NIIIGIRT & FOUNT Kit, VAitors.
VOL. 3.
She Ctnftt iPrmocrat.
Terns* St .so per Annnm, in Advance.
S. T. SHUGERT and R. H. FORSTER. Edtlort.
Thursday Morning, May 12, 1881.
TIIK dead-lock in tho Senate bad
to succumb to the unfaltering purpose
of the Democrats to prevent a great
wrong; but when is the Mahone-Re
publican treaty to be ratified ? Gor
kam and Riddlcberger would like to
know.
HII.LIXGDL.EY, of Washington coun
ty, and perhaps Myers, .of Venango,
are the mere echoes and rural agents
of the Philadelphia roosters in the
Legislature. They are relied upon to
lead the country Republicans in any
dirty business the roosters may have
on hand. Billingsley's apportionment
bill will show what kind of dirty job
he is now required to favor.
GKX. GRANT lias made a speech in
the city of Mexico, in which he dis
claims any intention of gobbling up
that country or of converting it into
an empire. He doubtless has a lively
recollection of the fate of Maxaniil
ian, besides restless ex-President's
aspirations for empire may be in an
other direction. He has given cause
for such belief to many of his coun
trymen.
POSTMASTER JAMES has created
quite a consternation among the thieves
since his connection with the Post
office Department. He unearths the
astounding fact that over $2,000,000
have been stolen annually for four
years by the Star route thieves. This
in one department only, under the
Christian statesman whoadminisitered
the affairs of Government through
successful fraud.
HENRY WARD BEECHER, in pass
ing through Maryland the other day,
was served with a writ at the suit of
the Maryland Agricultural and Me
chanical Society, who claim to have
been damaged to the amouqt of $lO.
000, by the excentric divine. It ap
pears that Mr. Beecher engages! to de
liver a lecture at one of their fairs
which was extensively advertised to
draw a large crowd. He failed to
fill his engagement, and the Society
bring suit to recover damages.
SENATOR CONK LING on Monday
last made his great effort in the Re
publican caucus, and announced some
damaging statements reflecting ujwn
the sincerity and reliable character of
the President. He charges him with
straight-out lying and deception in re
gard to the appointment of Judge
Robertson to the collectorship of New
York. The fight between the great
Republican leaders promises rich de
velopments of character that may
prove interesting summer reading to
the party of "great moral idea*." Ix;t
the funeral procession move on.
IN Auburn, New York, a negro was
appointed a policeman, and in conse
quence the chief of the force and one
other resigned. They could not de
grade their respectibility by serving
with "the man aud brother." If this
had occurred in the South, the bloody
shirt would have waved and Dawes
and others would howled themselves
hoarse with indignation over the out
rage against the rights of the colored
citizen. But what is proper enough
in the North, is criminally improper
in the South.
GFX>. C. GORIIAM, the Mahone-Re
publican candidate for Secretary of
the Senate, who is also the editor of
the Washington National Republican,
is defending the Star route thieves.
In doing so, he bitterly attacks the
President for permitting the investiga
tion to be made, and threatens him
with exposure. He intimate) broadly
that the President asked that a por
tion of the thieves swag should be
applied to carrying the elections in
Indiana and New York. Gorham
ought to know all about it. He was
there.
"KI4UAL ANO KX ACT JUSTICR TO AI.L MKN, OK WIIATKVKII HTATK OK FKHMUASIOIf, KKLIOIOCB OK POI.ITICA I.."—J<-fTiTn.
FOUR hundred citizens of Lacka
wana county presented a petition in
tho House of Representatives asking
proceedings to be instituted for the
impeachment oftJov. Iloyt Hnd Attoi
ney General Palmer. They charge
that the Governor and Attorney Gen
eral conspired corruptly to shield
Kcmble and other criminals from the
punishment due their crimes against
the law ; that they have confederated
with politicians to inqiosc upon the
citizens of Lackawanna an unconsti
tutional judiciary, in defiance of the
decision of the Supreme Court; that
I the said Attorney General, with the
approval of the Governor, has disre
garded the petition of the citizens to
test through quo warranto proceedings
the right of the associate judges of
said county to exercise judicial func
tions. The petitioners express their
readiness to present such facts as will
prove that said Iloyt and Palmer have
used their offices to carry out infrac
tions of the Constitution and laws.
