<TI)f Centre J?#? Demur rut.
BHUOEBT A FOKSTER, Editors.
VOL. I.
€?nttr jpmocvat.
Terms SI.AO per Annnm.in Advance.
S. T. SHUGERT end R. H. FORSTER. Editor*.
Thursday Morning, March 27, 1879.
W ELLS and Anderson, of returning
board fnnie, recently under prosecu
tion in New Orleans and acquitted
under some technical ruling, failed
to jmy their attorneys for defending
them, nnd they have brought suit
to recover their fees.
FATHER TAKT, the late accommo
dating Attorney General in Grant's
administration, who could always
make a law to suit any emergency, ap- '
pears to have distanced Chas. Foster, j
and has now the inside track in the j
race for nomination as tho Republican
candidate fur < iovinior of (Htio.
THE Greenback organization in
Cougrcss is evidently becoming de- j
moralized, nnd will scarcely be able
to continue to hold the balance of power. I
Since the organization, Hcndrick Is.
Wright and two or three others have
appeared in the Democratic caucus.
If the balance of the 13 scatter
thus, Mr. Dewecs might as well close
his National headquarters.
THE Washington correspondent of
the Philadelphia Time*, never lavish
in compliments to the Democrats, ad
mits that the officers and employes of
the lower branch of Congress, as a
general rule, aVe very efficient, and
that the business of the session, so far
as the House is concerned, will run
smoothly. "At the desks," he says,
" there is a better set of officers than
there has been at any time in twenty
years."
REPUBLICAN* oewspapers howl with
a dismal sort of distress over the fact
that only four Union soldiers are to IKS
found in the United States senate.
How is this ? If it is essential to have
Union soldiers in the Senate AS an off
set to the " Confederate brigadiers "
why have Republican legislatures bs'n
so extremely derelict in duty to the
country. Even Pennsylvania Repub
licans have had several splendid op
portunities to elect u Union soldier,
but we have never heard that they
embraced a single one of them. No
more gush of that kind, if yoti plea*".
SKSATOK WALLACE, Chairman ot
the committee charged with the in
vestigation, proposes to go to the bot
tom, and see all the inner workings
of the Deputy Marshall system of
regulating nnd controlling elections.
He presented a resolution in the Hen- !
ate on Thursday ln*t, calling upon the
Hecretary of the Treasury for a " de
tailed statement of the accounts of
the Marshalls in the State* of New-
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, MassAchu- 1
setts and Maryland rendered to date, 1
for and in regard to employment of
and payment of wages or fees charged
for services performed by them, or
their special deputies in regard to con
duct of elections in November, 1878, ■
showing the amount claimed by or
paid to each of said deputies, and the
aggregate paid or claimed by said
Marshalls for services connected with
the said elections."
THE Northern radical papers seem
to have a wonderful sympathy for the
South at this time and are quite dis- j
tressed that a Northern man should
have been elected Speaker of the
House instead of a Southern man.
The " Rebel Brigadiers " are just now
the joy of their hearts. But the At
lanta ConMUution could not have been
aware of the deep interest imipired in
these patriotic journals in favor of the
South, else it could not have sent forth
a sentiment like this. " The Southern
Democrats do not care whether the
Speaker hails from the North, the
South, the East or the West They
know that he is no more entitled to
the position because he may happen to
be a Southern man than if he be a
Northern or Western man."
"KqUAL ANI) EXACT JUSTICE TO ALL MEN, OF WHATEVER HAH OH l-KRSC ANION, HKLIOIOVN 01l fOLITICA L. "—J off emu.
Federal Supervisor*.
; •
In the issue of Monday, March 17,
the Philadelphia Timet has an edito
rial upon the issues now pending
before congress. The Democrats
are therein justified in demanding the
repeal of the jury test oath, as also
the prohibition of the use of soldiers
at elections; hut they are at the same
time warned that they will not he sus-1
tained by the country if they demand j
and insist upon the repeal of the pro- 1
visions of the statute authorizing the i
appointment of Federal supervisors j
at elections. The Times is usually
very clear and sound upon questions
of policy, and we are sorry to sec it so
deeply in the mud on this question, j
It is true that Representative Springer ,
and some other Democrats arc dis- j
posed to compromise on this question,!
and to permit the supervisor law to
remain, when it is so amended as to .
remove its more obnoxious features. '
This is put upon the ground that it
would look like wishing to remove the
guaranty of fair elections, to insist
upon the absolute repeal of the Super
visor act. We think both the Time*
and the compromising Democrats are
wrong, both in principle and policy.
