dhr Centre iftlis ilrmorrat.
NIIUGKRT \ FORSTKR, Editors.
VOI.. X
©lit Cniivf Jlcmocvat.
Term* 51.50 por Annum, tu Advance.
S. T. SHUQERT and R. H. FORSTER, Editora.
Thursday Morning, February 3. 1881.
\YR are in receipt of the Philadel
phia llecord'a very interesting almanac
for I*Bl, for which the publisher will
please accept our thanks.
The Democrats of Clinton county
will bold delegate elections in the
various districts of the county, on
next Saturday, for the purpose of
electing delegates to nominate a can
didate for the legislature to fill the
vacancy caused by the death of Mr.
Whaley. The delegates will meet in
convention at Lock Haven on the
following Tuesday.
MIL HAY IS has nominated his
brother-in-law, Stanley Matthews, of
Ohio, a Justice of the Supreme Court.
To make room for another Ohio man
and reward a serviceable relative who
participated in the theft of the 1 resi
dency, Mr. Hayes has been persistent
in procuring the resignation of Judge
Swavne. The nomination was referred
to the Judiciary Committee of the
Senate, where it is probable the quali
fications of Mr. Matthews and the
propriety and fitness of the appoint
ment will be severely overhauled.
The dead lock over the election of
a United States Senator still continues
in the Pennsylvania legislature. Our
Republican friends may a* well break
it by consenting to the re-election of
Senator Wallace for another term of
six years. Pennsylvania can have no
better representative at M ashington
than Mr. Wallace. His ability and
experieuce are well known. His un
tiring devotion to the vont aud impor
tant interests of our great Common
wealth in bis past public services
makes assurance doubly sure that they
can b< safely cntru-ted to bis care in
the future, and the unseemly wrangle
of factions at Harrisburg cannot end
better than by giving him the well
deserved compliment of a re-election.
The nnnual agitation of the re
moval of the State Capitol from Har
risburg to Philadelphia has already
made its appearance in the Legisla
ture and bills are introduced to that
effect. The State Capitol is at least
one hundred miles too near Philadel
phia now, with its sinks of polutinn
and its deficiency of decent political
morality. It will indeed be a sorry
day when the legislature consents to
locate the State government in a city
where they are incapable of holding
an honest election or punishing a
scoundrel for defraudyg the ballot.
Philadelphia is not the place to send
our representatives to obtain honest
legislation or honest administration.
If Harrisburg, like Philadelphia, has
become an unsuitable place for the
State government, send it to the cen
tre as far from city influence as |ossi
ble.
MR. HA YEN, as the closing day of
his ill gotten lease of power ap
proaches, can still manage to pick up
an Ohio man for any vacancy that
occurs in the ranks of the office hold
ers of the land. His lost examples of
the undue bias of his mind toward the
Buckeye patriots willing to serve their
country for the emoluments that per
tain to public office are to he seen in
the appointment of his brother-in-law,
Stanley Matthews, to fill the vacancy
on the bench of the Supreme Gourt,
caused hy the resignation of Justice
Swayne, ami that of Major Swaim to
be Judge Advocate General of the
army. It is also reported that be has
an Ohio man to fill the collectorship
of the port of San Francisco. The
people of the Pacific slope may not
take kindly to this favor of his Fraud
ulency, but as it is a fair example of
civil service reform as practiced by the
Hayes administration, they will be
obliged to grin and bear it.
"KV|t!AL ANI> KX ACT JfHTK K TO ALL MEN, or WIIATKVKR STATIC OR I'KIISU ANION, HICI.IOIOOB OR POLITICAL."—J.fT*r*on
Tho Deud Look.
