NHUGKKT & VAN OKMKK, Ftlltors.
VOL.
Oc
Terms •1.60 per Annum, tn Advance
a. T. SHUOERT & J. R VAN OHMtll, Editors.
Thursday Morning, January 11, 1883-
IK Senator Lee, oi \ enango, is a
free Independent Republican as it is
claimed he is, what is the fellow that
chaiued him ?
THE Czar of Russia has caught it
from the Republicans of Pennsylvan
ia. He proposes to submit to the ag
ony uud daugtrs of a coronation "next
year."
THE Independent doctors of the
State Senate, having extracted Don
Cameron's aching tooth, the boss is
restored ta his usqal vigor and good
humor. All is lovely again.
So prosperous is the State of I* lori
da under Democratic rule, that the
Governor recommends a reduction of
the taxes of the State, to relieve the (
Treasury, now full, of a prospective ,
surplus.
QUININE was placed by the Tariff
Commission among the free articles up
on which no duties should be levied.
But Judge Kelley will not have it so,
and on his motion, it was placed in the
dutialde list at It) |a-r cent.
THE Republicans of the Senate,
Stalwarts and Independents perhaps,
did themselves great honor hy endor
sing the un-ayory record of Delany,
the Librarian. He is no doubt useful
where dirty w- rk is required.
THE Republicans of Connecticut,
after the wholesome rebuff given them
by their candidate for Governor, con
cluded to validate the "black ballot"
and invite no further comparison with
those carrying the "black border."
Ex MARSHAL, IIENKY, who was re
cently bouueed by the President, at
tributes the act to his friendship for
General Garfield. Attorney General
Brewster ou the contrary attributes it
to the ex-marshal's friendship to cer
tain government thieves. Which ?
A FEW weeks ago all the pajiers
proclaimed that Don Cameron was
squelched —that the Republican boss
of Pennsylvania was dead as a mack
erel. llow is it now ? He has prov
ed himself a pretty lively corpse and
manages at least one branch of the
Legislature pretty well for a dead
man.
THE fight in the Senate against the
restoration of General Porter to his
just rank in the army, has been hitter
and partisan under the lead of Logan
—only three of the Republican Sena
tors being capable of rising to the
dignity of candid consideration of the
facts developed in his favor. With
the aid of these, to day at *2 o'clock
has been agreed upon to come to a di
rect vote on the question, as it also in
dicates the passage of the bill.
ELIRIIA W. DAVIS, formerly a
merulier of the Pennsylvania Legisla
ture from Crawford county, and sub
sequently from Philadelphia, is now a
member of the Colorado Legislature
and speaker of the House of Repre
sentatives. What 'Lish don't know
about managing legislatures and the
crowd surrounding them, had better
not be known, if it is desirable that
such bodies should bo conservators of
public morality. He has large exper
ience and possesses very fair ability.
IT is Raid that about eight hundred
of the clerks recently taken into the
Pension office on trial are to be dis
charged for inefficiency. This is a
large nu<n!>er of iu< fll -ients, but if a
general weeding of the departments
takes place and civil service refornuis
carried out in good faith, the number
will, no doubt, be largely reinforced.
The practice of rushing into the de
partments political dependents in the
train of members of Congress, with
out qualifications, ha* stocked a large
field that needs pruning.
Ik J \
Oivll Service Dill Paaacd.
Pendleton's Civil Service Hill a* it
parsed the Senate on Wednesday of
last week, was railroaded through the
House under a high pressure of steam,
Knation assuming position us chief en
gineer. So far us it goes, this is a gren 1
achievement in the right direction
and a fair concession to the lessons of
the last election. This hill authorizes
the President to appoint threecomniis
sioners, not more than two of whom
ahull be of the same political party,
each to receive an annual salary of
$3,500, ami travelling and other ex
penses. These Commissioners, at the
request of the President are to aid
him in preparing rules for carrying
the act into effect, and these shall pro- j
vide for open competitive examinations
for testing the fitness of applicants for
public service. The commission is to .
designate examining committees after
consulting with the cabinet officers,!
collectors of customs or postmasters
in whose offices positions are sought
and examinations are to be made, Lx
ainiuations a:e to he competitive ami
in the line of the particular duties of
I the place to he competed for. Pro
motions are also to he made in the
same manner and decided on the has
j is. All ap|Miintmsnts, removals and
transfers are to IK* reported to the
commission. Persons appointed by
the President and confirmed by the
Senate are not to he subject to exam
ination. Ap|M)iitraenia are to he ap
portioned among the States and terri
tories according to population, and
applicants must be bona ji'lr residents
of the Slates in which they claim their !