Election* are and ought to lie held un
der Stale laws. The qualifications of
voters are fixed by the several State
constitutions, and all election officers
arc elected or appointed under State
laws. Misconduct on the part of these
officers is a crime against the State,
aud not against the General Govern
ment. It is impossible even for repre
sentatives in Congress to lie elected at
electh ns held under a code of Feder
al laws. What would the Timet say
to a proposition to have all Congress
men elected under a federal code
which should provide all the machin
ery for a proper and practical election;
such a.< defining the extent and boun
daries of election districts, the pre
vious registration of voters by feder
al officers, the election of judge, in
spectors and clerks to hold the elec
tion, defining what evidence the elec
tion officers should require ns to the
qualification of each voter —the pay
ment out of the National
of the ex|>enses of the election, and
finally, a Federal returning board of
some kind to receive, compute and cer
tify the returns? All this would be
as practical and proper, and much
more convenient, than to appoint
Federal officers to oversee and suj>er
vise State elections. All elections
should be fair and honed, and ade
quate provisions should be made to
guarantee and enforce tins fairness
anil honesty, if any evil di*j>osed per
sou should attempt to produce a false
result by fraud or violence; but these
provisions should le made by the sev
eral States nod not by the federal
government The provision* of our
election laws in Pennsylvania for the
appointment of one overseer from each
party to oversee the election whenever
citizens js tition for their appointment
is a far better guaranty than any that
can l>e made by Congress. These
•State overseers are ap|)ointcd by the
Courts in each county, wli *rc the
Judges are generally personally ac
quainted with the people ami can
make fiiir and judicious sclec tions*
whereas, at least, the federal su pcr
vison* must be appointed by the U T -H.
j District Court, where the district
judge could have no personal knot vl
| edge of the men he was asked to a,>
point. For instance, how could judg 9
Ketchum at Pittsburg make proper
selections of supervisors for Bcnner
, township, Philipsburg or Houtsdalc i
boroughs? The fact is, tho federal
supervisor law was never intended to (
promote fairness and honesty iu the t
conduct of elections, but, on the other J
hand, was devised as a meaus for fraud- <
ulentiy aud corruptly controlling j
the result of elections against the wish I
and voice of a majority of the people. 1
We challenge the Timet to refer to one
tingle instance, in which federal super
vitort were either appointed or acted for
BELLEFONTE, I'A., THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1*7!).
any good purpose. There is no such
instance on record, and never will he.
The whole design of this law is to
cover fraudulent and criminal pur
jtoses, and all its provisions should he
wiped from the federal statute hooks.
A REPUBLICAN paper says "a pub
lic meeting is to be held in Philadel
phia to condemn Wallace for lighting
liandall." We have not seen any
other evidence that such a meeting is
to he held, nor learned that there is
any occasion for it. But still it may
IK- SO, for there are a great many fools
in Philadelphia, as in other places,
and if this class wont to air their folly
they could not find u man they could
injure less with the (icople of Pennsyl
vania.
We notice that the Republican pa
pers, and some others, persistently
charge that Senator Wallace labored
to defeat Mr. Randall's election as
Speaker of the House. Now, Mr.
Wallace did no such thing. lie is
not that kind of a Democrat, aud was
too deeply interested in u successful
Democratic organization of Congress
to endanger it by any act of his. Mr.
Wallace may have had a personal pre
ference for the nomination of another
man than Mr. Randall, hut if s>, is
he to be condemned? Mr. Ramlnll
does not hesitate to exercise the right
of personal choice, and why should
Mr. Wallace he condemned for doing
the same thing. We have the very
highest regard for both of these di
tiuguished men, and will receive with
large allowance any reports published
to their disadvantage, and manifestly
put upon the wing for the same pur
pose and by the same men who labor
ed last fall to distract and defeat the
Democratic party.