And what if they did? It would
form no exceptional case, and even if
the |ietition were received as a meri
torious case, which we doubt, it would
not lie one of sufficient mark to arrest
the attention of the majority of the
Legislature as now constituted. Offi
cial infractions of the Constitution
and laws are too common to make them
novel. The people of Pennsylvania
seem satisfied with that kind of gov
ernment, and would scarcely l>e happy
under honest, conscientious officials
who could make the Constitution and
laws paramount to political or person
al advantage. No, proceedings of
this kind would be an unnecessary
waste of time, even if they had merit
as their base-
C'-OSKI.INO set things up very nicely
in the Republican caucus to handicap
the President in the matter of ap
pointment*, but things wouldn't stay
fixed. In agreeing to break the dead
lock and permit executive sessions to
be held, the wiley Senator had a rule
adopted that the objection of a single
Republican Senator from any State
should prevent action upon any ap
pointment of the President. This was
to reach the case of Judge Robertson,
and prevent his confirmation for the
position of collector of customs at
New York, and still leave the chances
o|>en for the confirmation of a number
of C'oukling'a personal friends, who
had also been nominated for various
positions. Rut the President headed
this little arrangement by withdraw
ing all the New York appointments,
except that of .lodge Robertson. This I
aetiou on the part of the President
ha* given him the advantage, but per- I
hap* intensifies! the fight with his im
perious antagonist. It is now victory
or death.
-
TIIK President is now engaged in
an effort to solve the conundrum as to
who is President of the United Ktates
—whether James A. Garfield or Ros
coe Conkling. The chances are in
favor of the former now, but the final
solution is not yet reached, and may
depend upon the stiffness of Garfield's
back-bone. If this weakens and fails
him in his contest with the New York
dictator, the Ohio statesman will fall
to the level of a third-rate Iluckeye
politician.
MANY of our Republican friends
begin to realize that they have a
couple of Confederate elephants on 1
hand in the persons of Mahone and
Riddlcberger—not as to the men par- 1
ticularly, but the manner of obtaining ;
them by a trade that no Senate ever
before was base enough to attempt.
The stench will continue to be offen
sive, and no number of attempts at 1
disinfection will remove it
IT appears from investigations that 1
there are a number of Philadelphians
connected with the Htar route frauds
in which one Congress men, at least
seems to be implicated. Congressmen 1
Harmer will probably be called upon 1
for explanations.
BEEEEFONTE, I'A., THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1881.
Ex-Sonator Wallaco Refutes a
Slander.
The silly slander that appeared last
week in a number of newpa|K*rH alle
ging that a large sum of money had
been contributed by the Star mail
route contractors to aid in securing the
nomination of (ien. Hancock for the
I'residency meets with a prompt and
decided refutation from ex-Henntor
Wallace. The following letter from
Mr. Wallace in relation to the matter
uppcarcd in the Philadelphia Times
of last Sunday:
To thr Kdltor of thi |'hll<LljMa Tlinti.
Certain Washington correspondents
of the Philadelphia I'rr.ix, New York
Timet r, Huston lierahl, uiul other uew
papers give currency to statement*
"that money to a large amount, receiv
er! from the Star route ring, was used
to aid in nominating General Hancock
at Cincinnati"that money from the
same source was used in the Pennsyl
vania Democratic Convention ot IfysO,"
and that in my capacity as chairman of
the subcommittee of the Senate ap
propriation committee on the Post < f
--tice appropriation hills I aided the Star
route ring.
It is not my habit to contradict news
paper falsehoods, hut the truth touches
the purity of General Hancock's nomi
nation, and therefore I write.
No money whatever came from any
source to carry the delegation from his
own State lor General Hancock and
none wus used. His enemies and mine
trumpeted the result of that conven
tion as a victory over General Hancock
and his friends. General William It.
