SIIIGKKT \ KOKSTKIt, Editor*.
VOL.
I-ltt Centre $ cm octal.
Turin SI.AO per Annum. In Advance.
S. T. BHUCERT and H. H. FORSTER, Editors.
Thursday Morning, June 30, 1881.
THE wheat crop in of
the State are reported a* very promis
ing, and farmers are contracting with
dealers at a dollar per bushel. In
this eouuty the crop will probably be
considerably below the usual average.
HAMILTON DISSTON, of Philadel
phia, it is said, has closed a contract
for a four million tract of land in
Florida. This undoubtedly makes
him the largest land owner in the
world, and is perhaps the largest body
of land ever purchased by a private
individual.
POST MASTER GENERAL JAMEB
and Attorney General MACVEAOII'S
grip upon the Star-route thieves is
still firmly held, and, unlike Windom
of the Treasury Department, they
show no signs of weakening. The
thunder aud threats of Brady's Star
route organs do not seem to terrify
them.
THE dead-lock of the New York
Legislature in the election of Senators
still continues without any sign of
reaching a satisfactory result to any
of the aspirants. It is altogether
probable it will adjourn without mak
ing a choice, leaving the election to
the next legislature.
THE tobacco producing States are
classed by the census report, a* Ken
tucky first, Virginia second, and Penn
sylvania third. This is comparatively
a new industry in Pennsylvania, in
creasing annually, and if the increase
continues, as in the last two years,
will soon be the leading tobacco pro
ducing State. Whether tbi* is au
evideuce of advancing proa peri ty or a
retrogade, will be disputed by many.
JOHN WELCH, late Envoy Extra
ordinary and Minister Plenipoten
tiary to the court of St. James, has
been elevated to the distinguished po
sition of President of a Republican
Division association in Philadelphia,
composed principally of negroes. This
distinction to Mr. Welch was doubt
less to show appreciation of the val
uable service he rendered by furnish
ing funds to buy the State of Indiana
in the interest of the Republican party
la* ML
\ LA ROE committee of Mahone
R< adjusters arc at Washington await
ing the return of the President fjom
Long Branch, for a general talk over
Virginia politics. They hope to con
vince him that it would he sound po
litical policy to sink the Republican
organization in Virginia and make it
a mere out-rider to Rom Mahone and
his repudiation nondescripts. Per
haps they may succeed. NQ telling
what may happen as a sequel to Re
publican stupidity in this Mahone
business.
IT would be interesting reading if
State Treasurer Butler, or some one
familiar with the facts, would state
how mauy sjrurious names the rdoster
Senators and Representatives of Phil
adelphia placed upon the j>ay roll
as employes of the State, and what
amount was thus fraudulently paid.
It is generally credited that such
names were placed upon the rolls and
pay drawn while there was no such
persons on duty to represent the ser
vice for which payments were made.
That this kind of fraud upon the
Commonwealth has been perpetrated
for years, admit of little, if any doubt
We have seen it over apd over again
charged, and recently repeated in the
Philadelphia Tine*, but why the
guilty scoundrels are not exposed and
prosecuted is the mystery that needs
explasation. Have these thefts es
caped the notice of the Stale officials,
or are they conveniently oblivious "to
way* that are dark" when manipulat
ed by partisan associates ?
ANI> XX ACT JIKTIi'K TO AM. *IXN, OX WIIATKYKK BTATK OK I'KRBUABIOK, KKMOIOUM OK I'OMTlOAl.. "—Jrftornou.
THE School Journal makes a re
markable statement when it declare*
that the election of school superin
tendents in various parts of the State
was distinguished by bribery, and
that the average price of the vote of a
director was dob. If this be true, it is
about time to abolish the office of su.
perintendents, or at least to curtail the
salaries which have been gradually
growing up and attracting the cupid
ity of the venal, who are ever on the
alert to occupy paving offices. If our
schools, like our polities, are to be
come subjects of barter and intrigue,
the outlook is indeed discouraging.