REPUBLICAN Statesmen who arc just
now making so much fuss over what
they are pleased to term the "revolu
tionary" altitude of the democrats in
Cougrcss have extremely short memo
ries. They seem to forget that when
they were in power they gave the na
tion many example* of the same kind
of revolutionary legislation which they
are now so free to coudemn. I >cnio
crats only propose to repeal the ob
noxious election enactments in the
same manner in which thev became
laws. Most all of them were passed
by republican congresses as riders to
appropriation bills, and if it was right
to pas* them in that way, certainly it
cannot he wrong to rejieal them in the
same way. In truth the majority that
now controls congress can find pre
cedents made by the other side for
everything they intend to do in rela
tion to the rcjH-al of the Inws in issue
between the two parties. Gen. Gar
field, the republican leader of the
house, worn* to be conspicuous in de
nunciation of the mode by which dem
ocrats have determined to wipe from
the statute hook* this partisan ma
! chinery of the republican* to control
elections, and the New York World
'• given him n gentle reminder of the
pant that should l>c effective in calm*
j ing the excitement of mind with which
he in now apparently afflicted. It nap:
" General Garfield's horror nl the < revol
utionary ' proposition of the Democrat* in
| relation to the election laws is rather over
j done, (leneral (iarfleld observed to our
correspondent that wicked a the Demo
. cratic proposition was in itself it was not
so wicked or so dangerous to the country
aa the revolutionary method by which ft
was proposed to enforce it. To tack par
tisan legislation to an appropriation hill is
' the nefarious thing which he will resist to
the last gasp. This may bo regarded at a
pledge for the future if General (larfleld
should ever belong to a majority In the
House, but that contingency ts too remote
to be profitably discussed. The past, how
ever, is not so secure as some of us would
like to see it; and it is therefore in order
for Genera) (iarfleld to rise in his place
and declare, with his hand on hia heart,
hat a proposition to enforce any partisan
I 4tiletion by attaching it to an appropria
ti on bill was always scouted by the Re-
Ktblfcan majority of which he was a part
the days of the lamented Andrew Jack
son - We have every respect of course for
Gen era) Garfield, but when h talks in this
desp airing way about the Democrats, the
imps dsn of our fallen human nature is to
say, admply, 'Scat!"'
THIRTY-THREE republican members
of the Kansas Legislature join in
charging 8-nator logalls of bribery.
THE STATE COLLEGE.—A move
was made iu the Legislature on Mon
day uight, during the session of the ,
House, that looks like au investigation
of the alliiirs of the State College, by a
Legislative committee. The officers
of the College will no doubt he able
to meet in a satisfactory manner all
inquiries that may he made. The fol
lowing preamble and resolution, in
troduced into the House by Mr. Kin
raid, a member from Erie county, me
adopted:
WUKKKAH, Hv certain act* of as'embly
paiMsl in 1H I mi institution was incurix,. 1
rated called iho "Farmer's High School
<>f Pennsylvania," having for it* object
" the education of youth in the various
branches of science, learning and practi
cal agriculture," tin- name of which insti
tution was subsequently changed to the
Pennsylvania slate college :
A tut B7i erras, By an at of congress ap
proved July 2, IK<;2, land scrip amounting
in TSO.IIOO acres was donated to the state
for the benefit of agriculture and mechani
cal arts, whieh land scrip wa sulw-queritly
sold for the sum of $130,4*1} so, arid by aet
of IHO7 one-tenth of the proceeds of said
sub- was appropriated to said college, to
gether with the inn-rest and income of the
entire residues.
And 11 '/irrrai, The slate ha* at other
times made other large appropriations by
B< t* of 1H57, lb'il and ISTs.Ui said college
to uid in carrying out the purpoaes for
which the institution was incorporated :
therefore be it
Rtudwl (if the senate concur). That a
committee of irom the house and 'I from
the senate be Hp|>inti-d to examine the
several acta of tho legislature relating to
-aid college, and ascertain what authority
or control, if any, the state may have over
the same, and also whether the same, as
now carried on and conduiled, be such an
institution as was contemplated by acts of
incorporation and as is required bv the
provisions of the several acts appropriat
ing money for its support, and also the ad
vantages resulting to the agricultural in
tere-sts of tho stale have been commensu
rate with so large an investment. This
com mi lie shall have power to send for jer
suns and pajiers and examine witnesses un
der oath, and rejairt the result of their in
vestigation to thish-gislalure not later than
20 days after their appointment.
