SIIUGERT A FOUNTFR, Editors^
VOL. J.
TTlxc jOrm octal
Terms 51.50 per Annum. In Advance.
S. T. SHUCERT and R. H. FORSTER, Editor..
Tlinrsday Morning, May 20, 1880.
Democratic State Ticket.
* arrstMit Jtipna,
UKOItOK A. JKNKS, of Jtffaraou Oonnly.
R..a ALMTOB OIXUUL,
ROtIKRT P. lIKCIir.KT, of Philadelphia.
Curtin for Congress.
The Democrats of Centre # oounty
have au imperative duty to perform.
From the expressions of opinion that
come to us we hazard nothing in say
ing they will meet every requirement
that the situatiou demands of them.
Two years ago, under the stress of a
pressing party emergency, Andrew G.
Curtin was made the Democratic can
didate for Congress in the twentieth
district much against lys will. In the
long campaign of I><7B he was used iu
the State canvass to the neglect of his
own district, and from certaiu well
understood causes, to which it is uow
unnecessary to refer, the result was a
disappointment to the Democracy of
the district. That Gov. Curtin receiv-
e<l an honest majority of the legal votes \ 1
polled at that election there can be no '
doubt in the mind of any unprejudic- 1
ed man, but another Was returned to <
I
occupy his place in Congress. After
a prolouged and expensive eoutot to i
secure his rights, an adverse result
through party defection in Cougrw-s >
has again overtaken hhu. Through
out he has been a deeply wronged niun, j
and it now remains for the party in j
Centre county to right the grievous iu- j
justice he has suffered as fur as it may
la l in their power to do so.
We sincerely bellevo we only re
echo the sentiments of nine-tenths of |
the Democrats of Centre county in as- j
sorting that Gov. Curtin should again j
receive the Democratic nomination for
j
Congress in this district. From every j
district in the county we have the ;
amplest assurances of a firm dctermin- ,
ation to stand bv him. It may he j
proper to remark that wo do not
know what Gov. Curtin's inteution in
the matter may be. We nre not
.quaking for him, or with his knowl
edge. We have no reason to believe
that Gov. Curtin desires a renoraina
tion for, Congress this fall. We do
believe, however, that justice demands
that the man who has been made the
victim of hate and malice should
have the opportunity of silencing his
traducers by a direct appeal to the
jK-ople for thut complete vindication
which will surely come with the ides
of November should he once more be
our standard bearer. All Governor
Ciirtin asked at the bauds of Con
gress was that his claim should be re
manded back to the people for adju
dication. This was refused him, ami
it now remains for the Democracy of
this county' to do their share iu se
curing for him thnt right which was
wrongly denier! him by ' the lower
branch of Congress.
IT is rather amusing to see the dex
terous manner in which the New York
Tribune and its rival, the Time *, try
to keep the respective Blaine nnd
Grant booms up to their-propcr alti
tude. One day the Tribune gives the
most accurate figures a* to the compo
sition of the Chicago convention, ami
of course forgea Blaine away to the
front. The next day the Time* count
ers on Jay Gould, nnd "the man on
horse back" is shown to have such a
decided majority of the delegates who
are to nominate a Republican candi
date for President that it almost seems
unnecessary to have any formal meet
ing of the convention.
AFTER ALL, there may be some ex
cuse for the vote of Alexander H.
Stephens against Governor Curtin last
week. There is no longer enough of
him left to maintain for any consider
able period of time a sentiment of
gratitude.
"KIJUAI. AND KXACT JI'HTK'K TO ALL MKN, or WHATEVER STATE OK I'KKSUAIiION, KKLIUIOUS OK I'OLITICAL."—J.-fferaon
The Ourtin-Yocum Contest.
It requires but u slight investiga
tion to bring to the surface the causes
which produced the unfortunate result
in Gov. Curtiu's content for a scat in
Congress, announced to the readers of
the DEMOCKAT last week. Before
proceeding to a consideration of these
! causes, it may be proper to state in
I this place that while the result may
! be regarded as an astonishing and dis-
1 graceful commentary upon the action
of a body presumed to be Democratic,
there is at lc&t one feature of the
; cipse to which the friends of Gov. C'ur
-1 tin can refer with uubounded pleasure.
The record of the vote shows conclu
■ sivoly that on "the side of Curtin were
ranked the ablest, purest and most
j reputable of the Democratic reprcsen
| tatives from all sections of the country.
This especially applies to the South.
