THE STAROFTTHE NOR! I n. W. Weaver Proprietor.] ■VOLUME 6. BUSINESS DIRECTORY. lHooms'jnrg. {Ja ! DAVID LOWENBERG, CLOTHING STORE, on Main street, two doors above the 'American House." SIMON DREIFUSSj &, Co. CLOTHING STORE in the 'Exchange Block,' opposite the Court house. EVANS & APPLEMAN. MERCHANTS.— Store on:lie tipper part of Main street, nearly opposite the Episcopal Church. S. c. SlilVK, MANUFACTURER OE FURNITURE AND CABINET WARE.—Wareroom iu Suite's Block, ou Main Street. A.M. RUPERT, TINNER AND STOVE DEALER Shop on South .ide of Main atrccl, be 'low Market. JOSEPH BWARTZ. V*OOKSELLER. Store in lire F.xchniigo 1) Block, first door above the Exchange 'Motel. R. W- WEAVER. ATTORNEY AT LAW.—ONICO ON THE first floor of the ''Star" Building, on ilain street. sa.ARPLESS &MELICK, ANN MACHINISTS. Bui'il ings on the alloy between the "Exchange and "American Houce." BARNARD RUPERT. TAILOR.— Shep on the South Side of Main Street, first stpiare below Market. MENDENRALL & MENSCU, MERCHANTS. —Store North West corner of Main a;ii Matkel Streets. IIIRAM C. HOM ER, ugtU! GEON DENTIST.—Office near tie W Academy on Third Street. M'KELVV, NEAL fc CO., IKB ERCHANTS.—Northeast corner of Mian ■*" aud Market streets. SIIARPLESS & SIELICK, MANUFACTURES AND DEALERS IN STOVES, TINWARE &c—Establish tnent on Main street, next pudding i.bovu be Court house. HEX it ¥ Z I PPY\ CEK, CLOCK and WATCHMAKER, south side •f Main street, above the Railroad. Every kind of disorder in Jewelled nr oth r uawly invented Escapements failhfnil re paired. - PIRDON'S DIGEST. A NY Justice of lite Peace wi-lnng to pur **cha.e a copy ol Purdue'* Digest,can be aocomrr. jdaled by applying at he tins otf c e Ju*litTi ul'lhe Peace AND CONSTABLES cart find all kind o( blanks desirable for their use, in proper form, at the office of the "Start or THKNOHTII BIBADY & " EAtfil! HOTEL, tl lit North Tblrd Street, iibnre PHILADELPHIA. VAMVAX A. Baaor. GKORUS 11. BROW*. [June Bth 1854 Iy. BLINKS IBLAAKS! 1 BLAXKsTTT DEEDS, SIMMONS. EXECUTIONS, SUBffENAS, and JUDGMENT NOTES, doper and desirable forms, fo' sale at tho fc Bee ef the "Star of the North '' ~ THE AMERICAN PICK. FOURTH VOLUME. This illustrate,! comio weekly, published In the city ol New York, every Saturday, i* about to commence its fourth year. It lias become a faroorite paper throughout the United States. Besides its designs, by the fiirsl artists, it contains witty editorials of character, and will carry cheerfulness to the gloomiest residency its variety tenders n a favourite in every family. It contains each week, a large quantity of tales, stoties auccdotes, scenes, and witti cisms. Tho "Recollections of Joliu C. Cal houn. by his Private Secretary,''' will be eon r tinned in tha J'Uk until finished, ami then a ropy will be sent Itee to avcry subscriber vrhute name ahull be upon our mail book. Each yearly subscriber to the Pick will re ceive the d'ouble-sizeJ Pictorial sheets for (he Fourth ol Ju'y ami Christmas, without Charge. Each of ihese Pictorial sheets con tents over 200 sphlndid design#. The subscription price to tho Pick is £1 cash in advance. Six copies for 55. Tbir (•:l Copies for Sto Letters must be addressed to JOSEPH A. SCOVILLE, No, tIG, Ann street, t Jan. 4, 1855. New York. L\ NEW Q RIST-MILL U MILL GROVE! subscriber has refitted his Grist ■JL Mill at Mill Grovn, neur Light Street, Hpolumtlu county, and is ready tho do any ail kind* of grinding. Ho has llireo * xna of stone*, and tho Mill will work to gen •ra-1 saUttiautioii. A competent miliar has 'liSfl charge of the MUiblithtß6ftlt aiwl lufl patronage of ibe public ia re?pecifully so liaiied. THOMA§ TRENCH. Mill Grore, Sept. 9, 1d54. DBAWEtt.GOODS, Spotted Swiss. Bog Jooonett Mull, Cambric, Swiss Muslin Bishop Lawns, sala Batd Muslin just receiv * M the SI JJ e E ° f DENHALL fc MENSCU BLOOMS BURG * COLUMBIA COUNTY, PA., 'ifIRJRSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1855. TliE STAR OF TIIE NOUTII It published every Thursday Morning, by 11. W. WEAVER, VfflCL—Upstairs, in the new brick building on the south side of Main street, third square below Market. Trays'—Two Dollars per annum, if paid within six months from the time of sub scribing ; two dollars ami fifty cents if not paid within the year. No oubscription re eoivcd lor a lets period than six months: no discontinuance permitted until all arrearages are paid, unless at tho option of the editor. } ADVERTISEMENTS not exceeding one square will tie inserted three times for one dollar, and twenty-five cents for each additional in sertion. A liberal discount will be made to thoso who tdvertiso by the year. UMB.WM mi a, .