a cardinal principle of demo
cracy. Why is it not so now? Then too j
the London Times and other British papers ;
were wont to deprecate the election of a dem- 1
crat, and wished all manner of t-uecessto the 1
" federalists." If principles are immutable, :
how comes it that Pierce and King are now
the favorites of these prints, although dubbed
with the name of Democrat? And this strain
might he pursued for columns, but P is use
less. A man may call himself a Christian,
but that does not make him one ; and a party
may call itself democratic, hut if it lacks the !
attributes of democracy, it is not entitled to
tue appellation any move than the Now Hamp
shire locofocos are to being tolerating chris
tians, or South Carolina locofocos to being
advocates of freo suffrage.
Tfae Caaal Commissioners and the Railroad
Company.
We publish below the contract entered into
by the Canal Commissioners with Messrs.
Bingham & Dock, by which all others are ex
cluded from carrying pa3aenger3 from Phila
delphia to Columbia:
1 his article of Agreement entered into this
nineteenth day of May, A. D., One Thousand
Light Hundred and fifty-two, between John
A. tuimble, William T. Morison and Seth
Clover. Canal Commissioners, on behalf of
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, of the
first part : and John Bingham, and Jacob
Dock, of Philadelphia, of the second part,
WITNESSETH; That the said party of the
second part agree as follows ; To carry ail
the passengers over the Philadelphia and Co
lumbia Railroad, between Philadelphia and
Columbia, and intermediate points, except
such passengers as the West Chester Rail
i Road Company are permitted to carry, and
j such inarketinen as are carried in market
J cars, uudcr regulations existing at the date
j of this agreement.
j To carry the United Suites Mail over said
I road as often as may be required by the Post
i Office Department; and carry said mails to
! and fr.ua the several post offices; to and
; from the cars at the termini, and required
! points on the line of the road.
To c dlect the fare on each passenger, as
i may at any time hereafter be established by
i the Board of Canal Commissioners, and once
in each month, or oftener, if required to pay
the same over, (deducting the sum hereinaf
ter allowed them for carrying said passen
gers) to the collectors at the offices at which
tolls on passengers are now paid, or to such
collectors as the said Board of Canal Commis
si mors may hereafter designate.
To s toe £ the road with first class, substan
tial, safe, and commodious passenger cars,
subject to the examination and approval of
the present Board of Caual Commissioner l ,
before said car 3 are placed on the road.
To remove immediately from the road, any
car which the Board of Canal Commissioners
may at any time deem unsafe or detrimental
to the interests and travel of said road.
To give bond, with approved security in
the sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars, for the
true and faithful performance of this agree
ment on their part.
That tiic said party of the first part, agree
to compensate the said party of the second
part, for the service hercinb fore recited to
be performed, a follows:
For each and every passenger carried by
them ocr the Rail Road aforesaid, the sum
of five mills per mile.
For each and every Emigrant passenger,
two an 1 one half mills per iiiiie.
F r carrying the United States Mail, to
cover the expenses of that service hereinbe
fore recited—one fifth of the toll charged bv
the Commonwealth, for carrying said mail
over the Bail Road aforesaid.
That no toll shall be charged the party of
the second part on passenger, baggage or
mail care, whether loaded or empty.
That passengers shall be received and de
livere I at the terminus of the road, at West
Philadelphia.
Turn toe Board of Canal C >mmis3!uneiv,
whenever they appropriate to the use of the
Commonwealth, any of the ground on the
line of the Rail Road aforesaid in west Phil
adelphia, shall set apart fur the use of the
said party of the second part, a lot of suffi
cient capacity whereon to erect a car house,
and reception rooms fur passengers: provi
ded the said party of the second part, shall
agree t<> pay a fair and reasonable compen
sation for the use of such lot. That it is ex
pressly understood, that this article of agree
ment gives tu the party of the second part,
the exclusive right of carrying all the pas
sengers over the Rail Road aforesaid, except
those before recited, as being now carried hv
the West Chester Rail Road Company, and
by market ears.
fhat this article shall be and continue in
force, for the term of four years, commen
cing on the first day of July, A. D., One
Thousand Eight Hundred and fiftv-two.
M itness, our hands and seals."this nine
teenth day of May. One Thousand Eight
Hundred and fiftv-two.
JOHN A. GAMBLE, I"L. s.l
WM. T. MORISOX, 11. "! J
SETH CLOVER, [L. s.] J
JOHN BINGHAM, [L. s.l
J. DOCK, [L. S.]
Signe 1, sealed and delivered in the pres
ence of
THOMAS M. DAVIS,
THOMAS L. WILSON.
Of the expediency of a measure of this
kind, we have strong doubts, because if the
Canal Commissioners can create a monopoly
on the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad,
what is to prevent them from giving the en
tire carrying trade on the Pennsylvania Ca
nals to some favorite firms, under pretence of
taking the matter into their own hands, as
they profess to do in this. We do not intend,
however, at this time to enter into a discus
sion of their right, as the matter will now he
brought before the Supreme Court for adjud
ication by the course adopted on Monday
last. On that day, as we learn from the city
papers two trains left the respective depots at
8 o'clock : but when the cars, belonging to
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, reached
V est T hiladelphia, with a large number of
passengers and the mails,* the switch was
turned and the cars run on a track other than
that used previously, while the other train
was permitted to pass. After some little de
lay, the passengers and mails were trans
ferred from the cars of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company to those of Messrs. Bing
ham & Dock, and the train passed westward.
The most extraordinary feature in this new
arrangement, is the refusal of the contract
ors to stop at Dillerville, thus compelling
western passengers either to get off at Lan
caster or go on to Columbia. This does not
look like p. desire to accommodate the public.
Benjamin Matthias, Esq., died in Philadel
phia on Saturday morning last. Mr. Matthi
as has for many years in part represented
Philadelphia city in the House and Senate,
and was President of the Senate during the
session of 1851. He was whig in politics and
a gentleman of standing in the party. The
vacancy iu the Senate caused by his death
will be filled at the coming election.
Four Sous of Temperance, who went from
Providence to aid in enforcing the liquor law,
were pelted with rotten eggs at Newport on
Tuesday, and with difficulty escaped their as
sailants, only one of whom was arrested. A
very bad example of resistance to the law I