Tlio situation at Hnrrisburg re
mains unchanged. The war upon the
infamous Cameron ring is still in full
vigor, and the independants show no
present signs of again submitting to
the domination of the bosses. The
overtures made by the bosses to the
Democrats to aid them in suppressing
the rebellion of the bolting Republi
cans, in consideration of our being
favored with a l'uir apportionment,
has received little, if any considera
tion. In this the Democracy are to
be congratulated. They have felt the
iron heel and infamous wrongs of
the Cameron ring too long now to
make common cause with them in
overcoming an independent revolt
against their tyranny. For this serv
ice the honest fellows would agree to
perform their duty and make un hon
est apportionment. This would cer
tainly be very desirable, but we un
entitled to it under the Constitution
and laws of the State, and to be call
ed to barter for it, is an insult to be
resented. If the members of the L>'g
islature are incapable of acting fairly
and holiestly in dividing the State in
to " compact, contiguous districts," as
required by the Constitution and laws,
and their oath*. except bv our degra
dation, then let them perjure tiunutelvf*
for the political advantages they hold
or hope to hold in the future. We
say to our Democratic friends, hands
off! If you deal with scoundrels you
will be cheated. You have nothing
to hope for in the make-up* of a fair,
decent ap|>ortionment, except in toe
integrity of such Republican iiicrn
bers as cannot be controlled by ring
management to do wrong, in the face
of the law regulating it. They are
quite as likely to lie found in the ranks
of those who possess the courage to
strike at the tyranny of Boaa rule. It
these fail in decency and fairness,
their work cannot lie worse than the
infamous gerrymander under which
we have rested in the past.
TllE Clinton Democrat has the fid
lowing in reference to our distinguish
ed Senator, Hon. C. T. Alexander:
<ur Senator, Mr. Alexander, has been
placed upon the important committees
of finance, apportionment, federal rela
tions and Judiciary in the Senate.
These are the most imfiortanl commit
tees of the Senate and Mr. Alexander
is the only Senator who is on all four.
This fact attests the high estimation in
which our Senator i held hy his fellow
members. Perhaps they are putting
him in training for Gubernatorial hon
or*. Centre county breed* Governor*
anil candidate* for Governor.
Senator Alexander is justly held in
high esteem by his fellow members of
both parties. He is one of the ablest,
if not the ablest Senator upon the floor
of the State Senate, and we have no
douht the future has in store for him
such further honors as his great at
tainments and abilities deserve. He
would make one of the liest Governors
Pennsylvania ever had, and we should
lie glad to favor his election to that
position.
mm —— m -
Mit. CAMPBELL, the new comptroller
of New York, successor of John Kel
ley, creates quite a sensation among
the office-holders by requiring fair
earnings of all officials and dis|iensing
with the services of superfluous at
taches. He has cut down the appro
priations in his department from
SIBIJX)H to $117,000. The ne.w comp
troller is n working officer himself,
and is not disposed to be surrounded
by drones. His example is worthy of
extended acceptance in other spheres
of service where the people are ex
pected to foot the bills.
THE Republican papers claim great
credit for giving full force to the late
election in Maine in not counting out
Governor Daisied. Assumed honesty
may be counted to their credit in the
absence of the genuine article. But
in this case they could not do other
wise than scat the duly elected Gov
ernor. Throwing out all the possible
technical errors in returns his election
was still secured by a respectable
margin.
• ,
BEL I.E FONTE, I'A., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY X 18H|.
Tho Election of Prosidont.
For yearn there litis been n growing
belief in tho minds of many jicrsons
who have given mature thought to ihc
subject, that the present method of
electing the President and Viet* Presi
dent of the United States through the
indirect machinery of the electoral
college should in some manner be
changed. The cumbersome and round
about method of electing these i fticers '
by electors chosen in each State i.s not
in accord with the Democratic spirit
of the age. The system was probably
proper enough when adopted under a j
belief that the voter would submit the
choice of a President entirely to the
discretion and judgment of the elector.
But under our present system of poli
tics the voter is not supposed to yield
his own will to another. Jn effect he
might as well vote directly for the
candidate of his choice. Candidates
are placed in nomination by the vari
ous |K>litieal parties aud the elector is
bound in honor to vote for the men of
the party he represent*. The system
therefore no longer serve* the purpo-*-
in view ut the time of it* adoption,
which was to place the responsibility
of a choice entirely u|kui the electoral
college. Since this purpose i* no long
er jsi-sible we should have a change
and bring the election nearer to % tlie
people. As step* in this direction, a
number of propositions for an amend
ment to the Constitution have be* n
suggested by statesmen and other*
interested in the question, which are
lieginuiug to attract attention, an nod
doubt in due time some just and prac
ticable measure to t-fleet the desired
change will be formulated and adopt
ed.
