fbc Centre ills Democrat,
BHUUKRT & FORSTKR, Editors.
VOI,. 2.
®he fiCftttw scm octal.
Terms $1.50 par Annum. In Advance.
S. T. SMUOERT and R. H. FORSTER. Editors.
Thursday Morning, September 9,1880.
Democratic National Ticket.
roa ratsuisxT,
WYXVIKLD SCOTT HANCOCK, of PotmsjrWaiil*.
roa sirs ratnntxT,
WILLIAM 11. KNULIBII, of liiJimia.
KLXCTORB-ATL \ K< • K.
ft Kminst Mouse ban. WlllUro 11. Plsjford.
KLHCTORB.
Dint. Dirt.
1. John sirrlii. i v Ororßr A. P.~t,
I. K,loiii A. Pur. 16 A. M. Benton,
.1. John M. Camjibrll, 17. J. P. Linton.
4. tllllw Pallrt, 1. John S. Mlllrr,
John N. MoM, 19. J. O. Santon,
B. K.tttin Waldon, >. C. M. lo*r,
7. Nathan C. Jam.*, ifl. I. A. J. Bnrhatian,
H Urorico Filtwrt, ti Christopher Mk<*.
it. Jaiuw (I. Mi'Spartn, Kl.RohortM Oll~.fi.
!. Alfred J. Martin, it. Thonuu Bradford,
11. Artm Ominser, 'A'.. Harrr W. Wilson,
I'J. Frank Turner, 26. Sainii.l Orlffllh,
LI. P. J. Rirminaham, 27. J Ko Thompson.
14. II r.. Daris^
Democratic State Ticket.
roa si rains jftxis,
UKDROK A. JKNKB, of Jefferson County.
roa ainiToa osxsau,
ROBRRT P. PECIIKHT, of Philadelphia.
TIIK Republicans will rejoice in a
great victory this week in Vermont,
and, no doubt, shout lustily in escap
ing a sound drubbing uext week in
Maine. Ix?t them take comfort while
they may. Their day of doom ap
proaches.
THE United States marshal for Col
orado, under Grant, C. C. Thompson,-
a delegate to the Chicago Convention,
has been arrested and required to ex
plain a slight discrepancy in bis ac
counts amounting to the sum of 818,-
050. He was arrested in Virginia
where he was employed to advocate
Garfield and reform to the Rebel-Brig
adiers in the benighted South.
GEN. GRANT has addressed a letter
to " iX'ttr General Logan," iu which
he says, " it will not do to be beaten
now," no doubt having specially in
view the campaign to come off in 1884.
He is to take part in the present can
vass, and wave the bloody shirt in the
face of bis utterances in Texas and
Illinois before the Chicago convention,
on the loyalty of the Southern people.
THE charge of the De Golyer
bribe of SS,(XX) to Gen. Garfield for
his influence was first made by fad
ing Republicans in his district. Its
truth was affirmed in the courts of Il
linois. The law making the ]>enaUy
for such offences two years' imprison
ment and SIO,OOO fine was passed by
Congress, of which Mr. Garfield could
not have been ignoraut, but he braved
the penalty to receive the pelf.
THE Thompsons seem to be a popu
lar family with the Democracy of
Massachusetts. Tbey have nominated
Charles P. Thorn pson for Governor, ;
and Alpha E. Thompson for Lieuten
ant Governor. This event marks the
return of General B. F. Butler to the
Democratic party, from which he has
been wandering some years. He fa
vors the Thompsons, as he also does
the election of Hancock and Euglish.
THE Bellefonte Republican evident
ly believes in the principle that a lie
well stuck to is as good as the truth
any day. It copies from the Chicago
Tribune, in its issue of last week, the
exploded story about an imaginary
conversation said to have been over
heard by the head waiter of the Girard
House in Philadelphia, between ex-
Gov. Curtin and several gentlemen
while at breakfast at that hotel. The
sable gentleman promptly denied hav
ing heard any such conversation, and
his denial appeared in the Philadel
phia Time* the day after the original
lie had been published in the New
York Tribune. The publication will
not avail anything .here in Centre
county, where Gov. Curtin's attitude
in this campaign and his opinion of
the De Golyer candidate are so well
known. Btill common decency and a
regard for the amenities of life, would
have dictated that this lie should have
been omitted from the columns of
our contemporary. There would have
been that much more room for some
other eaually good invention that has
not yet oeen contradicted.
