Sjjc Centre Ji 4, uietnocral.
SHUOERT ic VAN OKMKR, Editors.
VOL. 5.
®hr Ctntrr ;Slemottat.
Terms 11.50 uer Annum In Advnnce,
8. T. BHUGERT A J. R VAN ORMER. Editors.
Thursday Mornintr. June 21, 1883.
Democratic State Convention.
Tim Democratic BUI# Convention will meet In the
vperi honw, lUrrliburg, i \Viinn.l>. Au* I, *t to
* HI , t<> nominate A • amlitlate for Aullt<r-oeiTal
ami i otndidite for Htat* Treamiror, antl to traiinu t
mi. 1. other tomineiiH aathe convention may tleteruiloe
Thvr* will alio he pretmnteri t.. the convention *
resolution which ha* been uhj>tr| hy the State Com
mittee, changing the rulee of the party to a* to fit
the time of the annual meeting of the Htate Commit
tN> at 4 | n .on the WednemUy allot the thlr<l Men
day of January, imtea.l of the third a* now
provided.
I'nder the new rule* of the party the repreaenta
tion in th- State Convention will he hy repr.wrtiUllve
delegate! from etiating re|.rieiitati* riiatrfrta. >nr
lr each I JAW Democratic rant at the lat guher
natorial election, or for a fraction >f euch vote*
amounting to .'■< or in or* . Provided that earh repre
aentative aietrfct ihall have at one delegate.
There will he a meeting of the !>em. rati< State
Committee In llarrishnrg on Tueaday July ill, at a
I*. m.
1 \V I lIKNSKL.
J n. I.n HIT, Clerk Chairman State Com
IT has been decided by a I uited
States District Judge in Texas, that
the Civil Rights Act of 187-"> is uncon
stitutional and an infringement of the
rights of the several States.
A WHIRLWIND passed over Elmo
Wisconsin, on the 11th iust., doing
much damage. A freight train was
picked up bodily, except the engine,
carried from the track ami completely
demolished.
THE Federal court of Utah has de
clared Senator Edmund's Mormon law
a failure. The Senator himself will be
a failure about the time lie measures
his strength with the Democrats as a
candidate for President.
A i-oNTKMi'ORAKY suggests thai
only a portion of the members of the
legislature will draw the ten dollars a
day during the recess. It will be the
larger "portion" certaiuly, embracing
fifty in the Senate and two hundred
and one iu the House.
THE Monongahela Baptist Associa
tioti have expelled the Rev. R. (.'.
Morgan under charges of "malicious
and general lying," and "indecorous
and grossly immoral conduct." It is
certainly not a flattering endorsement
to confer upon the reverend gentleman.
JirixiK HoADLY, of Ohio, says the
Ifemocrats will carry that State this
fall as certainly as that the sun will
rise on the day of election. The full
realization of this solar observation, it
is to be hoped, will bring the Judge to
the frout as Governor of the Buckeye
State.
THE San Francisco Chronicle be
lieves that the Mormon question will
have to be settled exactly as the slav
ery question was settled. Better first
adopt the California method with the
Chinese, and arrest the importation of
Mormons, who are coming in by the
thousand every year, from Europe.
LAWYER BIOKLOW, of Washington,
has been awarded 8100 by the court
out of the "Betty and Baby" fund, for
defending Sergeant Mason on his trial
for shooting at Guiteau. He claimed
half the fund raised by charity for the
support of the wife and child of his
client. The $4OO is to cover his ex"
(tenses.
.THE Philadelphia I'rr** referring
to the late Nutt-Dukes tragedy, says,
"Justice must be done though it puts
on the scaffold a man for whom the
hearts of men will well in sympathy." |
Yes, but how will the /'re** convince
the people of Fayetto that justice has
not been done and done by young
Nutt?
THE Committee of One Hundred is
said to he much pleased that five im
-4 portant reform measures originated or
endorsed hy them were passed at the
late session of the legislature. This
was certainly doing well in a Demo
cratic House and a Republican Senate
who, with two or three independent
exceptions, voted solid against them.
All these reformatory measures having
i v ' failed to pass previous Republican
legislatures, public honesty can scarce
ly fail to give the credit where it is
due—to the success of Democracy in
the last fall elections.
* f
• .
"KIJUAL AND XX ACT JUSTICE TO ALL MKN, OK WHATEVER STATE OH IKHSUASION, HS.LKJIOLS OH POLITICAL."—Jofferw-w.
Tho Robbers at Largo.
► ■
The defendants in the Star-Route
cases have been acquitted hy the jury,
on the charge of conspiring to defraud
. the government, in the face of the
most indubitable evidence of guilt.