■■■MISII!■!,"■■ . .. . J Ul GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE. To the Honorable the Semlors and Members of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly; (CONCLUSION.) The general law of 1819, with amend ments arid modifications, was re-modeled by tho last Legislature. The most material parts of the old law, which were omitted in the new, where tho subdistrict, the endow ment' and sectarian features. The former was rejected because of the unnecessary multiplication of officers which it authorized, and the conflict which perpetually arose be tween the committees and directors ; and the latter, because in manifest hostility to the true intent of the common school sys tem. These provisions, which seemed to contemplate u separate school establishment, under sectarian patrftuage, although control ed by the common school directors, were originally engrafted upon the acts of 1836, and 1833, and were again re-enacted in 18- 49. They were very properly stricken from the system by the law oi last session. Should efforts be made in the future, at similar in- I novatioi s, come whence they may, it is ho ped they may be promp'ly rejected. The j system, to be effectual, must be simple arid uniform in its operations. Special legisla tion, inconsistent with ihe general law, up- I plicable to particular localities or districts, to answer temporary or partial ends, always I [ has, and always will embarrass the ad minis- . ! nation of the general system, and should for | this rea-ou be carefully avoided. The imeg- i riiy ol its forms, not lest than the means to f sustain its operations, should be constantly J maintained, and sacredly cherished by the ; government, t-frn-rrr ,J A new feature in the system, adonltd'ytti tne t.-A oT l.id liaft'idTv on m- ihc olfiJH County -Superintendent lias not, us yot, fully tested ; and there evidently exist diversity of opinion as to ihd wisdom of iqH provision. It is already very obvious, Ml least, that its beneficial workings must Je porid mainly upon the character of the agents j selected to carry it into operation. Compe tent and faithful Superintendents may pro duce the happiest results ; whilst the agency of the ignorant or inefficient will be atten ded by the reverse consequences. In order to give this new feature of the law a fair trial, it will be necessary, therefore, for the' directors, in the respective counties, to se lect Superintendents with sole relereuce to their adaptation to ti.e duties of the station. Of ihe many obstacles in the way of the complete success of our Common School eyruem, the or.e must prominent, and most difficult to remove is the want of competent teachers. In some oommniilies, I regrei to j say, the system has fallen into comparative j inefficiency, because good teachers cannot j be found ; and in others the most vexatious consequences have arisen from the employ ment f the illiterate and incompetent.— Nothing could exercise a more prejudicial influence; indeed, between a very bad i teacher and none at all, the latter alternative might, in many instances, bo preferred.— This deficiency is clearly rairiitesl, anil hard to obviate. Some of the best minds ; of Ihe State have been occupied and pt-r-t. ; plexed with it; and until recently no gencr i al and practible plan for its removal has 1 been devised. I The plan of graining permanent profes II aional certificates, by ofileM* skilled iu the j art of teaching, and eminent in literary and ' scientific acquirements, to touchers who sut- I tslaclorily pass a thorough examination in the several branches of study which the act I of May, 1854, requires to bo lau Eht in every j district, and also iu the art of leaching—is already obviously eflouting decided improve- I uiont in this rogurd, and it is believed will "do much towards placing the profession j upon a high and firm basis. Normal schools, 1 it is urged, could in addiiion, to somo extent, 1 supply the defidieney, but the expenses of I such an institution would be heavy. I The source of this difficulty, it is clear, can be traced, in a great measure, to the want of a proper appreciation in the public mind, of the position