Among these propositions is one
which was offered in the Senate last
week by .Senator Wallace, and which
will command attention ami elicit dis
cussion. The Hnrri-hurg J'at riot has
long favored a direct vote of tlu* |K*O
ple for President and Vice President,
and in a late isuc gives n favorable
opinion upon the proposition of our
distinguished .Senator. It remarks that
"Senator Wallace's proposition divide*
the several States into convenient dis
tricts, each State to contain as many
districts as it lias senators and repre
sentatives in congress and each district
to cast one vote for president and vice
president, a plurality vote to elect.
The votes of the several districts are
to be certified to the federal house of
representatives by a State lumrd of
canvassers. The idea of a direct vote
for president and vice president has
long lieen favored by this journal. It
was suggested by Andrew Jackson
when president in one of his mossnges '
to congress and advocated by Thomas
11. Benton in the Uniti-d States senate
who introduced a bill to carry it into
effect. Senator Wallace's plan, how-j
ever, is nn improvement on former
suggestions of n direct popular vote
for president. The district plan pre
serves the present power of the smaller
States and at the same time desertion
alixes the canvass for the presidency, i
Under it many northern districts
would cast their votes for the Demo
cratic candidates ami many southern !
districts for the Republican candidates.
The frauds committed in the great
cities, too, would le rendered less ef- 1
fectual as they could affect only a few
districts instead of controlling as now
the voice of nn entire State. The
amendment should speedily become a
|rt of tlie federal constitution."
Certainly here is food for thought and
argument, and we hope the subject
will not be permitted to rest until a
new method of electing our highest
executive, officers more in harmony
with Democratic ideas is made the su
preme law of the land.
THAT veracious individual known
as the Washington (Correspondent is
very busy at present in arranging a
cabinet for the incoming President. It
is just possible, however, that Mr.
Garfield may have n word to say about
the matter himself, aud that nearly all i
tho conjectures of the aforesaid vera
, cious individual may prove to he mere
inventions of the imagination. The
only thing that seems to he decided
upon is that Senator Blaine will be
the Secretary of State, with a proba
bility that Senator Allison, of lowa,
may be the Secretary of the Treasury.
Of the effort now being made to
place Grant ou the retired li-t of the
army with the rank of General and a
salary of about $20,000 a year, the
Doylestowu Democrat pertinently re
marks, "The Senate is opposed to the
measure; ami we think properly. If
there were any just reason why this
bill should pass, no doubt it would
meet the approbation of the country.
Gen. Grant has received more honors
from the country and more money
from the government than any otlmr
public man. He is now rich, without
children to sup|irt; they having mar
ried rich, and b<- docs not need pecu
niary assistance. The p'-r-i-tent ef
forts of bis political friends to get him
a large salary without any duti<s
to |M-rform, places Grant licforc the
country in the poiti-m of a mendicant,
aud docs Ids reputation an injury.
They should let him alone, ami allow
him, like bis predecessors in the presi
dential chair, to retire upon bis hon
or*. This course will be a surer metli
iml of gaining him the universal re
-ject of Ids countrymen."
Senator Mohoan from Alabama
lifts introduced in the Senate of the
1 nited States a sulistitute for the
Klectoral Count resolution of Senator
Ingnll*, of Kansu-. Senu' r Morgan's
resolution i- concurrent ami after pass
ing the Senate goes to the house for
action. It provides that the two
houses of Congress assemble in the bull
of the House of Representatives ou
Wednesday, 9th February, 18*1, at
12 o'clock and proceed to count the
vote ; that the President of the Sen
ate shall lie the presiding officer ; that
one |*ersoii shall be teller upon the
part of the Senate and two upon the
part of the House. It further provides
the manner of counting the vote which
i* vested in the houses themselves, the
N ice President only opening the votes
and paa-ingthem to the tellers. Thus
will the question of the absolute au
thority of the Vice President in count
ing the electoral vote lie settled ami a
dangerous precedent IK- avoided.