From that section such representative
meu as Gen. Joe. Johnston, < ten.
! Uaudull Gibson, Gen. Armfield, with
a host of other ".Southern Brigadiers,"
I gave tl*e great War Governor their
1 most hearty and cordial support.
| Against him, on the Democratic side,
' with the single exception of Stephens,
ofGeorgia, was arrayed a sniall squad
of exceedingly small men, with little
character for ability or party fidelity
—some of them mere jobbers in JXJl
jtics, aud actuated in all things by sel
fish and mercenary motives—whose
opinions haveslight weight in the deter
mination of any question of right or
wrong. The supporters of Curtin can
well afford to let the names of Aiken,
Richardson and Tillman, of South
Carolina, Rouck and Deustcr, of Wis
consin, Bright, of Tennessee, Caldwell,
of Kentucky, Chalmers aud Singleton,
of Mississippi, .Stephens and Feltou,
of Georgia, Harris and Itichuxxul, of
Virginia, Hosteller and New, of In
diana, and Mills, of Texas, go before
the public as the men responsible for
his overthrow through the meanest of
, motives, and offset them by the names
of the reputable and eminent gentle
inen who stood manfully by the right
| regardless of personal considerations.
| Among these gentleman maybe named
a number of distinguished jurists, such
as .lodge Phelps, of Connecticut, who
was elected to the Superior Court of
his State in 1863, for a term of eight
years. At the expiration of this term
he was re-elected in 1871. In 1873 he
was taken from the bench of the Su-
perior Court and elected to the Su
preme Court, the highest judicial tri
bunal In the State. Judge Bicknclt,
of Indiana, was elector! judge of the
2d Judicial Circuit in 1852, and held
that position during twenty-four years,
having been elected four times consec-
utively. He was also a professor of I
Law in the University of Indiana for
eleven years. Judge Geddes, of Ohio, |
was elected a judge of the Oth district
Court of Common Pleas nnd served in
that capacity for fifteen years. In
1871 he was the Democratic candidate
forjudge of the .Supreme Court of Ohio, j
Judge Phister of Kentucky, was Cir
cuit Judge of the 10th Judicial Dis
trict of Kentucky, for six years, nnd
was also appointed hy Gov. Leslie as
one of the Commissioners to revise the ;
stotutc laws of his htate. Judge Saw- \
yer of Missouri, served for seven
years as Circuit Judge of the 24th
Judicial District of his State and was
taken from the liench nnd sent to Con
gress. We give the record ami ca
reer of these gentlemen in order that
the contrast between the pigmies who
claim to have voted against Gotfc
Curtin on legnl grounds aud the emi
nent lawyers, whose service* it) their
respective States as able nnd irre
proachable judges are a part of the
history of the great Commonwealths
they represent in the Congress of the
United States, may he more striking.
It is not probable that all these
trained and capable jurists could be
mistaken as to the law ami the facts
involved in this case.
We now propose to allude to some
of the potential causes which led to this
I.KLLEFONTE, PA., TIIUKSDAY, MAY 'JO, I**o.
adverse result, and it will be readily
seen that they were beyond the power of
Gov. Curtiu or hi.-* friends to control:
First, we will consider the Demo
cratic members who voted uguinst
Curtin, representing districts in which
there is a large and preponderating
Greenback vote. Bouck, of the Oth
Wisconsin district, who received 14,349
votes against 11,748 for his Republi
can competitor and 5,144 for the
(trecnbaeksNational ticket.
Deuster, of the 4th district in the
same State, who polled 11,157 votes,
while Frisby, Republican, had 11,922,
and Judd, Greenbacker, had 1,2th r >
votes.
New, of tlie 4th Indiana district
was fortunate euough to receive 15,14ti
votes, while his Republican opponent
luid 14,055 and the Greenback cham
pion hud to content himself with 199.
Hostettcr of the #tli district in the
suiue State, received 13,104 votes
against Hunter, Republican, who had
12,124 and the Greenback-National
candidate 4,029.
Rotliwell, of the 10th Missouri
district, had 14,793 votes, i'ullard,
Republican, 10.H75, Brouddus, Green
back-National, 5,683.
Caldwell, of the .'hi Kentucky dis
trict received ft,344 votes, Hunter,
Republican, 8,502, Wright, Green
back-Xational 2,339.
It is apparent from the foregoing
statement of the vote in the respective
districts of the above Democrats who
voted against ex-Gov. Curtin, what
selli.-h and personal interests actuated
them to insult the Democracy of the
20th Congressional district of Penn
sylvania. These returns speak for
themselves, and require no comment.