and business oi a teasher. Tho profession, for this reason, in addilirVn to tha absence of fair compensa tion, lias not been attractive. Indeed, it has scarcely been regardeJ as a profession at all, but rather us a preliminary stop to somo • other pursuit. Well] directed efforts have • recently been made to change tho general ' 1 sentiment on this point, and I rejoice in the . j belie) that these have not been in vain : s | and lhat the day is not far distant, when the a profession of teacher will bo equal to the as pirations of the most ambitious of our peo ple; when its distinctions, dignities and pe cuniary rewards, will command the lime and attention of the most gifted. I can see S no reason why this 6late of fueling should n not prevail; why the profession of teacher ■bould not rank in honor and.profit with the other learned piofeiaions ; why the science ol developing the human intellect—of give ing scope and force to mind—of elevating Hie moral faculties of out race—of controll ing iho passions and tempering the desires should not be esteemed as highly as those professions and railings whose ornaments have received all their capacity and polish at the hands of ihe comparatively humble and illy rewarded teacher. 1 earnestly recommend tho common school system to your guardian care, as die i most sacred of all our institutions. The off | spring of a constitutional injunction on tho i Legislature—the extention and perpetuity of 'its uselulnoss, is tho plain duty ol >pll.— 1 wise, j 1 corilideutly anticipate for it, a day of j greater perfection and w.der influence, ho j bolter object oan engage lha attention ol | government, or consume its means, than the education of tho people in the most com prehensive sense of tho term; embracing die me of letters, tho moral faculties, and the diffusion truth In this we have the surest guarantee for tho perpetuity of our repnbh.'iijJPwTn- . inent, and for the enjoyment of civil liberty I and religious freedom. Such an education i may be safely claimed as the most potent means ot preventing crime—of increasing individual happiness and national dignity— of promoting Christianity and civilization— of exterpaling moral anJ political evils—of elevating, dignifying and adorning our eo ciul condition. Our various charitable attJ reformatory j institutions—so creditable to the Stale, and I which, in their practical operations, have ( done so much for the relief of suilering l.tt- j inanity—will claim the continued care and j bounty of tho Commonwealth. Tho State LUantic Hospital at Harrisburtr, , under its present efficient control and man- 1 agetnent, meets tho just anticipations uf its ! wise and benevolent advocates. Its hu- | mane and benignant agency in ameliora- j ting the condition of the unfortunate class i tor whose relief it was designed, can be ; judged by no ordinary standard. The ben efit of such an institution mere pecuniary t less iu l'hi'adelphia, for the mental training of the idiotic and thl ludecile The astonishing results i*. has already a ohieved in developing and invigorating lite weak and clouded intellect, shouiJ secure for it public confidence and patronage. It commends itself to lite bounty and care of | the plate. Tho institutions for the education of the [ Deaf and Dumb, and Blind, will also need, as they justly merit, tho usual annuity from I tho Stale. They are in a flourishing condi- j lion, and continue ItP bestow mtmbtiless blessings upon the unfortunate beings com mitted to tneir charge. As u scheme fur correcting and reclaiming wayward and offuuding youth, tho House of l(clu;;e stands pre-eminent; and is every where gaining public confidence. Its gen oral influence upon this class of erring crea tures, is far more effectual and humanizing than lhat of the ordinary modes of punish ment. It takes charge of those whose offen ces are often the result of eiroumslauues rather titan criminal intent; who fall by the influence of bad example, ok wicked associ ation, of idle habits or animal necessities; or who sin because of lite utter want of mor al and mental perception: who do wrong 1 rather than right, because they have not the 1 power to distinguish between them. For such unfortunate beings, tho House of Ref uge possesses the advaulagesof restraint and correction—with moral and intellectual train ing, as woil as of instruction in the usual pursuits of life, without the disgrace and chilling iiillueuco of prison confinement.