Franklin was in charge of Hancock's
headquarters at Cincinnati and con
trolled the expenditure of all moneys
used there. No such sum as (CiO,OUG
was either raised to expend or was ex
ponded there. The whole sum expend
ed did not exceed $1,.J00, and this was
for rent, music, banners, badges, etc.
Those in charge of his interest there
did not believe in securing either his
nomination or his election by the use
of money.
In the passage of the Post < iffiee de
ficiency bill of Ibhii, as chairman of the
subcommittee 1 was asked for a hear
ing by those interested in routes which
would be cut otf by tailure of the ap
propriation. They complained that
the House committee refused to hear
them. The sub committee—Senators
Beck, Booth and mvself—gave them a
hearing. It was public and the state
ments made to us were printed. We
reported Hie bill back to the full com
mittee favorably. Our report was
adopted and I was instructed to call it
up and put it upon its passage. It pass
ed the >enate without a call of tbeyeas
and nay*. I gave my views of the sub
ject then, which are in the record. In
our action u|>on that bill the guilt or in
nocence ol no public official wa* passed
upon, but we acted solely upon the con
viction that it would be unwise public
policy to brrak down the mail service
west of the Mississippi by refusing to
vote the money to carry it on.
Very respectfully yours,
WILLIAM A. WALLACE.
Clearfield, Pa.. May, IKHI.
'I ROt'Ht.K for the Rcpuhliran-Mn
hone treaty is thickening. The situa
tion is not at nil lovely for the Sena
torial contractor*. Gorbatn and Rid
dleborger are virtually laid out cold ;
war to the knife, is inaugurated be
tween the administration ami the stal
wart Senator of New York and bis
lieutenants. The treaty it not rati
fied and there is no prnpability that it
will lie, while honest Republicans in
Virginia repudiate the union with the
Mahonc faction and the conservative
Readjustees denounce the cflbrt to sell
and transfer them to the Republican
party for a few paltry offices. Indeed
the Reptibliean control of the Senate
by an assumed majority disgracefully
if not unlawfully attained by the cast
ing vote of the Vice f'resideot does
not pan out in the hopeful results ex
pected.
RAWAM.Y and unfair as the appor
tionment of Senators and Representa
tives in this State has been for years
past, it carries some show of decency—
some regard for the official oath of
the Representative under the Constitu
tion, when coin pare* I with the in.
famous bill now before the Legislature
for the approval of that lody. And
yet the men getting up this enormity
profess to be friends of a free ballot
and equal laws. Hhame !
—The evidence of the Star route
ring steals of llrady, Dorsey A Co.,
under the last administration, must lie
very interesting reading to the retired
Fraud. He did not need any of the
swag thus floating around, as Tilden's
salary provided bim a handsome com
petence.
WHY should tho Republicans of
Pennsylvania go South to discover
whether a free ballot is strictly
observed—whether the rights of citi
zens nre properly respected ? Let
them investigate Philadelphia, Lan- j
j caster, or indeed any of the strong |
j Republican districts for information !
jof this character, hut above all, let
j them examine the disgraceful gerry
| mundering of the Legislative uppor
| tioiiment hill recently introduced by !
j tho cbairmau of the Legislative Ap-j
portionniont Committee in the House
jof Representatives. If this will not
I satisfy them, they need not go South
or anywhere else to find evidence of
the most abandoned villainy—the '
most reckless disregard of official
morality as well as the absence of any
thing like a decent respect for the
right* of pitizens and of communitic-. j
This hill alone will furnish all the .
needed data, without traveling out ol
j the State to s<s-k it.
PRESIDENT GARFIELD apj>ears to
j have more hack-hone than he was
| given credit for. He slii ks to his ap
|sjintmeut of Robertson ami defies
j the power of the imperious Senator
Ironi New ork who d>-muiidcd it* !
withdrawal as a condition of his favor ;
and support. Instead, he, the Prcsi-j
dent withdraws the appoint incuts of!