homes. Toe hill also provides that
not more than two persons of a single
family shall !>c employed in the same
grade in any public office. This pro
scription of families, only to allow ,
j tw > of a grade in office, is perhaps too
cruel upon cabinet officers and ni-m-1
j Iters of Congress, hut perhaps the pro
hibition l >cs not take in the " uncles, I
the cousins and the aunts." Besides
ibis, the recommendations of members j
j of congress are to have no weight with j
; any exatning hoard, all of which is
! prohabiy well intended, but of little j
' effect, as the members will press their
decadents upon the departments and
have them employed all the same.
Assessments for political purposes by
officers is prohibited under penalty,
and no clerk or office-holder is to he
! removed from office or otherwise inju
| red for failure to participate in politi- ,
work of any kind. Promotions nrc
to be made from the lower to the high- j
er grades of service on merit. The
commission is authoiized to employ a
Chief Kxaiuiner to preside over exam
ining hoards in Washington or else
where in the State* where exmanatioos
are to be made, with a stenographer —•.
the examiner at a salary of S3OOO,
ami the stenographer at SI(XM).
NEITHER House of the legislature
have yet got to artive work—the c->m- j
mitteea not having been announced. We
trust at least that Speaker Faunce will
make up his committees from the very
beat material at hand, with special ref
erence to the character of busioeas to
come unde- their supervision, without
regard to favor or location. The pre*
ent legislature from whom perhaps in
telligent and discreet action in all its
wot kings is more than ever desirable
and expected, must depend largely
upon the intelligence of these commit
tees in maturing that work and plac
ing it properly upon the calendar. In
framiug them a grave re*|xinsibility
reals upon the Speaker. The appoint
ment of good "committees will aecure
good results in the general business
and this fact should not be lost sight
of hy Speaker or members in the first
stages of the season.
Fsinsstcx Josira of Washington, and
John Brvcnan, of Baltimore, were at
lacked Saturday night at Baltimore by
two negroes. and Joaeph was probably
fatally injured. His skull was fractured.
Brennan waa cut in the back with a
razor, but only slightly hurt. Ths ne
groea aacaped.
j
"Xql'At. AND JUSTICE TO AH. MKK, or WIIATEVKH MAT* OK I'KKSUAHION, KKUOIOCS OK I'OLITICA L.Jnffrraoti
BKI.I.KFONTE, I'A., THURSDAY, JANf AItY 11, 1883.
In a recent letter to Chauncey K. |
Black, prenitlfnt of the Jefferson Dc- !
mocratic Association of \<>rk, I'a., j
the venerable Horatio Seymour writes
as follows : "I am gratified with my
election as a member of your a-socia- ;
tiori. While I atn no longer ahle to !
take an active part in politics I feel a
ties-jt interest in public questions ami
a strong desire for the success of I)e- ]
mocratic doctrines. I think we are
on the evo of a great and lasting pol* j
itical revolution. Centralization has
made so many scandals arid abuses '
that the more thoughtful Republicans
■•ce that these are the results of a con
j centration of power which the found- j
I ers of our constitution meant to avoid. ,
While the Republican leaders in so
runny States in which they have been
'debated try to show there were so
i many diflierent causes for their disas
ters in different section . it is char
j there is a common cause, 'a ground
| swell,'of which those alleged causes
! were effects. There is a general feel- !
j ing in the Republican ranks that they
I are wrong in their theories of govern
ment. F.>r this reason they are una- l
hie to heal their dissensions or to call j
out their voters. The country means
to go back to the principles of Jeffer
son. I have written a short article
on this subject which will appear in
the Xorth A wrican lirritic tor Junu
ary next.
Tilt: pro|MM>cd amendment to the
Constitution presented by Mr. Flower
j giving the President p -wer to veto
! separate items of appropriation bills
; now Ining discussed, i- a.- follows;
" Kvery bill, resolution or rote eon- j
" taining 10-vernl items of nppropria j
" tion - t nioruv to which the concur- '
"re nee of the S mate ami House of;
" Representatives may be neci—ary, i
"shall be presented to the President j
" of the United States, who may oh
i"jevt to one or more of such items {
"while approving of other jmrt* of
" the 1011, resolution or vote. In such '
| " ewe he shall append to the bill. re- 1
I " olution or Vote, a statement of the j
| " items to which he objects, and tin
! " appropriations so objected to shall
I" not lake tr.-<-i unless recou*idered j
! " and passed by two-thirds of each i
] " hotie, n provided in section 7 of
j" article 1 of the Constitution. The
" items object!d to shall lie separately
" reconsidered in each house, and tf
'' on such reconsideration one or more
"of them hall Ire approver! by two
" thirds of each houe, the same shall
" la-come part of the law, notwith
" standing the objections of the
" president."