— The results, therefore, often are, that its in mates go back to society, cured of all moral detection, arid competent to fill ihe pluco of correct and useful members of communi iy. During tho past fummrt, the magnificent structure erected under the supervision of certain bencvolout gentlemen of Philadel phia, as a new House of Refuge, was com pleted and thrown open for public inspec tion. Tlie capacity, order and arrangements, lit every particular, of Ihis admirable build ing, are fully equal to tho design of its foun ders. It is an honor to thetn and an orna ment to the beautiful city in which it is situ ated ; and its good effects in future, under the sarno systematic und wise discipline which so eminently distinguished its past management, will not be readily over-ra ted. The Western House of Refuge, situate on llio Ohio rir, a short distance below Pills burg, 1 am gratified to say, is also comple ted and ready for ir.males. Though lees imposing, as to size ar.d capacity, than its stalely compeer of the cast, it possesses all the ardor, economy of space, and perfect a daptalion to tbo purposes designed, that characterize the more costly structure al Philadelphia; and it is also believed to be quite adequate, as to size, to pteseut wauls, while it is built with express reference to future additions, should they become neces sary. Trutb and Right God and oar Neither of these buildings hivflßafre sume, been erected without projectors iu pecuniary liaoilily, loss. The entire State has a d<cpHpMlst in such truely meritorious instiUiiflHHhd whalever relief can be given to Legislature, consistently with the ■Hpon ol the Treasury or our public should be cheefully extended. fl The interests of Agriculture are 1 commended to your care. ExtenflHpnd onergetio efforts have been recerifWlpde to disseminate correct information ing this great pursuit, and in confer upon the farmer the ad van! Jpnf a semantic as well as a greatly letinr-JHhh- Wk understanding of tho nob.'o psjfirn "!>) Hit he is engaged. utility of a College, devoted -to the of Agriculture, with a model farm HHfhed—-wherein tho principles of a scien tific cultivation of the soil, and inanuel la bor in that pursuit, would be joined, to tho usual academical studies—has bcenstrougly pressed upon my attention. It is believed that such an institution can be successfully organized, under the anspices of tha Etate and county Agricultural societies. The practice adopted and maintained by khe last General Assembly, in reference to romnibus bills and special legislation, is an improvement of such value as to commend itself as a settled rule; and I confidently (rust that this salutary precedent may not be disregarded. Obscurity, confusion ar.d inaccuracy iu the cocttrucliou of our laws, inroads upon pri vate tights, and unguarded ilegeß, litiga'ion end confusion in iTloniijr protation, and administration ol our statutes, have been the fruits of a loose unguarded system of legislation. The evil has been one of the greatest magnitude, and tho remedy should be cherished with unyielding tenaci ty. Special legislation lias so littlu IO rec ommend or sustain in its principle, i( is sur prising it has been so long endured Al though much was dune by the two prece ding Legislatures by general laws, to obvi ate any supposed necessity lor special acts, there still jynuch to be performed iu avotd iug a return to this unsafe practice. It is believed that general laws can be so jfamed as to avoid iu most cases the nooesjty for special acts, and the proposition ii most taruertly commended to your favorable stHtderalion. I The omnibus system—a perniciouayTnodo I legislation, by which the nict-.i fea.fu.ci, g.,ou ami ban, arb ilniw . :->.