!u number of Mr. (kmkliug's j r.-unal j
friends, and thus emphasizes his de- •
termination to assert hi- independence !
j of threat* uud dictation in the dispell- '
i sation of executive patronage. The ,
1 issue between these chiefs of the Re- J
( publican lamily isthus squarely joined,
j Neither can withdraw from the con- '
t'-t it involve* without the exhibition j
jof the most abject cowardice. It
is a war for position only to be deter- j
j mined by the humiliation of one or j
; the other. The President ha* taken j
the helm. < 'an lie hold it ?
I THE authorities at Washington have
J caused the arrest of several JM r-011- in*|
Philadelphia on the charge of fraud
in connection with the Star route mail
contracts now undergoing invotiga
tion. This may be all right. But
why not tackle some of the corrupt
; official* who were in collusion with the
(contractors? We Itelieve with the
Philadelphia Record that merely "ask- !
ing Brady and McGrew to resign,;
while beginning criminal suits against 1
such small fry a Funk, Black, Black
man and Coson, seems to the outside
public a very crab-like way of going
at the Star route rascals. What kind
; of a net is it that enmeshes the little
1 fish ami let* the big one* resign ?"
I HE Philadelphia Time* show s how
the Star route plunderer* thrived un
der Brady by giving a statement of
five routes iu which the contract* were
raied from $1(10,500.25 to $7 14,1 l.",
when the entire postal receipt* to the
government from them were only so•'!,-
7 18. 7)7. The first route i* in Texas,
the second in New Mexico, tho third
in Dakota and Montana, the fourth in
Wyoming and the fifth iu Arizona.
The following table exhibit* the origi- 1
nal hid*, the inereae made by Brady '
nnd the gross postal receipt* :
Ofljrliml lntri#sl
l'*. C*V. Rsreltil*
N'>. ll.lv) |I U-ti.tn s:'<<*" • .•!•) :
V' XZO/I < .•••• LVV-WZN -
No. V,.1W1 2,V*><* l TN.KX.M < JW . TT '
No tT.lt'> |o..vr: M **,Tft* 1 1 a,)*'- -Z 1
No. LVH.OO IV. On |n.M* I*
Total SlW.Mllll'. rDt.l'M'. >.l.:i*AT
TIIE liogtis life insurance companies,
which are claimed to be founded upon
the co-operative principle, nre still in 1
the active operation of their swindles
in differeut parts of thi* State. They
have recently placed policies of insur
ance upon the life of a feeble old col
ored woman in Harrishurg, eighty
year* of age, to the amount of 8110,-
000. With such proof of their work,
can any sane person lie deceived ?
THE General Assembly of tho Pres
byterian church is to meet at Buffalo,
New York, on the 19th of May, and
is expected to be in session two week*.
This la the general legislative body of
the church, representing 5,000 church
es and half a million communicants.
The Party of .IcftcrMoii and Other
Statesmen.
In a speech recently delivered in
tlii! United States Senate, Senator
Pendleton gave the Republicans notice
I that their corrupt bargain with Ma
j hone and the Virginia repudiationists
! cannot ho carried out. In closing his
eloquent speech Senator Pendleton
suid :
It wan the Democratic party, not tho
outrages of the South, against which
they 'the Republican*.) made war. It
i was not the Confederate Brigadiers; it
wan not the outrages upon the negro in
the South. Rut it wa- the hatred for the
Democratic party which inspired the
fervor of the Republican philanthropy.
1 he solution of the Southern question
rested in harmony ami good will be
; tween the races and against that solu
tion the Republican party set its face.
What wa* tho Rourbon Democratic
party? It wan the party ol Jefferson,
of Madison, ol Monroe and of Polk ;
the parly that had given Texas. New
Mexico and Ualifornia to the Union.
It was tho party which had loog ago
j made the <Constitution and for sixty
years administered it so that in the
| government there had been no law
higher than tho Constitution. It wa*
the party that in the cycle of its years
had drawn to itself every able and pa
triotic statesman, who was not willing
to walk in the awkward ways of sec
tionalism. It was the party which in
storm and tempest ami winter's blast
; had stood like an ocean light-house un
i moved and immovable, while other par
ties 1 including the t>asted Republican
party had surged arid swayed with un
; even and inconstant motion. like the
i waves that obeyed the fitful bidding of
' the fickle moon. The spray might have
| covered it, its side waters might have
i washed its summit, but every reception
' of the storm had shown it* light wa*
nnquenched and its lustre undimmed.