'I he Senatorial dead lock in the
Tenoessee legislature was broken last
week by the election of Henry K.
Jackson, Democrat, to succeed Sena
tor Bailey of that State. Mr. Jack
j son is said to lie a lawyer of high
: standing aud great nhility and his
I election to so exalted a |isition is re
reived by the |tcuple of Tennessee with
extreme satisfaction. The Repuhli
• ans hoped to gain a Senator in this
State, which would have given them
a clear majority in the United Statre
Senate. The election of Jackson,
however, will make that body stand
37 Democrats, 37 Republicans, with
2, Davis, of Illinois, and Malionc, of
Virginia, classed as independents.
SEN AD ut C. T. ALEXANDER has in
troduced a hill into the State Senate,
; "To prevent the sale of any spirituous,
vinous, malt or brewed liquors which
may in any manner lie adulterated,
mixed, drugged, diluted or compound
oil with drugs, or any other deleterious
or poisonous matter." Senator Alex
ander has given much thought aud
great elaboration to the preparation
of the bill, and it should become a law.
The bill provides the necessary ma
chinery for enrrying its provisions into
effect.
OUR Republican friends may not
like it, hut it is well enough to remind
them of the fact that Gen. Hancock
has a larger popular vote in the Unit
ed Statea than the successful man in
the Klectoral College. The latest re
vised returns give Hancock 4,444,-
818 votes; Garfield 4,437.981. Hnn
cock's majority over Garfield 6,382.
IT has been charged with great do
lfbehition for several weeks past that
i Chester A. Arthur, the Vice President
elect, is not a native of the United
States. These allegations have taken
form und affidavit- have been procured
Ly those investigating the matter
which go to prove conclusively that
Mr. Arthur was born in ('anuda, and
of course is ineligible for the Vice
Presidency. It bus always been given
out that he was born at St. Albans,
\ t., but this is shown to he erroneous.
Ihe registry of all births and deaths
in these New Lngland villages makes
it very easy to trace such thing- to
j their source. Mr.'Arthur is reported
as being much alarmed and is engag
ed in an investigation himself. His
family was well known in both Canada
and Vermont, and apjxar- to have led
a -ort of nomadic life, wandering from
the States to Cunada and then back.
While living in St. Albans a Chester
Allen Arthur was born to this family,
but be died shortly after and is buried
there. 1 here is no record of our own
( heater having come to light within
the boundaries of the little State of
Vermont while there is abundant ev
idence that he uttered his fir-t rebel
yell in < anada.
ADDITIONAL LOCALS.
Tns Mnvsi) Wkkk or COCRT.—Court
open.-.) M< oJay tx>rolng *t 10 o'clock,
Ifu Il'.n r ii.U" ■ >r\i praMiag. Oaao
< "iitil .| to. t. iM-ing before the
Court, it sdj • ••. rn■ I to 2 o clock v. v. In
ih<- ATO-moon ibe trial lot A <AM<-<] over,
srid (ii marked reedy for trisl At tin*
Win en 1 t" tieur Application* f.-r conlinu
*nce of isuii'i. 1 lie lot of Treverse jur
| or* we* e!o i a)led, most of them fs-ing
present A jury • summoned lo the box
*nd < ne reuse *ftr Another called, until ell
the reuse* for trial 1. A I been gone over,
bat none of the perli< * to suits being pre.
i parwl for trial, Court adjourned until
Tuesday morning.
! Court met in pursuance of adjournment.