■* riu one bill and under one title—was, I rejoice to say, entirely broken down and die-carded by tho last General Assembly. The volume of laws for 1851 contains no acts of this character. Each law pinbracos but a single subject, and that indicated by its proper title. Tho 55th section of the act providing for i the expenses of government for 18e3, j authorized and required the Governor | to sell the Stale arsenal ar Philadelphia, and i apply the proceeds of such sale towards the j purchase of another site, and the erection of i a new building; and restricting the expetuli I lure to '.lie sum received for the ok< property. ' The building and lot were readily sold lor 30,000. Tho selection of a new location, | aqd the erection of another building, presen- . ted a fur more difficult task. 1 readily ilia- : covered that the sum tints appropriated was | entirely inadequate to tecomp'.isfi thanmd liu view. The price of a similar location j would leave but a meagre sum with which j to erect the building. Under ail these cir-j cumstauces, 1 have not felt authorized to at- ■; tempt to carry out tho law, and would re spcctfully suggest tho propriety of increas- I ing the appropriation for this purpose. I The report of the present able arid ertcr-j getioAduiaot General will inform you of the condition of the military affairs of the Slate. This department of public affairs, 1 regret to say, has bucrr in a confused and declining condition for several years. The public Librarian has called my atten tion to the fact, lhat the law reports ol twen ty-two other Slalos havo been regularly re-' ueived by this, and that no provision has ev- j er been made, on our part, to reciprocate ' this courtesy and generosity. I respectfully suggost tbo propriety of authorizing souif officers of the government to procure the necessary copies ot the Pennsylvania reports | to simply those Slates who have so genor ] ously addeJ to our library. | The registration act, I respectfully cug- I gest , has essentially laded to accomplish I the end designed, and should be repealed or amended. A record so incomplete and iraperlect can do no good ; but may really do no barm. It has already cost the State üboul $25,0C0, to which there must be an nual additions. Tho object is u de.-irublo one, but I am confident it can never be at tained by the mode contemplated in this law. It is a subject of constant complaint by registers and physicians, and only such registration is made us compulsory, in order to legalize letters cf administration. By the 67th section of the appropriation law of last session, tbo Seoretary of the Com monwealth was authorized to continue the publication of tbo Archives to the yoar 1790. Under this authority, the selection of docu ments from 1783 to 1793 has been made, and the tenth volume, containing this mat ter, will be ready for distribution before the close of the session. Two additional vol umes will complete the work as origiually designed. The councils of Philadelphia, by an ordi , r.ance passed in October, 1852, dedicated the neceseary ground in Independence Square to the erection of a monument commemora live of tbe Declaration of Independence; and tendered the possession.of the premises to the.representatives of nine or more of the original States. Since that time, the S.atcs ol New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, have signified their willingness to accept the proposition on the terms indicated by the councils, and to participate in this patriotic work. Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and tho two Carotinas have taken no action on ilte subject. I cannot refrain from again expressing my I ur.abatcd solicitude for the success of this movement, If American history furnishns I a single event worthy of couiqtemorutton by by a indiument, the Declaration of Inde uendej.ee is that event, lu moral grandeur it is without a parallel, and stands above ail others for the mighty influence which it has exerted upon the politick!, religious and so cial condition of mankind. It has been just ly said, it uvhered in a now member into tho iamily of nations and electrified all Europe. It opened new revelations of liberty, and changed the relations of people and govern ment, by teaching tho one how to resist and [ conquer oppression and the other the abso lute necessity to iflfewti continuance ol re cognising and respecting the righrs of hu manity. From that time forth, a new, vital and quickening spirit has pervaded the world. Thrones have been shaken, empires have been overturned, society has been cott vulseJ, blood and carnage have desolated the earth ; but still the intelligence and souls of tho people of all Christendom have been i'o vivified, elevated a.nl expanded, to n comprehension of their rights as will nevor be obliterated or forgotten ; but willadvar.ee, enlarge and increase, until that moral and social preparation for the appreciation and erjoyment of liberty shall be effected, which, in the divino economy, is so indispensable to