False Issues.
Secretary Thompson of the Navy
Department, in a speech the other
day, admitting that the question of
secession is finally settled, and not
now eutertained North or South,
claims that the great question to be
solved in the present contest is "wheth
er the National Government shall re
tain to itself sufficient power to pre
serve its own life, or whether it shall
humble itself at the feet of the several
States and surrender the rights with
which it is iuvested under the Con
stitution." If this is not the utter
ance of a demagogue it is that of a
blind partisan fanatic, who ' cannot
tiud it in his heart to do justice to his
political opponents by stating facts as
they exist. There is no such issue in
the contest. He cannot lay his hands
upon the utterance of a single Demo
crat iu this broad land, either in Con
gress or out of it, expressing a desire
to take from the National Govern
ment a single power or right guaran
teed to it by the Constitution. On
the contrary, the Democracy, without
exception, advocates a sacred adher
ence to every provision of that instru
ment in its bearings upon the Nation
al and State governments. But there
is an issue involved between the par
ties which the Secretary does not sec
lit to refer to. It is that of the at
tempt of the stalwart Republicans
now iu possession of the Executive De
partment, to usurp authority for the
National Government not delegated
to it by the Constitution, but reserved
to the States. They want what is call
ed a "strong government," with unlim
ited controlling power in the National
Executive. Prominence is given to
this fact by the assumption 0i the
Executive to control the action of the
last Congress, as well as the thinly
concealed desigu of making the "civil
power subordinate to the military,"
as illustrated by the action of Gar
field as leader of the Republican
Congress, to prescribe and remove
Hancock from his command for up
holding the couverse of this proposi
tion in obedience to the Constitution
which he was sworn to maintain. In
the passage of laws providing Federal
and military supervision of the polls
in direct contravention of the rights
reserved to the Btatca and the people
to a peaceable and uncontrolled choice
of their own representative*. To the
power assumed to invade the Legisla
ture of a State and by military force
to determine who shall or who shall
not be members of that Legislature.
It is this tendency of the Republican
struggle to centralize power not given
in the National Government at the
expense of the rights of the States
and of the people, that the Democrat
ic party take issue, and the conceal
ment of this fact by false pretense in
thrusting forward one which has no
existence is disingenious if not hypo
critical on the part of the Secretary.
But as the Republican party do not
meet any fair issue presented in the
present contest with manly candor, we
should not perhaps expect a member
of Hayes' cabinet on the stump, who
holds his place under the most stupend
ous fraud and usurpation known to
the civilized world, to be an exception.
THE Republicans of New York and
elsewhere are greatly she :ked at the
lack of principle evinced by the De
mocracy in failing to continue the
fight of faction which was so serviceblc
to them last year. No doubt the cor
dial union between the Tammany Hall
and Irving Hall belligerents is a
source of sincere disgust to tbe Re
publicans as it squelches any hope they
may have entertained of carrying the
Bute for De Golyer's attorney, or pro
fiting in the Congressional representa
tion by Democratic discord. The New
York Democracy being now a unit and
the Htate assured for Hancock and
English, are not pleasant facts to con
template from a Republican stand
point.
BQUAL AND KXACT JL'BTICK TO ALI. MKN, OF WHATKVUR STATIC' OK PERSUASION, RELIOIOUN Oft POLITICAL."—Jtffenun.
BELLEEONTE, FA., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1880.
Rebel War Claims
The foolish clamor of Republican
newspa|>ers and stump' orators,of high
aud low degree, übout the payment of
what they are pleased to call " rebel
war claims," should thb Democratic
party of the United States succeed in
electiug Gen. Hancock to the Presi
dency, is ouly additional proof of the
des|>eration to which the supporters of
tlie present administration of fraud
arc driven in their frantic efforts to
maiutain their hold upon their present
ill-gotten lease of power. It is a worn
out calumny, and served the purpose
for which it was invented years ago,
aud common decency, if not respect
for the intelligence of the country,
should have permitted it to remain
in the dirty receptacle of slander to
which it was consigned after its use iu
the lust National contest. These silly
alarmists, with that model Pecksniff
of the times, John Sherman, at their
head, figure out fabulous amounts
which they say will be paid should
the Democrats gain control of the
government. Pay for the liberated
slaves; the assumption of the rebel
debt; pensions for rebel soldiers; re
imbursements for the destruction of
property, enter into their speculations,
and they then draw a most startling
picture of the ruin and disaster tbat
is to follow when the government takes
upon itself these burdens.