Better leave the education of our
children in the hands of the directors
without pay, except in the conscious
ness of a faithful discharge of duty,
than in the hands of*a corrupt supcr
iutendencv who cau pay dot) a vote
for the office. In this county, we are
happy to say, no such disgusting ap
pliances are introduced in the choice
of superintendent*. The directors are
composed'of our best citizens who*
act conscientiously in the choice of
superintendent* of a high standard of
excellence both for efficiency in the
work assigned them, and for their su
perior character aud moral standing
in the community. Such were our
late superintendent*, aud such is the
present
THE Phialadelphia I'ress is having
a lively tilt with Congressman Beltz
hoover, of Carlisle. The I'ress charg
ed Mr. Beltzhoover with lobbying on
the floor of the House on the night of
the adjournment of the Legislature
against the speculative Life Insurance
bill. Mr. Beltzhoover denied it. But
the I'res* returns* aud reiterate* the
charge. Mr. Beltzhoover after giving
the letters of a number of members
in refutation, closes a communication
to the I'rest thu*;
When you charged mo in your paper
with lobbying against the insurance bill,
an<l re iterated the charge alter ray de
nial, you lied willfully, maliciously and
ileliberately, \ou lie<i like every com
mon mountebank lira in plying hi*
trade to make a personal, petty. elfi-*h
point. To verily this i challenge you
io *ue mo for liliel, and I hereby ex
pressly waive all technicalities as to
whether calling you a liar in this un
ambiguous language tyould be libelous.
If you convict me of libel in calling
you a willful, malicious and vulgar liar
I will resign my seat in Congress. If
you do not sue, or, sueing, fail to con
vict, you should step down and out of
one of the most honorable and resj>on
kihle callings among men.
• Very truly, etc.,
F. K. litl.T/.IIOOYKR.
DAVID MOI'AT, a fugitive from
justice, one of Philadelphia's useful
Republican ring roosters, prominent
a* an of the Legislature,
ex-councilman, delegate to the Chica
go convention aud one of .John
Welch's committee to fix Indiana last
fall, returned the other day alter many
months absence, ami renewed his
bail. He was indicted for ballot-box
stuffing and absconded to avoid trial
and party exposure. It appears he
had a rough experience as a fugitive,
bis pais failing to furnish the means
be bad a sight to expect of them, and
so returned to -face the consequences
of his wrong-doing. He has -learned
the lesson "that the way of the trans
gressor is hard."
DA VEM PORT on the stand at Albany
acknowledges that he offered a Dis
trict Marshalship to a Senator for a
vote in favor of the Administration
candidate for Senator. Hut he claims
that he was playiog a confidence game
and had no authority from the Presi
dent to trade the office for a vote.
Perhaps not, but then who would be
lieve Davenport.
■■ 1
JOHNSY DAVENPORT, too! It seems
this unmitigated hypocrite, who for
many years has defrauded scores of
citizens in New York out right
of suffrage by affecting the role of
guardian over the polls of that State,
under Federal appointment, has got
into the Albany bribery case, to rep
resent the Administration in the pur
chase of Senators. -
ISEIXEEONTE, PA., THURSDAY, JUNE :, IHKi.
That Foolish Veto Again.
The second objection the Governor
makes to the judicial apportionment
hill is that it provides that the Ad
ditional Law Judge of the 12th dis
trict shall become the President Judgc
of the county of Lebanon, which is
made a separate district. He says
"grave legal difficulties surround that
proposition." What these "grave legal
difficulties" are ho ha* not seen fit to
state. Does he mean to deny to the
legislature the power >p£ assigning
Judge to which ever of two or more
district* may be made oat of the old
district iu which he was elected? By
the apportionment of 1*74 there were
four double districts —that is, districts
composed of more than one county
and having each two law judge*, viz :
the 4th, 12th, 17lh and 25th. The
twelfth district consisted of Dauphin
und Lebanon. If in dividing this dis
trict one of the Judges cannot be as
signed to Lebanon the same difficulty
would arise in making single districts
out of the other three double district*.
But there are peculiar tacts existing in
reference to the twelfth district that
makes such an objection come with
less reason or grace than the same ob
jection would in reference to the other
districts. The act providing an Ad
ditional Law Judge for the 12th dis
trict provided that he should reside iu
Ijfhanon county. With this provision
in the act Judge Henderson accepted
the appointment from Governor Hart
ranft and afterwards took the nomina
tion from the Republican party of
Dauphin and Lebanon counties and
was elected. It i* true we believe
that be has only nominally made his
place of residence iu I/chapon ; his
real residence being in Hurrisburg.