The second element in the combina
tion against Curtin was the magnifi
cent scheme to defraud the National
Treasury of a million and a half or
two millions of dollars, under the guise
of paying claims to a few Stales, alleg- j
ed to be due them for supplies and
ox|cnso9 incurred during the war ol
Ixl2. About one million of this sum is
destined to reach the State of Virginia.
A considerable portion of it is to en
rich somebody in Maryland, with small
sops thrown to the whales of the
States of Pennsylvania and New York.
The immaculate gentlemen who are i
endeavoring to pilot this job through
Congress, secured a pledge from the !
Greenback members to support their
gigantic steal, in consideration of their
votes for Yocum. The bargain was
sealed and Messrs. Harris and Rich
mond of Virginia, Honkle of Mary
land, —anil possibly O'Reilly of New-
York—have executed their part of the
i contract. When mercenary consider- j
aliens enter into the action of such j
; men, their support of Yocum was not
only natural but a necessity.
Thirdly, we come to consider the
petty spite of such excuse* for men as
Aiken, Richardson and Tillman of
i South Carolina against Speaker Ran
dall, on account of the mnuly action
of the Speaker in refusing, in the 45h
Congress, to ullow injustice to lie done
the two colored memlicrs who then 1
'■ represented in Congress the two South
Carolina districts now misrepresented
by Richardson and Tillman, who were
then contestants without n shadow of
right.
And now we come to the only man
in the whole category of traitors for
whom we can offer no excuse —little
alec Stephens. This relic of a by-gone
day has cheated the undertakers of
Washington out of a pleasant job for
the last fifty years. He is a Grant
man, but he couldn't forget the Al
touiia Conference of War Governors,
during the |ate unpleasantness, and
therefore he could not vote for Curtin.
He, almost in his dotage, assumes to
be a political Warwick, and wishes to
keep the Democratic majority in the
House so small as to make himself a
power In Congress should the next
Presidential contest be thrown into the
House. He is supposed to control a
little coterie of so-called independents,
Felton of his Htnte and a few others.
We wish him joy, hut it if barely pos
sible that the people will relieve hitn
of the trouble of electing a President. j
A purling word to two others. Bin
gletou, of Mississippi, never did any
thing, cither in war or peace, to inuke
him u marked man. Mediocrity and
incapacity arc his distinguishing traits.
Chalmers, his colleague, lias a reputa
tion. lie acquired it at Kurt Pillow.
We have now endeavored to lay he
fore our readers a partial statement of
the causes which led to the decision of
this memorable contest in fuvor of Mr. '
S. H. Y ocutn. Considering the gro- J
toque elements which entered into the
combination against Andrew (. Curtin
- and we have given but a few of them
—no other result could have been reas- 1
onably expected. It will In- readily
seen from the facts we have adduced
that the merits of the ease were never
considered at all. The judgment of the
men who recorded their vfttcs for Mr.
Curtin was rendered nugatory by the
foreign elements which entered into
and decided the contest. We can on
ly add that thi result has had the :
effect of intensifying the devotion of
(iov. Curtiu's friends to his fortunes. 1
The eternal fitness of things, and their
honest belief in his integrity and
Democracy will not allow them for
one moment to accept this as a final
adjudication of his right to a scat in
Congress.
We are sorry to observe that our
friends of the llarrishurg Patriot have
fnr lww indignation to expend U|>on
the twenty l>eino<rnt* id Congress who
basely bet rayed Governor furtiu and
the Democratic party, than it has for
the inconsiderate denunciation of the
"Confederate Brigadier*" by the Phila
delphia Titnr. The Patriot eyncedc*
AJtG OarVw Hlld
he should have heen seat
ed. There can therefore ho no valid
excuse for the treachery of those re
puted Democrats who voted against
him, tint notwithstanding this, we are
deeply grieved to note that un
faithful men are treated hy that jour
nal with the most considerate tender
ness, while it is unreserved, at the
-ame time, in its condemnation of the
mistaken real of the Time*.