TIIE following hamL-sinx* tribute to
a noble man we take great pleasure in
copying from the Harrishurg Patriot:
"The army ia always considered an
element of danger to a free country,"
waa the remark of Gen. W. ,S. Hancock
the other day to a St. t/vuia interriewer.
For thia reason the General believes that
the armv will not lo increased. There
is no soldier in this or any other coun
try who haa clearer or more patriotic
idea* on the subject of the relation of
the military to the civil power than
• sen. Hancock, lie boa giTen evidence
of thia fact on more than one occasion.
Ilia proclamation while commanding at
New * trleans during the reoonsfruciton
period in which he made a plea fot
civil liberty worthy of the greatest
statesmen of the republic is well remem
bered. While a true and brave soldier
General Hancock evinces statesmanship
of a high order, ile has evidently given
carctui study to the federal constitu
tion and republican institutions, lie
has thus learned what too many military
men often overlook, that in time of
|>eace and in a country where the ad
ministration of the laws is not impeded
the civil power i* superior to any mili
tary authority. With a man of hfa
liberal and enlightened views at the
head of the army or at the head of tho
government the liliortiea of the |M-ople
would le safe. The time may not t*
far distant when Winfieid Scott Han
cock will he the favorite of the people
as lie haa been and ia the idol of the
army.
This reads as though the Patriot
would like to sec the gallant hero iu
the White House nt Washington, and
the DEMOCRAT feci* a strong incliua
| tion to second the motion.
REPRESENTATIVE FAUNCE is having
an excellent run through the Demo
cratic papers of the Htatc as a candi
date for State Treasurer.—Philadel
phia Time*.
And who is more deserving *an
excellent run V Honest, fearless and
reliable, no fair Democrat can object
to him.
A COMMITTEE box lccn raised in
the Legislature to investigate alleged
stationery frauds. This is right. If
frauds rtist they should be exposed
ami punished. But why should the
committee set with closed doors? Can
it l>c that the members' stationery ac
counts will not bear the light? It is
somewhat remarkable in these days
of economy and retrenchment, that
the stationery account should swell
from $8,403 in 1876 to $23,580 in
1878.
This increase certainly needs ex
planation, and should be made, in the
light of day, so clear that tho people
can understand why these expenses
should have such a constant annual
upwartTtendeucy.
TKIIMS: |mt Annum, in Advanc**.
GENERAL. NEWS.
The boiler, of Johnson A Oo.'s distil
lery fit nt t'leburnc, Texas, blew up on
Friday killing two men.
Major Philip It. Tondall, of the Unit
ed States marine corps, died suddenly
at Portsmouth, N. 11,, on Friday morn
ing.
'I lie town farm-house a' Williman
tic, Conn., ww burned on Saturday
morning. Los-, f 10,000; insurance,
t,vooo.
The Reading railroad company com
mencerl the payment of it* hand* in
It-ading on Mnndny, launching upon
that community s*o,ooo.
The democrats of the Sixth Texas
congressional di-trict convention have
nominated Columbus Upson, to fill the
vacancy caused by the death ot Mr.
Schl icher.
The explosion of a boiler at Defor
est steam saw mill at Springfield,
Mass.. on Friday, probably fatally in
jured Tame* Taylor and Horace Lang
don, and severely injured two other*.
Madame Bonaparte, the famous old
lady of Baltimore, is very sick, and
there i* little hope of her recovery. She
is in her tiine,y sixth year, and ho* al
ways said she would live to be one hun
dred.
A correspondent of the Philadelphia
Rtrurd writes froin l*ock Haven that a
brick house in that city,occupied by I).
F. Good, was partially destroyed by
tire on Saturday morning. I/>ss $5,000;
covered by insurance.
Iho vote in Connecticut House of
Representotivea on the question of wom
an suffrage was : 25 yeas ; 21 nays —not
two third*, necessary for submitting the
amendment to the Constitution to the
people.
Monticclln, the former residence of
Thomas Jefferson, wo oid Thursday
last at Charlottesville, Va., in partition
i between the heirs of the late Commo
dore Uriah P. Levy, to Jefferson M.