He naturally would prefer to remain
at the Capital of the State and become
the President Judge of DauphlTrTotn
ty upon the retirement of Judge Pear
son, which in all human probability,
owing to his advanced age will take
place next January. As Judge Hen
derson is a good Judge, the bar of
Dauphin county no doubt prefer to
retain him than to run the ri-k of a
new man. Possibly it would have
been wise for the legislature to have
allowed him to remain, for the present,
a* the Additional IJW Judge of
Dauphin county, and provided for the
clectiou of a President Judge of Ixh
anonz But surely their failure to do
this was not a valid constitutional ob
jcetion to the hill. Judge Henderson
himself had no right to complain,
when he accepted the office under a
law which required him to reside in
that county. The individual prefer
ence of a judge as to the district,
which in a judicial apportionment,
shall lie made for him, is surely not
alisolutely binding upon the legisla
ture, and if that august body should
not always acquiesce in these judicial
preferences, it is not a sufficient reason
for the executive interposing a veto and
thus thwarting a plain requirment of
the constitution as to the time when
the judicial apportionment shall be
made.
The Governor's third objection to
the bill is that it is unnecessarily in
creased the number of Judges, and
especially iu allowing an Additional
law Judge to each of the counties of
Erie and Crawford. Of the increase
in these two districts he saja : "as in*
dependant propositions it is believed
they would wither be demanded by
the people in the district* nor receive
legislative sanction." In a former
part of his message the Governor says:
"The present bill designates each
county of the State over 40,000 in
population, as a separate county dis
trict, and so far, beyond all question,
conforms to the constitution, and it* ad
dition of law judges, in somo of these
district*, • also an exercise of valid
poiter." The only law judges added
by this bill in these separate district*
were those in Erie and Crawford.
Although the Governor admits that
i this was a valid exercise of power, and
though the legislature is made the
sole judge as to whether these separate
districts require more than one law
judge, he gives tlii* act a* one of his
reasons for preventing the bill In
coming a law. The insincerity of
Governor Hoyt in this part of his
me-sage i* manifest when we remem
ber a few fact*. Crawford county has
a population of 08,004 ; Erie, 74,881,
while Northampton ha* 70,-' Jib, less
than two thousand more than Craw-
J'ord iuora than Jour thousand less
than yet the legislature at
its last session passed u special act
giving Northampton county an Ad
ditional Law Judge, which act Gover
nor Hoyt approved aud promptly ap
pointed General Iteedcr one of the
jK-t* of the Republican parly to the
new judgeship thus created. Now if
it wo* so clear that Northampton
county with a |>opulaiiou of but 70,-
310 needed an Additional Law Judge
that it wa* necessary to rush through
a special act for that purpose, it can*
uot l>o mj clear tliat Crawford and
Krie with their |*<pulution do not
need more judicial help that the Gov
ernor should make the increase a rea
sou lor vetoing a general apportion
ment hill required by the constitution.
Whenever a county constituting a seje
arate district increases in |>opulation
and business to that extent that oue
law judge cannot do all the business
as rapidly as it should be done there
is no remedy but to give such a county
an Additional 1-uw .fudge—the dis
-1 triet eunnut Ix- decreased in size as
may be done with a district composed
of several small counties. In every
instance when; such increase is necew
•arv, the work for two Judge* w ill be
light at first. No county from having
only work sufficient for one Judge,
ever increased at ones' to haviug full
t c*irk for two Judge*. By the consti
tution i irt'T" TTte sole
judge of the necessity for such in
crease.
Hut the Governor object* generally
to the increase of judges provide! for
by the bill. As an argument against
it ho states tlint the numlx-r of judges
in Pennsylvania exceed* the whale
number of judges in all the Federal
Courts of the I uilcd States, and that
fhe salaries paid judges in Pennsylva
nia exreed the salaries paid all the
judges in the Federal Government by
I more than SIOO,OOO per annum. It
would have been equally true, equally
tsensible and ]crtineut, if lie bad said
| that the number of judges in the little
I county of Philadelphia exceeded the
number of judges in the great territo
ry of F.thiopia, and that the salaries
paid in Philadelphia far exceeded the
amount of judicial salaries paid in
Kthiopia. The Federal courts have
jurisdiction over but a few questions,
and a few kind of eases ; while the
State courts have to deal with all
questions, both criminal and civil.