Hi* II"nor Judge C. A Meter prodding,
witb Aoriate Judge* Given and Franck
lon the tM-nch. The first cause taken up
*a* the one of G.|,ry vs. Samuel
| Krider—an ejectment (or a part of the
William Ilabn lr*< t, situated in Walker
! townshq The jsunt for the jury lo de
! i ide in tlt is rase • whether If F Shaf
; fer, who purchased this land at Treasurer s
| alo in 1*72, for A. C. Gwry, when it was
! sold for taxes, wa* of was not the agent of
i Samuel Kryder to give his personal alien
[ tion to it and to pay the taxes on the land,
Mr Kryder being a resident of another
! county. It appeared from the evidence
that in 1871 Mr. Kryder had asked Mr
ShafTer to have his land rut on and asse.s<d
in the unseated list of Walker township
This, Mr Bbaf!Vr says, is all he understood
- he was to do, and that he did not agree to
| ;KIV the tnirt nor see that they were paid.
Mr. Kryder that he under*lo<d
j that Mr Shaffer was to look after and at
tend to the land, and for that reason he
| never gave any attention to the pay mont of
the taxes on it. The jury returned aver
: dirt for the defendant, which wa* to the
• fleet that Mr. Shaffer wa* the agent of
| Mr. Kryder at the lime of the sale, and
i therefore any acts of Mr Shaffer, at that
' lime, would enure to the benefit of bis prin
cipal, Mr. Kryder.
I The next cause tried was Campbell
llroa. v James M< Mullen, constable, for
having levied on the property of the flrm of
Campbell Brothers, and sold it for the in
dividual indebtedness of Gtsirge W. Camp
bell, a member of the firm The jury, up
I to Wodnnrday at 111 o'clock, bad not vet
agreed.
Tho next cause called and now being
tried i* the one of Frank J. Weaver v*.
Benjamin Ilafflev for closing up a road
between the two properties owned bv these
parties, which was t<> have boon left open
by an agreement between the parties at the
time the properties were purchased.
Court will in all probability adjourn
to-day as there are but two more case* on
the list for trial.
RCFORT or OltAXtl JURY.
The Grand Inquest having followed the
instructions of the Court and disposed of
all the business laid before us, re*|iectfully
report that we have carefully examined
the county building* and find them in
good repair and well taken care of for the
purpose* for which they *re used, except
that the roof in front of 1 the kitchen door
leading into the jail yard must facilitate the
escape of prisoners," being not more than
eight or ten feet from top of wall, and
that the floor in the comtni**inners' room
needs soma repairs,
J. W. COLLINS, Foreman.
INJURED.—A small son of Mr. William
Green, the colored porter at the Brocksr
hoff House, wa* quite seriously injured on
Monday last. In attempting to jump on
a sled which was moving along Allegheny
•treet, he lot hi* hold and fell, one of the
front runner* passing over hi* neck, cut
ting it quite severely.
—The Representatives from this county
have been assigned to the fallowing com
mittee* : Mr. Uephart, to Appropriation*,
Railroads, Public Building*, Pension* and
Gratuities, Vice and Immorality, and Mr.
Murray, to Judiciary (local), Geological
Survey, Insurance and Manufactures.
IhKMM: per Annum, In Advance.
"fluj bod Haw Merry,"
TWO BOTH SENTENCE!! TO IJEATII FOB THE
MCROCK OC THEIR I'ATIIKR.
MAHIVILIE, MO., Jan. I'j, ]>>< l.
A motion lor u new trial and in ar
rest of judgment in the case* of Al
bert l'. uri'J Charles E. Talbott, who
were yesterday found guilty ol iuoa> in- '
ating their father in tin* county, on the
IStb of lust .September, wan overruled
Iby Judge Howell thm afternoon. Hit
honor then directed Albert I*. Talbott
to stand uj>, and, while the court room
wa wra|i| e I in profound silence, raid ;
" Have you any reaaon why the sen
; fence of death should not be pronounc
ied upon you The priaoner stood be
fore the court with bia arm. folded and
and a look of defiance upon hi* face. •
With quivering lip, he raid : J„ the
first place, because 1 am not guilty,"
Hi* Honor said : "The jury says you
are, and I therefore direct that you be
confined in the jail of Nodaway county
until the liuth d.v of March. IKbl, and
•on that day the Sheriff aball lake you
! 'be place of execution, and there
hijng you by the neck until you are
dead, and may (rod have mercy on
i your soul. ' Hi* honor went on;
"< harle* K. Tallrott, you too may aland
up. Have you any reaaon why the sen
tence of death rhould not be pronounc
ed u|Kii you ? The boy, never flinch
ing in the lea*t, never rhowing one iota
of emotion or nervousness in bia face,
•aid he war not guilty. Jhe Judge raid :
j " 1 he jury ray* you are. and I therefore
j direci that you be confined to the jail
of Nodaway county until the 2h day of
March. I**l. and on that day the Sher
t ill rball take you la the place of execu
-1 tion ami there hang you by the neck
until you an* dead, and may 'rod have
mercy on your roul!"