\ Ihe Republicans asked that party to
help them in using the offices of the
t Senate to debauch the people of Vir
ginia. Ho said in conclusion: "You
1 forget what the Senate i*. You forget
what we are -one half thi* Senate, the
' peers of you all ; Representatives of
State* which, wiili slight limitations,
are sovereign . you forget the character
of the work in which you ak our co
njuration. I tell you now, I tell you
j here, you will not have that cooj.era
-1 tion for that purpose at any time."
A MA-* MEETING of the citizen* of
; Philadelphia who favor a reform in
the manner of collecting delinquent
l ! taxes wa* held in the Academy of
Mu- ic on Saturday evening. Among
the officer* of the meeting and sjx-ak
crs were gentlemen of prominence,
representing the reform clement in
Isith jMrlitical parties. There i* a
bill now jrending in the Ix-gi-lature
for the repeal of the law of l*7!t
under which a separate department
for the collection of delinquent taxes
i was created. The delinquent tax of
fice i a regular Imnanza for the
"ring" politicians, and the mx**
meeting 011 Saturday was c alled main
ly to give expression to the sentiment
lof the independent voters iu favor of
it* abolition.
THE New 5 ork Turn* make- a loud
j call upon the Senate caucus to unload
* iurham, the Republican-Mahone can
didate for Secretary of the Senate. It
says the Republican pnrty can hotter
afford to do without the aid of Mahnne
I than they can afford to carry so prom
inent an aj>ologit of the Star route
ring fraud*. The President ap|>ears
to he in jwrfect accord with the Time*,
|so far a* Gorham i* concerned, hut
j they might probably both possess them
selves in peace, as the 1 Vmoci at ic .Sen
ators have already served notice of
1 the unfitness of the caucus nominees.
Thair doom i certain in pite of Re
! publican rflbrt* in their favor.
♦
Two liu ml nil Mormon proselytes
from Kurope lately landed in Now
York. Announcements of this kind
are not uncommon. Why do not some
of tho missionary societies send out
! able men to antagonize the work of
the Mormon recruiting agents? Or
why not start colonization societies so
that poor persons who desire to come
to the United Htates to better their
fortunes need not embrace a vulgar
faith in order to secure transportation
and get a home when they arrive ?
(STANLEY MATTHEWS is not to be
an Associate Judge of the Supreme
Court. The Judiciary Committee of
the Senate have reported adversely to
the confirmation. Mr. Lamar, it ap
pears was the only member of the
committee who favored an affirmative
report.
TKKMN: SI.OO |m t Annum, it, Atltaiir*.
THE Repudiation Senator from Vir
ginia Ijhj- been almost entirely obeeu
red by recent event* at Washington.
| The war between the Executive and
the New York Senator—the br<ak of
the dead-lock, and the failure to ratify
j the contract and confer official ptmi
j tion upon Gorhatn and Itiddleberger,
' for which the Virginia Senator acrifi
| ed li in honor and independence, place*
him in a pitiable position. Ho in of no
i account now, a mere wreck to hang to
the tail of the Itopublican kite, despi
sed by all, in the first two mouth* of
liia official life.
Steel ami Iron Halls.
Secretary Swank, of the Iron and
Steel Association, ha* jut obtained
from the manufacturer* complete re-
I turn* of the production of iron and
j steel rail* for the year 1880. The figure*
show that the production of all kind*
of rail* throughout the United State*
1 last year far surpassed the production
of any previou* year. It reached the
! enormous quantity of 1,461,837 torn-.