Whether this is the result of a failure
on the part of the prosecution in prose
cuting the case, or the stupidity and
. incompetency of tho jury, is immaterial
i' now, the public robbers are free, and
they and their sympathizers have had
' a grand jubilee ami a fashionable
drunk over their escape. It is said
Dorsey and Brady in the exuberance
of their spirits, announced a determi
tion to prosecute all the principal
, newspapers of the country for defama
tion of character. They will have a
good time before they get through
with this work, probably taking iu the
balance of their lives, ami leaving lit
tle reputation to be proud of to their
posterity. The Philadelphia Time*,
which is to be one of the victims of the
great unconvicted, does not seem to be
paralyzed by fear of the threatened
prosecution, when it rcma|ks : "Even
with all the technicalities of the law
exhausted to shield the Star Route de
fendants, there was no plausible ex
cuse for a verdict of acquittal. I)f the
positive guilt of Dorsey and Brady as
the leaders of a great conspiracy to
defraud the government there is no
possible room for doubt. Brady was
the Post Office official charged with
the Star Route contracts, and Dorsey
was a United States Senator. They
commanded the services of many sub
ordinates. as their positions and -kill
readily enabled them to choose the j
most useful helpmates from the swarms
of trained public plunderers about
Washington. They deliberately, sys
tematically planned ami executed the
most glaring frauds upon the govern
ment ; they literally robbed the pub
lic Treasury uutil they scored the
theft up in the millions, and it was
done hy Brady making himself a per
jured official as well as a public thief,
ami Dorsey added subornation of |*T- '
jury to hi- appalling robbery.
WHEN John Sherman l> iunced
Chester A. Arthur out of the Custom )
House in New York, it probably did
not occur to him that a time might
come when Arthur would have an op
portunity to bounce"John or some of
his special friends. Sherman is now
begging Arthur to spare the Revenue
collectors of Ohio at least during the
pendency of the State campaign. When
Sherman is reaching for Arthur's shoes, i
he cannot afford to lose his grip on
Ohio by the absence or indifference of
these active and useful workers upon
whom he is accustomed to rely.
WHAT AUK WE TO EXPECT? IS Mr.
Tilden a candidate for President?
The interviewers conflict in their state
ments. Watterson, of the Louisville
Courier, had a pleasant social inter
view with the eminent statesman at
Greystone, and says "that nothing
passed which leads me to modify the
opinion I have so often expressed, that
uo power on earth could induce him
to accept the Presidency." I)n the
other hand the New York World has
an interview with a member of the
New York Ktate Democratic commit
tee, supposed to be well informed, says
"that Mr. Tilden is a candidate for
the Presidential nomination in 1884,"
that "the plans are all laid," and that
the "old workers" under instructions
are getting in their work. Which of
these statements is to be relied upon is
the difficult conundrum, Mr. Til
den alone can developc. All rep
resent Mr. Tilden as in vigorous health,
and certainly his great ability, his
conspicuous statesmanship, his power
of leadership and his undoubted pa
triotism, entitles him to compete for
tho greatest official position on earth,
without discredit to the great party
who honored him on a former occasion,
but we doubt very much tho accuracy
of the statement which thl's places
him in the field. We incline more to
believe the statement of Mr. Walter
son.
, ■' I
. •*/ . v„_, j \i
BKLLKFONTK, I'A., THURSDAY, .11 XK 21, IHB.'i.
GUN. DAVIS, of the Doylestown
Democrat, indicate* his clioico of
staudard-hearcr for 188-1, thus: If our
gallant standard-hearer of 1880, Gen
eral Hancock, is not to be renomina
ted, no stronger candidnto can be pre*
sen ted than Ahrani H. Hewitt. He
not only possesses the mental qualities
to make an excellent Chief Magis
trate, hut his conservative views on all
public questions would recommend
him to men of all opinions and of all
parties. His sentiments on the great
question of civil service reform, which
is becoming more and more prominent
before the American people, are too
well known to admit of question. Jib
taritf views are the views of tin? con
servative masses, and, being a heavy
manufacturer himself, he could not be
suspected of hostile proclivities. In
addition, Mr. Hewitt has sound con
victions on commercial questions, and
believes in fostering our merchant
marine by relieving it of the burdens
it has been carrying until our llag is
almost driven from the ocean. The
closer Mr. Hewitt's public record is
examined the better it will appear;
and the stronger will lie become a- a
probable candidate.