This kind of absurd bosh may pos
sibly frighten a few ignorant people
here and there into voting for the
Republican candidates, but surely it
can produce no effect upon the citizen
of average intelligence, save that of
ojien and pronounced contempt for its
bold and uublushing deceit.
In 1876 the Democratic candidates
for President and Vice President re
ceived a majority of nearly a quarter
of a million of votes, so that the Item
ocratic party comprises a fair majority
of our voting population. Is not this
majority as much interested in the
welfare aud prosperity of the country
as the minority ? Have those who
make up this majority not as much at
stake ? Is it not as much for their
advantage that the government be
honestly aud economically adminis
tered in accordance with the constitu
tion as for the advautagc of their op
ponents ? Why, then, should a Dem
ocratic Congress and a Democratic
President desire to bring about a
condition of distress and bankruptcy
iu which the members of their party
would be at least equal sufferers with
their opponents, and that, too, by the
payment of claims for which the gov
ernment is in no way liable ? This is
a phnae of the question that Republi
can spouters do not attempt to explain,
simply because it cannot he explained
upon any ground satisfactory to sense
or reason.*
But a complete answer to this
charge of the payment of rebel war
claims is to he found in the fact that
all inch claim* are forever barred by
the Constitution of the United Statet.
In support of this assertion it ia only
necessary to quote the fourth section
f>f the fourteenth amendment, which
is in the following words :
" The validity of the public debt of
the United States, authorised by law,
including debts incurred for tbe pay.
raent of pensions and bounties for ser
vices in suppressing insurrection or re
bellion, shall not be questioned. But
neither the United States nor any Bute
■hall assume to pay any debt or ofdioahen
incurred is aid qf insurrection or rebellion
against the United States, or any claim for the
loss or emancipation of any slave,- but all
such debts, o>>filiations and claims shall be
held illegal and void."
This section of the fourteenth amend
ment is a part of the Constitution of
the United States, aud is as " valid, to
all intents and purposes," as any other
article or section tbat it contains.
But, say some of the gentlemen who
speak with such glib tongues upon the
subject, " when the Democrats come
into power they will repeal the amend
ments." They fkil, however, to tell
their hearers of the difficulties that
would beset the attempt. The man
ner of amending the Constitution is
prescribed in Article V, and a pro
posed amendment only becomes valid
"when ratified by the legislature* of
three-fourths of the several States, or
by Conventions in three-fourths there
of, as one or the other mode of ratifi
cation may be proposed by the Con
gress." Now, in the face of this pro
vision of the Constitution, and with u
Union composed of twenty-one North
ern and only fourteen Southern State*,
bow dare any of the howlers about
rebel claims and compensation for
slaves, assert that the thirteenth, four
teenth and fifteenth amendments will
ever lie changed or rc|>ealed.
But there is one point more. It is
the attitude of the Democracy towards
these amendments. In 1872 the sec
ond plank of the platform upon which
the Ik'mocracy went before the people
made the following promise:
"We pledge ourselves to mnintain
the Union of these States, emancipa
tion and enfranchisement, and oppose
any re opening of the questions settled
by the thirteenth, fourteenth and fif
teenth amendments to the Constitu
tion."
This pledge of fidelity to the amend
ments was re-affirmed by the National
convention of the party, which met at
St. 1 smis in 1870, by the following
resolution:
"For the Democracy of the whole
country, we do hereby reaffirm our
faith in the permanence of the Federal
Union, our devotion to the Constitution
of the United States, with iu amendments
universally accepted as a final settlement of
Ike controversies that engendered civil war,
and do here record our steadfast eonfi
donee in the |>er|>etuity of republican
aelf government."
At the National convention of the
party held aVCincinnati last June,the
principles embodied in the platform of
1876 were re-adopted, and Gen. Han
eck in hia admirable letter of accept
ance avows his determination in no
equivocal or uncertain terms to up
hold the < WMtDition in all its parts.
He sap:
"Tbe principles enunciated by the
convention are those I have cherished
in the past and shall endeavor to main
tain in the future. The thirteenth, four
teenth and fifteenth amendmcnU to the Consti
tution gf the United States, embodying the
retullt qf the war for the Union, are inviolable.