, I/cvy, the principal heir, for SIO,OOO.
The ice on the Hudson opposite
. I'oughkeepsie, N. V., moved out with
•he tide on Sunday afternoon without
doiog any damage. A steamer has ar
rived frotu New burgh with coal boats in
tow.
J. F. ttales. General Superintendent
of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, has offer
ed bis resignation, to take effect on
Mtrch 31. Mr. S. T. Smith, Receiver.
; assumes the duties of General Superin
i ten dan L
The jury in the case of James L.
Slaughter, late Cashier of the First Na
tional Rank of lndiani|>n!is, Ind., on
trial in the Unite,! Slate* Court, before
j Judge Blodgett, on the charge of era-
I Iwrdetnenl, returned a verdict Monday
of not guilty.
The trial of Rev. I>r. Talrnage was
begun before the Brooklyn Presbytery
Monday afternoon. The doctor made
a speech, in which ho stated in
the most emphatic manner that he
courted full investigation of tbechargn
against him. denying them in toto.
Two contracts hare been received at
the works of the Ilarrisburg Car Co.
t >ne of these is for 1,000 coal car* for
the Central railroad of New Jersey and
the other * from the Canada Southern
railroad for ft oo boxes cars. The work
will liegin in about two weeks, when
500 men will be employed.
Pope XIII doe* not countenance
the theory that all dancing is of the
Evil One. To some ladies who asked
his permission to dance during the late
carnival he said: "Go, my dears, and
< enjoy yourselves in an innocent dance;
1 only don't keep up too late your papas
and mamma* when they want to get
home again."
The treasury department will now re
deem called bonds embraced in the six
teenth to the eigthtieth calls inclusive,
i psying interest to the date of redemp
tion ; or it will redeem at once bond* in
. eluded in said call*, with interest to
. date of maturity, and apply the pro
ceeds to the payment of any subscrip
tions for tho four (>er cent, consols.
About 2 o'clock on Thursday morn
ing Matthew Creek, proprietor of a dry
go->ds store in Jamestown, Ky., having
his suspicions aroused by a noise in his
store, arose from his bed. proceeded to
the store and found a burglar behind
the counter. He shot him dead, fifteen
buckshot penetrating his body. It is
not known where tin* burglar was from.
A large body of miners on Monday
Inst were gathering at West Elisabeth.
The ]a*t reports slate that one thousand
men are there, with bras* bund*. Much
indignation has been expressed over the
action of I). C. Hulls, suiierin ten dent
of the Allegheny county Home, in giv
ing the striking minor* an order on a
store for five barrels of flour, to be
charged to the county.
The greatest consternation has leen
caused in the town of Heading,
by the discovery that treaaurer Nathan
P. Pratt, of the Havings bank in that
town, ia a defaulter to a large amount,
and, while aigoying the fullest confi
dence of the community, he baa been
for years engaged in a systematic rob
bery of the bank. Pratt's defslration
will, it is thought, aggregate $90,000.
and oover a period of three years.
The prospecting committee of tha
Kansas colony started upon their jour
ney to the West Monday night. The
two pioneers, with their garments done
up in shawl straps, were escorted by the
colonists, to number of 150, each carry
ing a torch. A brass band preceded the
party, several members of which oar
tied banners bearing the words "Go
West," M Soldiers' and Sailors' Colony,"
and similar announcements.
NO. 13.
The Socr<-lary|of the Treasury has de
cided lo redeem $50,000,000 called .V2f>s
which mature between April 1, and II
on presentation.
About four hundred of the planta
tion negroes who recently arrived at
St. Louis from the South left Saturday
night for Kansas, and about two hun
dred by the steamer Helena for MUsis
aippi Sunday afternoon.
Kearney is stumping southern Cali
fornia for the new Conaitution. In h*
speeches he abuses people without stint.
A dispatch from Santa Anna aay* there
on J huraday one of the rn en thus vili
fied gave Kearney an unmerciful beat
ing.
Mayor Williams, of Gloucester, Maas ,
has published a request tor contribu
tions trom the country at large in aid of
the families of the seaman lost at St.
George's Hank during the recent gale*.
One hundred and forty six able-bodied
men were lost, leaving 57 widows and
I Vt orphans dependsr. ujon the chari
ty of the public for support.