Tin; idea is suggested hv a contem
porary, that two extra sessions of the
legislature are not improbable, confin
ing Congressional and judicial appor
tionment to the present s<-.ion, and,
( as the I'nitcd States Senator and oth
political complications are involved in
| the apportionment of senators and rep
resentatives, the second Ks-ion tomcct
in January. Such a project inay he 1
in embryo by some, hut no discreet or
honorable members of the legislature
will dare to create such a ticocsaitv.
i All who legislate for such a measure,
may a- well preach their own funeral
sermons at once, and save further trou
ble ami ex jiense.
A LOCAL. Republican contemporary
amuses its readers by a statement
j that the failure to pa- the apportion
meat bills, and consequently the ne
cessity for an extra session of the legis
lature, was owing to the delay of tho
House in acting upon these hills.
What innocenso ? That the House
passed apportionment bills and sent
them to the !"Vnate for concurrence
where they laid about two months lie
fore the committee of that descrcct
body of stalwarts in control, saw prop
er to report anything u|H,ti the sub
ject, goes for nothing. That the Sen
ate delayed consideration of the appor
tionments until near the close of the
session, and then used all the methods
known to tricksters to prevent the
passage of a decent hill, is, to the mind
of our innecent contemporary, satis
factory evidence of earnestness for
prompt legislation, and that the House
and the Democracy arc responsible for
the extra session.
ERIK leads this year—the soa-ser
pent has got to the lake and creates
the usual amount of excitement. It
is represented a thick round as a
man's body, but the account does not
say whether of the body of ex-Senator
David Davis or that which recently
carried the spirit of the late Gov.
Stephens, of Georgia. Hut the Ser
pent appeared tloating upon the lake
with bead erect and body five feet
alwive the surface. Gne veracious
man was pursued several miles by the
monster, but he out-ran it, and another
collided with it when in repose, sup
posing it to be a log. AH of which is
no doubt true.
TMK Philadelphia /'re** is generally
disposed to be fair in its statements,
but it ought not to indulge in large
figures, or else should be more careful
not to blunder. It recently printed a
large array of figures'to prove that
the appropriations of the present
Democratic legislature largely ex
ceeded the appropriations of 1881,
when the fact is they were $355,000
less, notwithstanding that $500,000
additional was given to the schools.
/%
, ; Tho lteal Mounlptf of Fair Bill*.
There is every prospect, says the
Ilarrixburg I'ntrvh, that the extra
' | session of tho legislature will he brief
' and its work satisfactory. The repub
lican press in all parts of the state,
and republican county conventions
wherever they have been he ld are both
i frank and emphatic in tin ir demands
i for a fair apportionment. If the r<
publican senator.- and members of the
I assembly will accept these utterances
a- instructions to guide their vote-, all
grounds of difference between the
'■ parties will disappear and fair hills
will be readily agreed upon.
It is not certain, however, that the-e
j republican papers and conventions
| fully appreciate the force of their own
language. For example lair appor- ,
tioiiment hill- in the language of Sena
tor I '<mper ti-an probably measure.-i
that will give the republieans a mem
ber of congre-- for every 'J'J.HuO voti i
aud requite 50,(MX) democratic veter
to secure such representation. Smic
of these pap< r< and conventions may j
even regard the outrageous combina
tion of counties and ccmmuuilic
created by the McCracken bill as fair.
The putative fotlu-r of the bill, Sena
tor McCracken, does not so regard it, j
but under the influence of the party
lash ho was cotii|>< Il d to vol* for it
and some of his party friends may re
gard the action as < /tiducive to fair
| bills.
Hut these party organ- and party
leaders are dec • iving them • iv- rathe r
than the public. The icpuhiican
caucus hill- were framed and pre---d ,
'not that to i r apportionment bills
might be < nacted, but in ord< r that
Senator ( aim run may be re-elected to
the senate in the fat ■ of an over
whelming sentiment apa nst that re- ,
suit. Hut the people want fair bill
literally ami -jx-ediiv. If the rcpub-j
licuns of the legislature will meet the
expectations and requirements of the
, people on this subject the M-ssioii will ,
tw brief and inexp nive. If they
fail or refuse to do thi* the M --ion will
in- protracted nnd the < -t will b<-
charged against the parte rcs|tonftihle
-
MAW of the Republican new-pa
pers seem to have -< ttled it that < > iv.
Hen. Hutler is to b- the Democratic
candidate for President, whether ho
will or not. Well, if the narrow
minded blockheads of Massachusetts
and elsewhere, continue to abuse hirn
for his faithful work in reforming the
outrageous corruptions and abuse of
Republican officials, there is no telling
wliat might lie.