TIIE friend* of the distinguished
mannger of the Presidential fraud of
1876 seem to lie quite elated, and have
got themselves into a very happy
frame of mind iu the belief that the
third-termers and Mulligan Guards
have become so embittered by person
al warfare a* to necessitate the rejec
tion of both at the ('hicago conven
tion. The result may lie realized, but
will it help Sherman* Doubtful! The
discreet politician* of that convention
will probably hesitate to select a man
so closely identified with the frauds of
1876, and, a* a member of the fraudu
lent administration, hn* so recklessly
used the fuuds of the Government to
pension the villnins who, under his
management, aided in consummating
the fraud. Indeed, the prudent mem
bers of the convention will scarcely
dare to offer the people a man covered
all over with putrid sores, not oulv in
the pursuit of jicrsonnl wealth at the
public expense, but in reward of
| scoundrels whose demand* he could
j not resist without danger of exposure,
j They had better take Hayes. lie is
; only the receiver of stolen goods, while
j the former is the main thief.
TUB House ha* passed a joint
resolution providing for the adjourn
ment of (*)ngrewi on the 31*t of this
month. It is probable the Henate will
•oncur in the resolution, as the mem
bers, like those in the House, seem
anxious to get away from the consid
eration of any question which a rea
sonable modification of the tariff law*
might im[tb*e. A release of the op
preaaivc duties upon salt and sugar, and
also upon paper, and articles entering
into the manufacture of paper, might
at least, receive attention byway of
compromise on other great and needed
reform*.
THE thanks of the Democracy of
this district are due Messrs. Belt/.hoov
er, Coleriek, Byoti and Hpcer, for their
able presentation of Governor Cur
tin's claim in the late contest before
Congress. Mr. Beltzhoover fleshed
his maiden sword in this effort, and
the young uud brilliant member from
the Cumberland District lias only
emphasized the universal judgment,
as to his fine abilities, both as a lawyer
and as an effective and eloquent ad
vocate. Mr. Uyou, of .Schuylkill, was,
a* he always is, clear, cogent and pow
erful. His profound knowledge of law
and his long experience us a practic
ing lawyer eminently qualified him to
brush away the cobwebs which were
cunningly woven around the case, and
his speech more than justified his envi
able reputation. Mr. Coleriek of In
diana, speaking for the West, made a
concise, logical and < ffectivc argument.
Speer of Georgia, although one of the
most youthful members of the House,
is justly esteemed as one of the ablest,
and lie unquestionably voiced the al
most unanimous sentiment of his sec
tion when he plead with impassioned
eloquence for Governor Curtin.
Tin-; Duke of America seems to be
out of the vwmmlh. The uufair means
taken Inst week by tlve Maine and
Washburn eoiubinutiou to rnle him
out of the Cook county convention, has
recoiled ujujii the combinatiou. It
bad the effect of rallying the friends of
Grant and the third-term in other
parts of the State who have secured a
very decided majority to the State
Convention —sufficient to control a
unanimous delegation to the National
Convention. Illinois is considered the
pivitol State, decisive of the fate of
the third-tenner as well as the Mulli
gan Guards. The latter have lost,
and our Republican friend* may now
prepare to tall In liuc <(.
term banner, to le led by one w ho, in
eight years of administration, only
proved hi* incompetency, ami nsluced
hi* party from nil overwhelming ma
jority to a very derided minority,
which was only saved from total anni
hilation by the gigantic frauds which
placed the present imbecile in the Pres
idential chair.
The logic of our esteemed contem
porary of the Republican on the Cur
tiu-Yocum contest might be all very
well in it* way were it based on sound
premise*. But it will not do to put
the action of the few hundred Demo
crat* of the 20th district who east
their vote* for Yocutn against the
thirtreu thousand who faithfully sup
ported t'urtin, and a**uine that the
(irst represent* the will of the party.
The same ia true of the vote in Con"
gross. A few renegade* deserted their
party, while a large majority, com
prising the ablest and most repijtahle
of the Democratic member*, acted
with fidelity to (iov. Curtin. The
renegade* cannot with justice be made
to stand for the majority of the party
in Congress.
Goon! It i* announced that the
Pennsylvania Kail road will issue no
|ias*c* t> politician* to attend the
Chicago and Cincinnati convention*.
Hound ticket* will IN; issued at re
duced ratea from designated point*
east, and prominent point* on the
route. The notice that clan* who
contemplate attending the couventiona
to run machine*, will be required to
|ay fare, will no doubt have a restrain
ing influence upon nianjr who expected
to have a "high old time" at Chicago
and Cincinnati, at somebody'* expense
other than there own."
Ai.t. those little schemes so nicely
arranged between certain Democratic
member* of Congress and their Green
back allies, will no doubt take an ad
ditional lease of life, since the princi
pal part of the unholy eom|*ct has
been cemented by the sacrifice of ex-
Gov. Curtin. Jobbers in the National
legislature are not particular as to
their political bed-fellows so long a*
their personal interest* do not snffer.