A similar provision has been incor
, porated iu the constitutions of many of
j the States and if the amendment is
added to the constitution of the Unit
!cd States, wilf serve as a wholesome
check to the logrolling system by
which river ami harlsir and other
thieving jolts are made up.
flfcN. I.t i.i.i v, of Carlwin county, is
credited with the statement to the
effect that not one cent of the $-1,000,-
j 000 collected from the National gov
j crnment a* war claims, has ever liecn
covered into the State Treasury and*
■ that he kuows the men that received ,
( the money. This is certainly u re
markable statement, if not a remark
aide " mare's neat " About the time
of the collection of these claims, con
siderable discussion look place as to
the amouut of compensation to whi< h
the State agpnt would lie entitled on
paying over the money collected into
the State Treasury. That
we believe, wa adjusted at the time,
and there is no doubt that the money
realized was accounted for; hut it
will do no harm to direct inquiry to
the subject by our State authorities.
TDK Republicans of the Illinois
Legislature are squabbling over the
spoils. Sixteen Senators, it appear*
got together and fixed up a slate de
viding all the positions among their
I special friends, leavir.g tin balance of
Senator# unpnvided for. These hare
ladled from the caucus and promise to
make things lively in the election. It
is a noble exhibition anil is additional
proof of the noble aspirations of the
| " grand old |*rty " which seema to be
iu Illinois, as elsewhere, only held to
. gelher by the " oohesiye power of
I public plunder."
Lot tho Chantro bo Mudo.
'1 he Washington Pont, speaking of
the propositions of Congressman
Browne, of ludiuna, looking to the
gradual abolition of tho pay depart
ment of the army, says : It can work
no injustice in any quarter, for it does
not aim to deprive any officer of his
commission, rank or emoluments. It
will simply put a stop to appointments
to the pay corps, permitting present
members to hold on until death, re
tirement, resignation or other causes
of removal shall have ex purged that
corps of the army.
Economy demands this change. We
have officers eneugh—indeed many
more than enough —without going in
to the ranks of civil life to bring into
the army a source of discord and irri
tation. If the hanks and other dis
bursing institutions of the country
were to employ as many cashiers aud
clerks in proportion to the amount
disbursed as we employ in the army,
they would be ruined hy tin ir salary
lists, aud a hank in business hours
would look like H mass meeting. If
it had not been for the fa't that a
change of the kind contemplated is
always resisted hy influence* so num
erous and strong that it.* accomplish
ment is next to impossible, this corps
would have cased to <xi*t yar- ago.
No congressman of average intelli
gence ami a fair raugc wf information
which wc are happy to believe most
congressmen p '-ess, can have failed
to know that tiie maintenance of the
corps was not only c waste of public
funds, hut a positive injury to the ser
vice.
It i the custom for political I* >.*•
to give the army pay mastership to
their henchmen. >ueh an apjmint
incut has always been regarded as a
choice piece of political patronage
for the office lasts i nil the incumbent
draw* his lat breath, and that
event seldom happeus early to g'-utlo
men who arc so very agreeably situa
ted as ate the officers ou the retired
list of the I nited States Army.
There have been great abuse l - in the
disposal of this portion of the Feder
al sjHiils. Old met) have been shoved
into the pay corps to d > nominal duty
for n few years, urnl then go on the re
tired list, to bo supp rtc| in a rest
that they have not earm 1. Politicians
of low degree have been made army
pay masters in return for |sditical ser
vices of an unworthy character
More than one man of had repute in
this city has suddenly bloomed out as
a major in the pay corps, having
l>een able to secure the prize from a
statesman who deemed it politic to con
ciliate him or shut hi* mouth.
We do not mean to charge or hint
that such npjxiiutmcnt* have been the
rule, or that there are no honorable
men in that branch of the service, hut
it is a notorious fact, and will he
frankly admitted hy the gentlemanly
element of the pay corps, that appoint
ments of an astonishing and disgrace
ful character have been secured hy the
worst influences, and that such thing*
are likely to happeu until the system
is changed.