TIIK Sunday (Republican,
of Washington city, commenting upon
the non-attendance of Arthur ami hi-
Cabinet at tbc banquet of tlie Army
of the Potomac says: "Gentlemen, t
in or out of position, when they re
ceivc invitations from reputable peo
ple, respond in some way. They cither
accept or send an excuse for not ac
cepting. Hut Arthur, the dude; Fol
gcr, the imliecile ; Hrewstcr, the sot ;
Freliughuyscn, the dotard, sent neither
acceptances nor regrets to the commit- i
tee on invitations. They treated it
and the Army of the Potomac with
contempt. What will the soldiers of
the country think of a Republican ad
ministration that deliberately 'snubs'
the brave men who made them a possi
bility ?"
Tus Philadelphia Ckrtnirle• Herald says:
Attorney-General Fassidy's career in
hia new office at Harrisbtirg has been
one continuous vindication of the wis
dom of the Governor in appointing.
Not a blunder has been made that can
he credited to him. Kvery legal ques
tion that has been called upon, either
for advice or action, has been decided
by the oourta in conformity with hia
opiniona. The Bupreme Court sustained
him in hia fight for the Governor's right
to appoint the Controller. It haa again
auatained him in bit fight for the Gov-
right to remove the Reoorder.
The people who hope to trip up the
Attorney General will have to riae tolera
bly early In the morning.
,
'I Kit.MS: #IJiO per Annum ,in Atlvanc**.
FIXINI. THE HTYJ.E. The Hunker's
convention which recently met at
Flora, Ind., arranged that the men
shall wear broad-brimmed hats,closely
buttoned coat.-, and wear their hair
long, parted in the middle and adhere
to the ancient custom of the sect. The
women are to dress plain and wear the
shaker bonnet.
I'm; Ohio Republicans are ilis-ati.--
lied with the tariff provided hy the
late Congress on wool. In their j. 1 at
form they propose a revision for the
purpose of rai-ing the duty on wool -
all the other features of the law being
satisfactory- By again opening up
the tariff agitation, tlu-y may get more
than they bargain for.
BHAIII AND THI. Doiisi Y- have
e.cajx d the penitentiary as all the
gr' at robber- of the Tr< usury do, hut
| th< y never can release theiu-elves of
: the odium "1 guilt attached to their :
name by the testimony <h veloped in
; the trial. It i- u-eles-, perhaps, to try
eminent thh-v< - in a community where
dreamers and drunkards are -elected
a- jurymen.
THE N irri-town T ■ i- as vera"
ei.iu- a- an Arctic bear. It wants u '
1 political party that will embrace the
labor reform, temperance, the liqu r
league, the granger, the anti-rm n p >lv
• nc rn, woman's right.-, free trade,
protection, land reform and anything
else floating round for popular fav< r
that can he picked up, which of course
will include the gr nbacker.
GT.NI KAI. CROOK succeeded in sur-
I pri-ing and capturing the Apache
hostih-s, or at bast a portion of tie rn,
and now holds tln rn as pri-oner- sul>-
iject to the orders of the Secretary of i
Int'-rior. This officer ha- written a
letter t i Secretary of War. Lincoln,
j suggesting that they bo retained a.-
pr;- uers and punished for tin ir crime,
an i that the children betaken from
tin in and si ul to school.
Till question now i- whether I'resi
dent Arthur, or some other fellows,
have a say in the appointment of
,K< venue ( ollet tor-. It was given out
that the President favored a large re
duction of tlie-e use].-- officials, since
which he ha-'.bocn besieged from all
point' by interested Congressmen de
manding the neces-ity of retaining
their respective henchmen for the
coming * lections.
Tin killing of Dukes by young
Nutt i< a fair sequence of the verdict
which acquitted him of all responsi
bility for taking the life of Captain
Nutt, to whom he had given provoca
i tion of the most brutal character jK>s-i
-hie f-.r a man to receive, and for which
alone he wa answerable for punish
ment iu some form from the family.
Still it is to be regretted that the blood
of a cowardly, slanderer and murderer
is upon tho skirts of the young man
by an unlawful act, which it is unsafe
to condone in any community.
Real Reform,
_____
Wa the late Legislature a Reform j
Legislature? In other words, were the
• promises of reform made to the people
1 by the party which chose the popular
branch of it and the Governor as far as
possible redeemed ?