' This i* 31 T>er cent, more than the pro
duction of 1879, in which year 1,113,-
j 273 net ton* of lieuemer *teel rail*
were made. The rail production of 18SO
wa* compoed of 954. 460 net ton* of
Bessemer t-l rails, 493,762 net ton* of
iron ran* and 13.615 tons of open I'.earth
*teel rail*. The total production of
Beaaemer ateel rail* wa* '270,496 ton* or
40 per cent, moie than that of 1879;
that of iron rail*, 71,602 ton*, or 18 |w-r
cent, more, and that of open Hearth
steel rail*, 4466 ton*, or 49 per cent,
more. The Bessemer steel rail produc
tion includes 36,86s net ton* of rail*
roiled by rolling mills, mainly from im
ported hloom*. The production of steel
rail* in 18Q, included in the total pro
duction for the year, amounted to 16,-
844 net ton*, of which 805.6 ton* were
He**emer and open llearth *tcel rati*
and the remainder were iron rail*. <>f
j the total production of rail* Pennviva
, nia contributed 46 per cent., or 670,198
I net tons.
Some of the Kittanning iron worker*
are on a strike. They complain that
they are obliged to work twelve hour*
out of the twenty four for from $1.25 to
lixt a day and demand an increase of
twenty five cent* or eight hour turns.
Ac odd contest took place at a West
1 I'itttton mine a few days ago. IteU for
: considerable mm- were offered and
| taken that Patrick Huane could load a
I coal car more quickly than Patrick
Kirby. Huane i* a man of middle age ;
Kirby i tpentytwo year* old and thirty
pound* leas in weight than hi* compet
itor. The car to be loaded wan capable
of holding s.f**) pound* avoirdupois.
In the presence of alsrge crowd Huane
I loaded the car in eighteen minutes;
Kirby loaded in eleven minute*, which
i* considered in tbe mining di*trict* a
wonderful and unprecedented feat.
The latest commercial sensation is tbe
re|>ort that some 16,000,000 bu*hels of
wheat, now on tbe Pacific *!ope, is
about tobe moved overland for shipment
via the Gulf of Mexico, instead ol around
<'pe Horn. The rumor was started some
weeks ago, but wa* revived to day and
came up to the front a*"good aa new."
I'here is not much reason for the fear
that the rumor will ho verified now.
whatever insy be the future course of
wheat shipments from < 'ahfornia to Ku
rope. The wheat referred to is really in
; " a straight betwixt two"—or three.
Mr. Frederick A. Pott* who wa* the
Republican candidal* for Governor of
New .lersey last November, recently
*ent two of his three sons on a pleasure
irip to Kurope. New* came that both
the young men were dangerously ill in
Naples, and the third son left on the
next stosmer. Shortly after the steamer
had sailed a report of the death of one
of the young men, Harvey Potts, was
received. 1 hereupon Mr! and Mr*.
Pott* sailed for Kurope and they are
now on th passage. On Sunday a cable
dispatch announced the death in Pari*
of George H. Pott*, the one who went
to the asi*tanceof his brothers.
Mr*. Garfield is reporter! a* seriously
ill. She i* prostrated with a sort of
bilious intermittent fever snd the Pre*,
ident is alarmed slxmt her. Mr*, Gar
field ha* not been ol robust health for
*ome time and the duties of her new
position ss mistress ol the Executive
Mansion have weighed heavily upon
her. She was sent to New York a few
, day* ago, but the social pressure there
was even worse than at the White
House and hc returned to Wa*hingtcn
to take to her bed. Mm. Garfield j
literally a martyr to society. Her am
bition to do honor to her huslnind's
friends ia beyond her physical endur
ance and ahe is now suffering the |*n>
l *ity.
The Pacific Slate* have long been at
enmity with the small coin, nut hard
times have made an improvement.
Formerly everything wa* sold by the
bit's worth. A bit wa* supposed to
mean twelve and a half cent*. You
Ixjught • bit s worth of your grocer and
handed him a quarter. He gave you
back ten cent*. Tbe next time you
paid htiu only ten cents. If vou fre
quently paid him only tbe dime be *
probably spoke to you about it. Two
bit* are a quarter of a dollar. It waa
cheapest to buy two bit*' or four bita'
worth of anything. Hard time* brought
the five cent piece. A child who want
ed a cent's worth of peanut* was put
to great distress. The Pacific coast ia
rapidly approaching the time when a
rich man will find five cents in his vest
pocket.
NO.