OUR venerable friends of the A/7F-
Arim Journal and Ccn'rr Importer
claim great antiquity for their respec
tive journals. If our friend* are ac
curate in computing time, they are
certainly entitled to be considered
patriarchs in the journalistic world-
The Journal celebrates it* fifty-seventh
birth day, and the Jlrporter its fifty
fifth, and according to our recollec
tions of the venerable editors when
they entered upon editorial life, we
conclude the former is one hundred
and seventeen years of age, and the
latter eighty. The DEMOCRAT, being
a mere youth, only having survived
its fourth year, takes groat pleasure
in offering congratulations aud the
courtesies of the season to our venera
hie brethren, and hope* that many
years of prosperity and happineM may
yet be addded to the long years of
triumph and usefulness of the past.
i
SENATOR FISKKY, of Michigan, ha*
received the caucus nomination for
re-election to the Senate. But sixteen
Republican Senators have bolted the
nomination and threatened his election. |
Caucus nominations appear to he
growing lis- sacred every year and
the fellow receiving it i* not now al
ways the fellow to be elected.
RED CEDED is in Washington de
manding pay for a number of horse*
alleged to have been taken from him i
hy (ten. Crook t<n or liftcn years ago.
Ihe ()ld Indian i-> making considera
ble progress in civilization, and ha
chosen the time judiciously to make
hi- raid upon the Treasury, when he
can secure the services of the lohhv to
put his hill through. After the j>r- --
ent (torsion that convenent aid to legis
lation, will again be retired from at- •
live work.
A Ni'MiiEK of cotton mills in the
neighborhood of Philadelphia have
closed and hundred* of the • mplovc*
are thrown out of employment. Thi.-,
at thi* season of th<- year, Will be at"
tended by much di-trc*- and suffering.
The cause for the susjK-n*ion i* -aid to
bo over production, and the c mi peti
tion of the >South. Formerly the
South were the custom'r> of our N .rt tj
crn manufacturers. It seems to I><
different now.
IT seems the Cameron Senate can
not spare D-'aney! He ha- again
been put upas the Librarian atid the
dispen-er of its stationery and knick
knack*. IL* unsavory r. rd i* to
bjection to him, now that Independ
ent* and Stalwart* are all o ,r uyn'n.
Hone*t m< ii like th-ir lat" candidate
for Governor who got mixed up in ihc
"grand old party" may lie sacrificed
without regret, but the Delaney - and
such —They are in<li*|Kii-üble'
IT i- announced that a syndicate of
• apitalist- in Chicago arc neg 'dating
with the Secretary ,f Interior I r the
lease of a tract of land thirty miles
square embra< ing 2 UK.VMI an- in
the Indian Territory, belonging to tin j
Cherokee and Cheyenne Indians. The
negotiati -n it i- said, i* made with the j
approbation of the Indians. The !<■•-
•es propose fencing the tract and us
ing the land for grazing eattle and
will pay a yearly rental of
*
THE Washington correspondent of
tho Philadelphia I'rCAt, referring t ■
the second day of Snator L van's
speech against General Porter, say*
that "two or three times, when he
spoke of'a grist military chieftain,' ;
referring, of course, to Grant, there
w&* an evident ' flbrt on hi* part to be
-area*tio in hi* applicati >n of the
term, the peculiar inflection of voice
and the emphasis with which he
dwelt on the word* being marked.
Once he intimated, broadly, tiiat the
fact of Porter's having been a West ;
Point graduate hud a gnat deal to do
with General Grant'* change of opinion
in regard t<> his guilt." Then- could
IK I no plainer confession of the weak
ness of the case than an imputation of
unworthy motives to General Grant
and the general* who constituted the
hoard of inquiry.
TantT Revision Endangered.
There begin to tie grave doubts in the
minds of thoughtful obervers whether
any tariff legislation wdl be ensiled
during the present sossion of (' ingtes*.
Not that there isn't grest need cf a
thorough revision of the present tariff
or that the senators and members do
not reAlise sneh need. Thsre has been
much promise thst such revision should
be msde. A TariffOommission was p
pointed last summer for thi* express
purpose and. contrary to general ex pec
tation, it has M*dc a report of no in
considerable merit on this subject.
The difficulty seems to lie in the fact
that the really sincere men in either
House who desire to conform to the pop
ular demand are in a wofui minority.