Those who deny it do so at hap hazard
and for a purpose. Measure every act
passed by the severest test, and you will
find that almost without exception ihey
are in the direction of Reform—many
lof tbem of themselves substantial Re
I forms. And just here it is well to re'
mark that the Reforms were mostly
Reforms of abuses originated by the
Republican party and carried by it to
such offensive extremes as to outrage
the people and create an almost univer
sal demand for their abolition. Of this
character are the acta abolishing the
office* of Recorder and Delinquent Tax
Collector in Philadelphia. By moans
of these two offices, as has been re
peatedly explained and is now very
generally understood, not only weie the
people—especially the poor people—of
that city robbed of tens and hundreds
of thousands of dollars annually, but
funds were secured with the aid of
No.
i which the ballot box wan annually cor
rupted in the most outrageous an'i un
blushing manner an'l the majority rob
be-J of their right of < hoice.
I nder the itepublican party the office
of -i-aler of \V< ights and Measure* be
came proportionately corri'jit and usa
lessand it the lat<- Legislature abolished.
Ihe carelessness of Republican ad
ministrations allowed the entire oi'
country and product to pau under the
control of a monster and viciou* mon
oply, and Republican Legislature* re
peatediy refund the tyrannized pro
ducer- the legislation i. ■ -led to ecure
them , .mpetilion a acair.ht it. The
late Legislature pu-'ed a 1 ree i'ip>e Line
bill. In the same line it passed a aerie*
of acts who h have been admirably ex.
pressed as broadening and liberalizing
the provisions of the free railroad law,
making operative provision* that pre
viously were "a promise to the ear but
denial to the hope to those overbur
dened oomnuirut.'-s who were praying
for relief from monopolistic tyranny,
"-till in the same direction were tbeact*
to prohibit the consolidation of tele
graph companies and to enforce the
provi- ''lis of the iTiii articleof the new
constitution relative to railroads and
canals.
But why particularize '' After the
legislatures of the past, which were
under Republican control, the people
were kept buy complaining of their
laws of their j artisan, oppressive or
ineffectual character, i.very act passed
at the last session will bear the closest
scrutiny as to all these | -rticular*. and
is .n some measure a relief a response
t > the demand of the people.
1 he Wallace voluntary labor tribunal
i t i already bearing fro.t in the west
in bringing peaeeful and satisfactory
settlement to labor disputes. The Bi
tuminous miners have been given a
full and better ventilation bill, and the
way has been paved to a remodeling
and re ad usting of the errors of the
Anthrarite law. The odioui contract
system in j risons is abolished. The
Anthracite miner* are to be relieved of
what they call the dockage system'
an 1 to be pa. 1 hereafter for all cli an
coal mined by them. Jhe breaker boy
. to have night schools.
The people generally, and labor es
pe. .ally, have reason to be profoundly
grateful that in the fall of of 1&S1 they
reverse'! the recent order of political
victories and chose a democratic House
of Representatives and democratic gov
ernor thankful for what wo believe,
and what the above partial list of acts
proves, to be real reform. Vnv L- ai -.
Iftcord* of the Republican l'arty.
\V*-hixc,t'\, -'tine lj.— Kx-Senator
Horsey has written a letter to <ienersl
•'ohn A. Martin, the newlv-elecled **ec
rotary of the Republican National Com
mittee, in reply to the latter'* request
for records of the Republican party.
I>orey say* that no record* were ever
kept by the *ecrotary of the National
Committee, and that he ha* nothing
more to give hi* successor to the psosi
tion than he received from hi* prede
cessors. He states that he ha* a mass of
papers relative to the last campaign.
They are chiefly in Washington, and he
think* "be*t to keep them a* a reminder
of the splendid gratitude of dishonest
power.' 1 He declare* that he does not
owe the Republican National Committee
a cent of money or a grain of thankful*
noss.
- -
THE tno*t important of General
; ("rook's captures is that of Loco, the
! head of the royal family of Mangas,
I Colorado, and the legitimate chief of
the Apache nation*. It is said of hitu
that in hi* earlier life he had been *uch
a lover of women, pieace and poker that
the older brave* looked on him with ill*
concealed contempt, and he won the
sobriquet "Loco." which is a Mexican
word *ignifying "fool." All raid* were
conducted by Victorio, while Loco
played "ante "on the re*ervation. t*n
the death of Cochi*e, however, he show
ed that he could organize and lead a
scalping piarty. From that day he gave
both the Foiled State* troops* and the
authorise* of Sonora and Chihuabun,
Mexico, a great deal of trouble. Being
now in custody, it ia hoped that this
savage will be *but up and taught to
work
Tn* legislature te assembled on Tue*.
day !a*Uo rediatrict the State. Now, af
ter a two weeka rest, it ia to be hoped
the members will be able to comprehend
tbe fact that the people are earnest in de
mand of a fair and juat apportionment.