If called to the Presidency I should
deem it my duty to resist with all my
power any attempt to impair or evade
tbe full force and effect of the Consti
tution, which ia every article, lection and
amendment it the supreme law of the land."
The position of the Democratic par
ty and its candidate for President upon
this question of the validity and in
violability of the amendments to the
Constitution is therefore plaiu and
unmistakable. Standing before the
couutry, therefore, in this attitude,
with a standard bearer whose devotion
to the best interests of the Union cau
not be doubted —whose whole life is a
pledge of his honesty and sincerity in
whatever he says or docs —this flimsy
fabric of rebel war claims vanishes
into thin air, and our stalwart friends
may as well devote their time to the
discussion of some issue tbat has more
substauce in it The intelligent voters
of the United States will not be fright
ened at a shadow.
Aa a sample of the economy of
Republican legislation during the time
that party had entjre control of Con
gress, the waste of the public domain
is a fair average. During the time the
Republicans held a two-thirds majority,
a period of several years, they gave
away to corporations and squandered
21*6,000,000 acres, covering 294,580
square miles. The extent of this land
squandered fotnhe benefit of rings and
and Congressional speculators, can
scarcely be realised. It will ag
gregate more than it embraced in the
Bute* of Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
New York, Maine, Vermont, New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecti
cut, Rhode Island, Delaware, Ma
ryland, Ohio and Indiana.
Tut Hayes circus is on its rounds,
and in imitation of the Grant hippo
drome, is about to exhibit in Califor
nia. The fraudulent character of the
Hayes' show of domestic snimala is
not likely to be as successful in draw
ing the crowd as the hippodrome fresh
from foreign parts.
How to Elect Hancock.
The Doylestown Democrat perti
nently remarks that "those who wish
to elect Hancock must not forget that
harmony and hard work are necessary
to do it. It will take a good deal of
both, but it can lie done. Harmony
in the ranks and among the leaders
will consolidate the parly to a single
object; while work will give them
the necessary drill and discipline
requisite to bring the voters to the
polls in solid phalanx. Harmony in
a political party is just as necessary to
achieve a great victory as it is iu an
army, and without it cither can be
easily overcome by an inferior force.
From this time forward until the first
Tuesday of November, the Democratic
aud conservative masses of the couu
try should have but uue object iu view,
the electiou of Gen. Hancock. They
should give the intervening time to
the service of the country. The thieves
and villains who are now living on
public plunder do not mean to be
shaken off until after the most hercu
lean effort to hang on. If we wish to
save the country, we must drive out
the rats which are gnawing away the
timbers of the ship of Btate. Remem
ber that harmony and hard work will
do it."
PROMINENT among the events of the
past that the people should flot forget
in easting their votes at the approach
ing election, is the Presidential fraud
of 1876-7. No one has the temerity
to say that the fraud was not perpe
trated, or to justify its euormity. It
was one that cannot be condoned by
the vote of an honest man, whatever
may be his political predilections, with
out making himself a party to the
crime and the disgrace and wrong
it entailed upon our Republican in
stitutions. Is this stating the case
too strong? Mr. Tilden was de
prived of the Presidential office to
which he was legally elected by the
people, and James A. Garfield was
prominent among the men who pro
cured that result He was one of those
who visited the South aud participated
in procuring a false return of the elec
tion by fraud and perjury of the most
bald and shameless character. With
full knowledge of these frauds and the
manner of their procurement, by selec
tion of Republican mcmltcrs of Con
gress, he subsequently served on the
8 to 7 commission under an oath to in
vestigate the alleged frauds and decide
according to the facts. How did he
perform this duly ? Not by investiga*
tion, certainly, but merely by declar
ing that it was inexpedient "to go
behind the returns," a* fraudulently
made for the occasion. This man Jas.
A. Garfield, with elastic conscience, is
now the Republican candidate for
President, appealing to the people for
their votes to justify his acts aud con
done the great crime. Can they do it
without sharing tbe guilt which at
taches to the acts of the conspirator?
J. M. KKTLKR, Esq., a well known
former citizen of Centre county, and
present editor of the Forest National
Democrat, pays the following compli
ment to cx-Gov. Curtin in his issue of
last week: ,
"The Democracy of Clinton oounty
have instructed (or ex Governor Curtin
for Concrete for the twentieth district.