the permanence of free insulations. As rle third generatiou of that posterity, for whom the men of tho revolution chiefly labored and suffered, and died, it is peculiar ly fitting that we should erect such represen tations of their great and controlling acts as shall speak to our own hearts, toour chil dren's hearts, ur.d shall testify to God and the world that we appreciate and reverence, and would disseminate tho mighty tiuthsand principles w-hich brought our nation into existenft, which constitute its very life, and of which it seems designate I by Providence to he— hie special defender and proteb t- I believe we should have a monument to perpetuate the lemcmbraure ot the great event, from which such manifold and inesti mable blessings have sprung ; somo imper ishable memorial ol cur gratitude to the au thors of the Declaration ol Independence ; to the heroes who participated in the mighty struggle ; an enduring witness of the great '.hint;s done amongst us and for us ; an em bod intent of the origin and piinciplcs of our 1 government; some distinguishing mark of the place of the nations birlhjacottfecrated temple of liberty, about which unborn generations of Americans ma y meet and renew their assu rances of fidelity to the principles of the Declaration and to their natural offspring— the Constitution and the .Union, 1 am for this work mo6t earnestly ; and I trust that Pennsylvania will not permit it to fail; bat that it may be pressed upon the attention of tha original thirteeiT States, until each and all shall evince a willingness and determina tion to participate in the erection of this glo rious structure. To this end and 1 respectfully suggest to the Genoral Assembly, trie pro. priely of again calling the attention of tho [original Plates to the subject, by resolution I or otherwise. In closing'my last communication to tho General Assembly, and terminating my offi cial relations with tho people of my native Commonwealth, I may be indulged in n brief and genoral reference to her present proud position as a member of the groat fam ily of States, and to the patriotism, integrity, and general prosperity of her citizens. The advantageous geographical position of Penn sylvania, with u fine harbor open to the At lantic, and another connecting her centrally with the magnificent chain of western lake navigation—lter long branching rivars, spreading their arms and urteries through every portion of her territory—all added to her fertile soil and exhaustloss deposits of valuable minerals—present a combination of the na'.ira! cloments of greatness, scarce ly equalled in our own or any other quarter of the globe. These have made her an at tractive field for the science, industry, and enterprise of man; ami all hor natural ad vantages have been cherished and cultiva ted, until sho has reached a condition of va ried wealth and positive prosperity. Her system of internal improvements will safsly compare with those of any sister State, whether in regard to completeness in con struction, or tho extent of country Which they traverse. Nor have tha higher hopes ol humanity been disregarded by our states men, and the people at largo; as the liberal provisions for common schools, academies and collogoa, and our numerous crowded churches attest; whilej at the same time, Ihe various Asylums lor tho insane, and for the unfortunate of all classes and conditions, and Houses of Refuge, lor the reformation of Ihe wayward and erring, silently, yet surely bear witness that the cause ol benevolence has always found effective advocalee within her borders. In physical improvement and population liter progress has boen sloady and rapid.— In lbs days oi Gov. Snyder tha erection x>f a bridge over tho Susquehanna rivar, sod tbo I construction of a tunrpikc road was the sub- I ject of executive exultation, and a matter of congratulation among the people. Now her whole surface is checkered over with rail roads, canals and other highways. Then tho whole revenues of the State nmoonted to but $460,000. Now they exceed five mil lions. Of the four large States her per cont ago of increase in popnlation, since 1840, is ( the greatest; and she lias besides excelled tho best of her sisters in the production of wheal, iron and coal. Her popnlation num bers not less than two and a half millions; nearly as large as all the Status at the time of the Revolution. Tito present