TKK.MN: *1.50 per Annum, in Advance.
THE investigation of the caae of
Whittaker, the colored cadet at Weal
I'oiut, who was alleged to be outraged
und inutilated by disguised parties who
entered his room at night, some time
ago, ha* about reached it" conclusion.
The evidence of the expert* employed
in the case point* with almost uner
ring certainty to the fact that the mu
tilation was self-inflicted. It is a re
markable caae, and can only be a•-
counted for in the desire on the part of
the cadet to create sympathy and
thereby secure the promotion which
his deficiencies of study would not
warrant. This plan to secure promo
tion is certainly more unmanly than
cunning, and will probalv end in ex
pulsion und di"grace.
IT i caid that f< u. Scofield in to be
relieved from duty at Wert Point, and
that his successor is to be (Jen. Pope,
who i* a Christian Soldier after the
style of fieri. Howard, This admin
ist ration do** uot need such men as
Scofield. His efficiency and inde
pendent of character does not com
mend him to a fraudulent administra
tion, who will uo doubt lie better
suited in I'OJK*. He will till the bill.
CIMEK .JUSTICE SASFOKH K.
CHURCH died at his residence at Al
bion, New York, on the 14th inst.
Judge Church was one of the moat
popular and prominent men in New
York, and his sudden death has creat
ed an intense sensation, not only in
that State, hut throughout the coun
try. He lias been frequently spoken
| of in connection with the Presidential
nomination by the Democracy.
IF Andrew G. Curt in had not in the
| goodness of his heart permitted him
self to lie persuaded to insist upon the
release of Alexander H.Stephens from
1 the old Capitol prison in 1860, that
| gtiv.*! r <u>mhlnce of humanitv would
probably not have been in Congress to
j [day the part of an ingrate in 1880.
The Milton Fire.
; TIIC* arastn TOWN —nitron's Tcsnikut
DISATM.
MILTON, PA., I V —The fire that swept
the town left a *ad spectacle this morn
ing as the smoke ascended from the
ruins of the 041 houses destroyed yes
terday. The ravages of the oonflagra
tion are seen in the demolition of
nearly every business house and all the
buildings, with a few exceptions, of any
j importance. Houses were not only
destroyed, bot their occupanta saved
very little of the contents. In the
business portion of the town the people
had no idea of the late which awated
them; and consequently made no
effort to remove furniture, etc., until
too late. From the point where the
fire originated, cinders were thrown in
countless profusion on the tops of
houses located hundreds of yards sway,
which were soon enveloped in flames.
The marvelous rapidity with which the
fire spread caused a panic among the
inhabitants, and' their lamentations
were heartrending.
Lat nigbl about six hundred of the
houseless were com|>elled to sleep in the
open air, under blankets, saved from the
wreck, furnished them by those more for
tunate, while the rest of the sufferers,
about 1,400, were sheltered by their
friends, whose houses were not destroyed.
Supplies from Williamsport, Harrisburg,
Sunbury, Lock Haven, \\ a Leon town, Lew
isbur|E in provisions and clothing, have
arrived, and are being judiciously distrib
uted. Two carloads from Harrtsburg
reached here to-day. The State Capital
has done nobly, having contributed in ad
dition to psgvisions, about two thousand
, dollars to the relief of the sufferers, ft,-
200 of which were subscribed in an hour
last mxht. This morning, four of the
, nine Ward Committees returned
The loss by the fire will not fall much be
' ' low two million dollars.
Tli* northern oil field fires destroyed
$1,000,000 worth of property.
The pay roll of the Bethlehem Iron
Company on Saturday amounted to
SIOO, two.
The mother of Hon. John A. Lemon,
republican nominee for auditor general,
is lying ill at her residence in Hollidays
burg.
(ien. W. H. H. Davis, of Doyleatown,
ha* been appointed one of the board of
visitor* to the naval academy. Annapo
lis, Md.
I>avid P. Daniel*, a wealthy farmer of
Lawrence county, waa severely injured
by a falling treasuring a storm Tuesday
evening of last week.
It la stated that Mr. F. P. Oowea,
President of the Philadelphia and Read
ing Railroad, will make a visit to Europe
during the early part of neat month.
It waa unusually cold for the season
along the Hudson river on Friday night,
loe formed in the back country, and
early vegetation suffered aeverely.
NO. 21.