Some days ago, in -New York, torn
missioner or Juror* Hunlap selected
lorty eight names of jurors for the trial
of the suit for 11.00(1,000 by Cornelius
■I. \ anderbilt against William 11. Van
derbilt. tin Saturday the counsel met
and each struck off twelve names,
leaving twenty four, from which twelve
will be selected in court for the trial.
A storm of the severest nature swept
over Memphis just after midnight on
Friday of last week. It quite likely
came from the southwest and continued
three hours. Iluring its progress the
lightning struck the Memphis cotton
and woolen mill*, situated in the south
ern part of the c ity, which were entire
ly d.-stroyed. The mills, valued at
•90.000, employed a force of 125 hands,
who are thrown out of employment.
Insurance, g60,000.
Colonel Ha/ilewiich. of the Imperial
Russian Guard, visiting at Berlin, has
i-een sentenced to three months" im
prisonment on the charge of picking a
lady's pocket. The verdict is generally
deemed outrageously unjust on the
evidence, the cer/nu deUrti not having
been produced. Colonel Bailewitch,
who is supposed to have been the victim
of conspiring circumstances, ha* gone to
St. Petersburg to lay his case before the
l.'iar, having been liberated on ap}>eal,
after giving his personal security for
•kJU.OOO mark*.
On and after April 1, the Western
' nion Telegraph Company will with
draw from the territory operated by
the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
and Telegraph Company The with
drawal will affect a number of cities
and town* in the State, including Kor
rtstown, Phoenixviile, I'otUtown. Read
ing. Pottrville, Tsmaqua, Sbamokin,
II arris burg and Williamsport. It is
understood that an arrangement has
been affected by which the receipts
will be pooled on a basis very satisfac
tory to both companies. It is under
stood that the contract covers a period
of fifteen years.
Saturday afternoon, as a freight train
on the Philadelphia and Krie railroad
was paa'ing through the ice gorge on
'he track a few milea eat of Kenovo
an axle of an oil tank car broke, and in
a few minutes thirteen oil cars were
wrecked. As aoon as thefirat tank was
| broken the oil ignited and almost in
• stantly a terrible fire ensued, which, as
it communicated to the other cars,
caused them to explode. The interne
heat warped the ifon rails and consum
ed the tie* like paper. As soon as the
; oil was consumed a wrecking train was
on band and the rubbish was cleared
awav with all |o*aib]e dispatch, and the
regular passenger trains were only de
tained a fen hours. About three hun
dred feet of track had to be relaid en
tirely. As each oil car oontaina about
3,600 gallons, the amount of oil con
sumed will reach 468,000 gallon*. The
balance of the cars were pulled away
in time, or the destruction of oil would
have been much greater. This is the
. jKiint, it should be understood, where
j the road was blockaded by ice a few
I days ago and a track had to be cut
through.
The rise in the river at Lock Haven
brought aiwrnt 175 raft* to that place,
and for three or four days past business
has been unusually brisk. Since Satur
day morning the river has been falling
rapidly, and the water is now too low
for rafting purposes. About twenty
rafts are now tied up in the pool of the
dam awaiting a rise to go below. The
market has varied considerably. Prices
have ranged all the way from 5 to 15
cents per foot for lumber, according to
quality. Oak of course, hss brought
the highest price, and the best gradse
of pine and spars 10 to 12. The lowest
price i* for hemlock. The total num
ber of rafts for the spring business is
expected to reach from 1,000 to 1,200.
Clearfield county alone will send 644) to
market. The balance will come from
the other tributary streams of the river
above here. Of the comparatively small
number that have arrived at Lock
Haven but a small quantity have gone
below. A few are expected to reach
Marietta, however, if they are not pur
chased at other point*. The achate at
Shamokin dam, opposite Sun bury, sus
tained great damage during the ice
flood, and the passage through it la
attended with great danger to rails.
When the next rise come* there wilt bo
a great rush of rafts for market. The
lumber manufacturers are getting their
logs ready to drive them down the river
to the booms at Lock Haven and Wil
lisrosport. It to estimated that the out
put of logs will reach 185.000.0CW feet,
and it to expected that every saw mill
at Williamsport will be running before
the middle of April.