value of her real ar.d personal <H)O ; 0Oe. H-w annual production el" oal is worth iu the market over twenty millions, Her great interests of agriculture, manufac tures and commerce are rapidly extending. Siie Ins, in addition, a history, of which we moy be proud. Within Iter limits \ia found tho birth-place of Independence—that sacred spot wlieie was first declurod those great truths which lie at the Inundation of American nationality. In tho maintain ance of those truths, she bore a glorious part. Her contribution of men to the field, and money to the treasury—of talent and wisdom to the Congress of (lie Colonies, word not surpassed by those of any other State. It was her BUMS wleo crossed the Delaware in the dead of winter, under the lead of Washington, and for a time turned the tide of war. 4flpi'b in the struggle of 1812, for lite rights W American citizenship, and in that of 1846, for American honor and progress, she contributed with a pro fuse generosity. The contest amongst her sorts was not as to who should have the right to stay at home, but who should have the privilege of going into the held. Bear ing this honorable part in matters of for eign war—she has had a no less envia ble participation in allaying domestic suites. Whenever the exigency seemed to require it, she has stood firmly by the Constitution and the Union, and ever contended for the rights of all sections of tho country, ami all classes and denominations of the people.— Such is our State. To live au.l die within her limits, and to have borne even a very humble part in Iter civil service and in her \ historly, I shall ever esteem as a proud privilege—one that as it dtaws nearer to its j closa, swells iny heart with gratitude to her ' peopio, at lite recollection ol the numerous proofs of confidence I have experienced at their hands. tHit, Vivttr.--c t-f my *i*a!:atlan ic t*iO char acter and happy condition of our beloved Commonwealth, and of the gratitude I have expressed, leaves no room in my bosom for even a lingering regrei al a decision of my fellow-citizens, which is soon to relieve me from the cares and labors of a public life. Its transient excitements have already been forgotten, and its alienations if any, forgiv en. I shall resume my place ir. tho ranks of the people, with a calm consciousness of having always eoughtto advance their best , interests to the extent of my ability; and of never having yielded my convictions of right, either in subser> ience to any selfish purpose, or any narrow and unworthy preju i dice. Having adverted to various subjects of congratulation, in. regard to tho public af fairs of my own Slate, I may be indulged j in a brief reference, also, to tho happy as- , pect of our common country, and the cleva- j noil it lias reached among tho nations of tho , earth, in the light of liberty, and through Ihe i Workings of its benign institutions. Who! amongst us, and throughout this broad land, I does not experience at this moment, and at! every moment, in his own condition, ar.J the condition of these who surround him, the influence end benefit of our happy Union, and the wnll considered compact by which it is sustained. A basts of calculation, ex hibited by past experience, will give our country a population of thirty millions iu less than ten years from the present time— of eighty millions in thirty years to come — and of one hundred millions at the close of ' the present century I But mere numbers are of no moment, compared with moral elements; in a nation's greatness. The vital strength and stability ol the United States, as a people, consists in the substantial in terest which each individual has in the per manency oi thoso gloiious institutions, which were baptised in tho blood of our revolutionary s'ruggle, and handed down to us as the sacred legacy of our fathers. Peril, or destroy these, and we peril or destroy the share of sovereignty and equality which they were designed to secure, alike to the hiehesl and poorest, to the highest and hum blest in the land. The experience of more than three fourths of a century proves, I am persuaded, that the American people, i in the main, truly appreciulo the beneficeut structure and beautiful operation of our re publican system. We have been ossniled by an insidious and open hosriliiy from abroad, and have, al times before the pres ent, been encountered by both the concealed and palpable spirit of faction at home; yet the Constitution still stands as widely and firmly rivalled in the affections of the hon est masses of American froomnn, at any former period of our history. Tho more fruitful sources of our national prosperity, undoubtedly consist in the free dom, industry and intelligence of oar peo ple ; and in ilia rich natural resources of our country, united to an advantageous com mercial intercourse with a warring world.