The number of causes tries! annually
in the courts of Pennsylvania no
doubt far exceed the whole number of
cases tried in all the federal courts.
The Governor says that when this
legislature met there were seventy
seven law judges in Pennsylvania and
that this bill makes eighty-six, an in
crease of nine. This is not honest or
candid. There was an increase of
two the additional law judge in
Northampton and a second Orphans'
Cxiurt judge in Allegheny, made by
special acts which the Governor ap
proved before the passage of this bill,
so the actual increase made by this
bill was only seven instead of nine.
The new constitution having made a
population of 40,000 inhabitants the
basis of a judicial district, if the ap
]Kirtionraent does not give more judges
than one to every 40,000 it cannot be
said to violate even the s/nrif of the
constitution. By the census of IHMO
the population of I'ennsylvauia is 4,-
882,'7WJ, would give one hundred and
seven judges allowing one for every
40,000 or Utvnty-one more than was
provided for by the bill vetoed. By
this hill a judge was given for every
18,71)!), while under the census of I*7o
when our population was only 3,520,-
1101, the seventy-seven judges gave
one for every 45,720. So that instead
of their being an unreasonable increase
in the number of judges there was no
increase in proportion to the increase
of population. I ndcr the provisions
of this bill each judge on an average
would have done the business for
more than Jour thousand more people
than a judge did under the census of
1870. fcy an express provision ot
the constitution of 1873, Philadelphia
was given twefve < ointnon Plea* judges
besides her separate Orphans' Court
judges, und Allegheny county ir
( ommon Pleas judge* ami a separate
Orphans' Court judge. The legisla
ture fixed the number of Orphans'
Court judges in Philadelphia ut three,
thus making fifteen law judges in a
county, which by the census of I*7o
contnincd only 0< 4,022 population or
one judge for every 11,348 inhabit
ant*. This was not the work of any
roo>t'T in the legislature, but the work
of the < (institutional convention, the
ablest body of men ever convened in
the State; and thi- work was ratified
by the largest majority ever given at
un election in Pennsylvania. The
same authority fi xwl the; mini
ber of judges the legislature could
provide for Allegheny county at err en,
when she had a imputation of only
202,204, or one judge for every 37,457
inhabitant*. Now Allegheny has
right law judges with u population of
355,769, or one judge for every -44,-
i 171 inhabitants, and Philadelphia has
a judge for every 50,263 inhabitant*.
No complaints have been made by the
I Governor or the newspaper* that ei
(ther Philadelphia or Allegheny have
more judge* than are necessary to do
the work ; while, on the other hand,
j their judg<* have been for seven vcars
1 all drawing from one. Totwo tTiousand
| dollars j* r year from the State Treas
ury more than the country judges,
and the excuse given is that they have
such InAvy work to |erform. If .we
consider l%'.convenience* for attend
ing to the business of court* existing
ill large cities, or thickly settled com
munilies, the saving of time in the
I parties, witnesses and jurors, having
no great distances to travel, we will
I see that both of these counties of
j I'hiladclphia and Allegheny have a
I much greater judicial force in proper-
I linti to the population than the bill
vetoed gave to the State at large. In
most of the counties in the State
.Monday forenoon nnd Saturday aftcr
| noon of each week is totally lost, by it
being necessary for parties, witnesses,
juror*, and sometimes the judges, to
occupy them in traveling to and frot.i
; the court. None of tins lorn of time
need to occur in the large cities.
The legal business of nearly every
county in the State is now so far be
hind as to be a bar to the sj>eedy ad
ministration of justice. The whole
number of Judges provided for in the
bill would not have been sufficient to
do all the judicial work there is for
them to do in the next ten years, and
to do it promptly as it ought to bo
done. In many iustances no doubt,
the Judges do not work a they should
work, but it is not because there is no
work to do, but because they are in
disposed to doit If necessary let the
legislature enact coercive measures to
compel this work to be done speedily
and promptly.
The Philadelphia Time*, in the is
sue containing the Governor's veto,
makes two significant admissions, vis:
that its own persistent statements of
the provisions of the bill were false,
and that the reasons for the veto were
not those given by the Governor.