The majority of the men ot
both partiea who oocupy positions on
the floor do not desire the settlement of
the tariff question at all. They waat it
TKK.MS: ?1.50 per Annum,in Advance.
left open till 1 hWI, to become the great
bone of contention in the next Presi
dential campaign. Business may be
unsettled, gross injustice done to vast
numb'is of people and a general spirit
of uncertainty and doubt made to per
vude ev ry department affected by the
levying of customs duties, but as long
an the politicians can use this question
as a political foot ball to help keep
themselves before the public they are
satisfied.
The m'-thods of the*-.- insincere tariff"
tinkers are becoming more and more
apparent, between two or there tariff
stools the tariff revision is to fall to the
ground. The report of the Tariff''im
mission wasn't high tariff enough to
satisfy one class. Si the House com
rnittee of ways an i means fallsto work
to revise the revision, on the principal
that if a turiff is good at all the higher
it is the better, The Senate finance
committee, not wiiling to tru't the
Houe on this .ul ject, have just pre
pared a full with ari entirely different
schedule af rate, somewhat more mod
<-rate.
I'lie free traders propose to fight for
no tariff an i. with the ostensible tariff
men split up on three or mora mean
ures. it is not barf to see where it will
all end. It is time for the people, re
gardless of party, to g.ve tbes<- jugglers
who are contriving how not to do it, to
understand that sorneitsirig practical
tiad better be done.—l'Kda. 77nej.
Punishing t.mltj Officials.
WII.I,H*<I HT. J tnusry 7. Kx-Coun*
t> 1 iiiiiri"-:<niers <" r-on an I Kbner ap
p*ared in court here yesterday and were
sentence i by Judge < 'urnrnin. Corson's
riten c 1 citig afire of } '/si and one
veur and nine lU'-nths impr.sonment in
the eastern penitentiary, an 1 Kbner's
t.e ng the ssine fine, with one year and
three months rnpr ->ntii<-nt .ri the east
ern penitentiary. Judge I'ummin in
pronouncing sentence | :
"As county oft crs you were mem
bers of the >ld board of county com
nnsiot.ers and the menifsers of that
board t" gan (osteal a- aoon aa they were
in < fh e. • v ry one of them, and if your
i ase had collie on and been regularly
tried it w i,ji i ntn.. been a great pleas
ure for me to send every one of that
te ard to the 11 Ditentiary for a loDg
term of years."'
The prisoners received their sentence
without any visible signs of emotion.
1 he court wa crowded while the M-ll
tence was bring pr icunced. Immedi
ately a'ter the lt w r is fell from the
judge - I j- the sheriff took them both
into cus'.edv an i removed thetn to the
< aunty i ill, slier they will remain un
til taken to ih< penitentiary, which
w 11 be t :n" d.v ouring the week. Mc-
Kinney >m ib, the ringleader of the
!• .r i, i> ! • 'ng live it, m justice no
clue to hia whe;o , ul* having us yet
been discovered.
d ill dvant.pcs of a surplus in the
I'r.ite i Stab- lYcnsury are apparently
without number. Not only docs every
owner of a pea nut stand send in his
'.ttle bill for damages sustained in the
• I ily conflict with his neighbor who
deals in roasted chestnuts, the stock
holders of the Philadelphia Centennial
r.vhib.tion !• , wh >#e big show was in
tended to put money in their purae but
i d not, are tnw crying behind Mr.
t'urtin that they are short in their ac
counts the lull's of $1,700,000, which
tney m sdeatly pr..y cougreas to allow
tin in out of the national superfluities,
just as tne little street boys in Berlin
a-k the lli-rr Baron from foreign parts for
with the chora*: "You are o
neii *n I lam mpoor," Tt ie trn<juili
ly of HI n I whieri I* tup birthright of
every Philadelphia i pleasingly illus
tr>l by this ap| i-al to IHp breeche*-
picket of tlip n ition and there is erery
prospect that it will have it* reward.
It not without pi got fiom o (but a
long headed cititen ot the Quaker city
regretted that hi* peoplo had not
thought in tun* of baring a seraioea
tenia! cxliiintion.A*. V. WVtt.
(linnu Tooia*, of Georgia, savst
Tlip Noeeraber defeat* prore that the
Republican party must purify iUelf or
go down. The ppoplo have become
weary of political chicanery and do
mand fair dealing.
A DKFAUL.TIJtd TRKASIKKR Mar*
*hal C. Polk, Treasurer of the Stole
of Tennessee, i* a defaulter to tho
amount of half a million, lie ab
sconded but has licen overhauled and
arretted in Texas.
NO. 2.