HEOKEN HEARTS.
It war a heartrending roe no in the
: court room that followed the death
sentence. W omen cried, shrieked a* if
in agony. Strong men wept at the
terrible rcene of mother, nater and
other relative! of the convicted and
sentenced boy* a* they wrapped their
arm* around their neck* and wept ar if
their heart* would break. Albert
broke completely down and wept like a
j child. At a few minute* before five
o'clock the court adjourned, and thus
end* the greatest murder trial, probably,
1 in the binory of Miaaouri.
The >cw Tennr**ee Senator.
j Jm-i Vtill*
While I am a Hcmocrat. devoted to
the principle* of that party, it i not in
my nature, temperament or training, to
be a mere partisan. 1 am not a mere
partisan. and, while heartily support
ing democratic mea*tire* of public
' interest and policy in the Senate of the
j I nited State*. I hnll tnake no faction*
opposition (o the Republican admima
j tration and it* mea*ure* -imply because
they are Republican. 'n the contrary,
I ahall yield a hearty support to all *uch
• measure* of the administration a, in
my judgment, will be promotive to the
public weal. To build up the material
interest* not only of thi* great Com.
monwealth, hut of the whole countrv ;
to break down sectional ' animosities
and ret tore harmony and kindly feel
ing between the section* ; to promote
purity, economy and reform in the ad
ministration of the government ; to
relieve, a* far a* po**ible, the burden
now reating on the people in the *hape
of an uneven revenue aystem, are *ome
of the object* worthy the attention of
every statesman and patriot. To theae,
and all great objects of national con
cern, 1 shall addre** myself •* your
representative.
Srrlon* Railroad Accident.
Minni.xnraa. Pa.. January 30.—An ac
cident on the Sunbury and I/ewistown
railroavl, near this place yesterday morn
ing, wa caused by a broken rail, by
which the train w* run off the track.
The mail train left l*wi*town at 7 a. m.
It coni*ted of two passenger ear* and
!an engine. When the rati broke the
hind car jumped the track and dragged
the front car with It, when both car*
jumped the track, turned over on their
j side* and took fire. The passenger*
were taken out with considerable diffi
cully, and only after the door* and
window* had been broken in. Fifteen
person* in all were injured, five of them
*enouslv—the latter being Andrew
j Wolfkill, conductor; W. H. liana, of
Lewi*tow n. mail sgent ; Samuel Ikiwen,
of Middleburg: Mr*. Margaret Greiner,
of Sehnsgrove, and John Suhalneeker,
of Middleburg. Ikiwen wa* pulled from
under the stove, liana wa* for some
time believed to bo dead, but wa* re
suscitatod. There were only twenty
five per*on* on the train.
The farmer* of California are endeav
oring to devise mean* by which the
wheat of that State can be sold at a
price fairly remunerative to the produc
er. A meeting of the farmers' commit
tee ha* been held, at which it was stat
ed that the bank* will co-operate if the
farmer* will pay taxes upon wheat in
More and do their utmo*l to prevent
Urge quantities of grain being thrown
on the market A convention of farm
era will be held in San Franciaoo early
in February to decide upon soma plan
of action.
Frank MrGrath. colored, was hanged
on Friday last at Georgetown, S. C., for
the murder of Joaie Small, colored. A
reprieve wa* on the way, but there is
no communication by railroad or tele- f
graph, and it arrived too late. /
Mr. Don Cameron la about to make
the greatest effort of hit Ufa. IU
need a to. J i
NO. :>.