Wby that and the other new*pa|ter*
in and out of Philadelphia have so
persistently misrepresented the pro
visions of the bill, especially as to the
increase of Judges, it is difficult to
tell. The real objection of the Gov
ernor undoubtedly was that it came
too near carrying out the provisions of
the new constitution to which all the
TEH.MM: $1.50 per Annum, in Advance.
machine politician* of the Republican
purty urc opposed, and the further
fact,'that the bill made jour new Ucmr
ocraiir districts, viz: Cambria, Clar
ion, Clearfield and Greea. It w al
leged by many that the' Republican
manager* intended from (be beginning
to dim-gard the provisions of the con
stitution requiring a judicial appor
tionment V> be made this year —that
as a part of this programme the bill
wa- kept back until the end of the
session, and then vetoed after the leg
islature adjourned. If lloyt is sin
cere in bis pretended respect for the
constitution, let hirn at owe call the
legislature together to make the ap
portionment which the constitution
commands to be made now. *
Tin: LEGISLATE HE, at it* last M-K
---ion, provided for funding ten millions
of the State debt, and authorized the
Governor and Commissioners of the
Sinking Fund to borrow money at a
rate of interest not exceeding four per
ceut. JJut bi<l- are to be received at
three, three and a-half and four per
cent. 'I he act al-o directs that "the
bids which arc for the bent interest* of
1 j the Commonwealth */i nil l>e received."
i The bonds are to ruu thirty-one years.
With the present rivalry for invest-
I merits, no difficulty should be exper
ienced in funding at the lowest rate of
' interest named. It will certainly be
' to the "best interest of the Common
wealth" to do so, and if the liberal
discretion given to the Governor aDd
Commissioners of the Sinking Fund
' i wisely exercised the burdens of the
• Commonwealth may be materially n
n lieved. Three per cent, investments
are laying around lo<Me. l>et our
Stale have the full advantage of the
glutted market, by the prompt and ju
• dicioua action <it' her public authori
, ties.
J HK IS NOT A CANDIDATE. —A few
, mouths ago the most fulsome adula
- tiou wa- lavished upon General Grant.
I Tie not move from the door
step of his hotel, unless surrounded
bv crowds of flaterera. They made
.01 idol of him though he was merely
a j£\*wn of Republican expediency a
i captured political nondescript whom
they endowed with the semblance of
-tatesmnnship. Isut how is it now ?
p He was defeated for the third terra
1 nomination, and at once the enthusi
-1 a-m and ardor of the rabble that sur
fi rounded him began to cool. He now
: returns from a junkctting trip to Mex
• ico, and his return is scarcely noticed,
| , The mob of cringing sycophants have
dispersed, nml thus admonished of
the hollow ties* of flattery, the Gener
al resumes some of the common sense
- | he was supposed to JKISSCSS in other
t <lays, and now announce- that he will
not be a candidate for I'rcsident in
' I**4.
I * - - m -
, THE indiscreet, if n<t cowardly,
hark-down of. Secretary Windom,
leaves the contingent fund of the
r Treasury Department open to the pry
. ing curiosity of a committee of Con
. gress. The investigation ordered by
the Secretary, uncovered too much, to
stop stffldenly when interesting de
( velopmenls were about coming into
view. The appalling appearance of
the majestic Queeu of the Treasury
I which so stunned Mr. Windom, will *
■ not be likely to affect a Congressional
committee.
1 TIIK Collector of Internal Revenue
at Sao Francisco, who has recently
• been superceded, is unable to settle bis
1 account, owing to Urge defalcations of
> his suhordinates. Theft in the Inter
' ual Revenue, theft in the Treasury,
theft in the Postoffioe, theft in the De
partment of Justice, theft everywhere
, seems to have been the ruling order in
the late Administration. And how
, could it be otherwise, when the Presi
dential office itself was a theft—when
the whole Administration for four
1 years was a larceny ?
THE Secretary of the Treasury seems
to have suddenly abandoned the search
after fraud* in his department, about
which so much fuss was made by the
administration newspapers. Why is
this ? Is it because it was discovered
that too many prominent Republican
statesmen! were involved to warrant an
exposure? Mr. Windom should au
•wer.
NO. 26.