No doubt Centre and tbe other counties
will go and do likewise, and thus plaee
one of Pennsylvania's best heroes in the
Halls ot Congress. The great war Gov
ernor would ho a tower of strength to
the Democracy In Congress, and a man
who would always have the best inter
ests of his district and State at heart."
Bo far as Centre county is concern
ed, we are glad to assure oar friend
that it certainly " will go and do like
wise."
RKAD the campaign circulars of
John Cessna, Chairman of the Repub
lican Btate Committee, to be found on
the fourth page of the Democrat. They
furnish interesting evidence of the tac
tics that Cessna expects to employ in
the contest. Clap-trap, cash and the
bloody shirt are the staples to be de
pended upon.
TERMS: $1.50 per Annum, in AdTinre.
THE We*tern Union Telegraph Com
pany, under the direction of William
Orton, Esq., wan run in the interest of
the Republican party, and while there
were no palpable attempts made to
influence the employes there was an
invisible pressure felt by them that
caused many whose natural predilec
tions were Democratic to act with the
party in whose succeas their chief had
great concern. Under the efficient
and business like management of Mr.
Green, the present president, things
are somewhat different. Mr. Green is
an active and hard working Democrat
and is enthusiastic for Hancock. This
is notice to bis army of employee that
they can vote as they please and
need not fear official displeasure. Mr.
Green runs his great corporation on
business principles and believes in
every one voting to suit himself with
out dread of feeling the executioner's
axe for so doing.
THF. returns from the State election
held in Arkansas on Monday indicates
a Democratic majority of 60,000, and
the defeat of the amendment to the
Constitution repudiating the payment
of certain State bonds.
In the Vermont election held on
Tuesday, the Republicans arc success
ful by about their usual majority.
Of course, for the purpose of influenc
ing the Maine election, they will claim
for a week or so, a greater majority
than the actual returns will give them.
This has been their usual course in the
past and they will do the same thing
now.
Gov. KMUM&H, of Connecticut, be
ing interviewed by a correspondent a
few days ago, in New York, expressed
the opinion that Hancock will carry
| the State by a much larger majority
than Tilden did in 1876, which was
2,900. He says the canvass is pro
gressing satisfactorily, and he has no
doubt of the election of the entire
Democratic ticket.
"DON'T forget the canal boat." So
says that immaculate patriot, John
Cessna, Chairman of the Republican
State Committee. Well, our Republi
can friends didn't forget it. It ap
peared in their procession, mules and
all, but we believe Garfield with "his
trousers rolled up" was not visible.
LABORING men of Centre county!
arc you prepared to accept John Cess
na's measure of your intelligence ?
He says you "vote through your eyes."
>See his letter of iustruclions in anoth
er part of this paper.
Ex-Gov. (YRTIN went to Clearfield
on Monday evening. He was booked
for a speech at a Democratic mass
meeting at Dubois City, in that coun
ty, on Tuesday afternoon.
WORKING MEN! how do you like
Genua's insult to your intelligence?
Bsixr AND POINTED COMMUNICATION.
—Tbs following communication is so
plain that it will not be misunderstood :
M smas. EDITORS : History informs us
Ihst Potter towjiship is among the oldest
townships its the county. The lies of the
first papers published in the county and
those or the present time inform us that
Potter township invariably gave the larg
est Democratic majorities, but neither his
tory nor papers inform us of Centre county
having ever made a selection from Potter
township to represent the county in the
Legislature. It is true Simon Wolf lived
in the township s few years and wns nom
nated and elected by the party, but did not
liva to take hie seat. Wears no* asking
tha nomination for an old citisen—John
Shannon, KM. He was born, raised and
educated in Potter township, and has been
voting as a Democrat in tha township of
bis birth for two score of ymuv, ana in
•very instance for the Democratic Nomi
nees We have other reasons for asking
tha nomination of Mr. Shannon Ha is
eminently quail led, la ramseed of legisla
tive ability, to strictly hoaeet, and a man
worthy toe confidence of toe people.
POTTER.
—Tha Hancock Cadets of Bellefcnto,
hare been organised by Chairman Spang
ler. The following are the offioer*:
President, E. X. German ; Vice Presi
dent, Charles McCartney; Secretary, K.
J. Brown; Treasurer, George Schnell;
Captain, George Fasig; Assistants, J.
McCafferty and W. Gerrily j Eaecutive
Committee, W. Gerrily, O. Meyers and
V. Koonu. The cadets will meet Mon
day and Thursday evenings of each week.
NO. 37.