— But there is one element which we should cherish as more potent than all these: it is the protection end encouragement afforded by the union ot the State, under an adequate NllH ar.d alible government. virtue of our citizanr, under tb^n^f^H Heaven, we are more, indebted aa a people, tban to any otber ciicumstance or relation. No one who has atudied our history, and marked the spirit in which our Union waa formed, can avoid the conviction that our government so far as concerns the stability of this confederacy, must be one one of opin ion rather than force. Burn in compromise and conciliation, It must be cherished in the same spirit; it must present itself to every membor of this republic in die welcome guisa of friendship and protection— not in overbearing pride, or ES wielding the strong arm of power. \V. hv Wm us the plain written com pact ol out fathers, to which they reflect ingly consented and subscribed, and so boutid us who have succeeded them. Its blessings and its beueflts have been fell throughout long years ol unexampled pros perity. If we would change any of its visions, let us, with at least common hon esty and manliness, pursue the niodo of amendment which is pointed out with ad mirable precision, in the noble instrument itself. But until litis is done, those amongst us, who, front whatever motive, or undep whatever pretext either openly repudiate and of its plain provisions, or, covertly re treating under the cloak of a secret organi zation, seek to violalo its spirit, or avoid compliance with its clear behests, disbbnor the faith of their fathers, ar.d deny their own palpable and solemn obligations. "En tertaining these views, how can any Ameri can patriot regard, with the least degree ol complacency, the continued and embit tered excitement of one section of the coun try against the dorneslio institutions of an other; or the more reuont organization ofae cret societies throughout the Union, based upon doctrines o( exclusion and proscription, utterly at war with our National and State constitutions, and obnoxious to the liberal spirit of American republicanism 1 What admirer of the venerated fattier of hit coun try, but must now feel, with resistless foroe, his solemn warnings against secret sooieliea for political ends, as placing a powerful en gine itt the hnnds of the selfish and design ing, and enabling them not only to acquire power unworthily, but also to sap and de struy the most sacred principles ot our gov ernment 1 !r. ihese reflections upon certain poliuoal organizations, if I rightly comprehended my own motive.", 1 am actuated by no. mere hoe.'-iity or recent mon*. Were Ito say less at tiia present moment, I should Bt;lie my clearest eouvictiono of right, and shrink from a duty I owe to the people of Pennsylvania, who have so generously sus tained me in various public relations in tho nast. May, more: I should, by sdence in this regard, fail properly to reflect that constancy and in.swerving faith which our noble Com mon wealth has ever evinced towards the principles of our national compact, in refer once to tho ficedom of conscience and uni versal religious toleration ; and also to the wise doctrines of popular and Stato sovereign*' ty, and the inherent right of self-govern ment. During the brief period which remains of my official lerm, I chall readily and cheer fully cooperate with the General Assembly*' in all proper measures, to advance the pub lic weal; arid I earnestly invoke upon our la bors, and the labors of those who may fol low us in out public vocation, ihe kindly care and keeping of that Great and benefi cent being who holds the destinies of na lions as wcil as of individuals, as it were, in the hollow of his hand, and without whose continued smile there can he neither nation al or individual prosperity. \VM. BIGLER. EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, j llariisburg, Jan. 3, 1835. j ! CAPITAL PCMSHSIKNT OS* TIIE EOTPTUMS.— | The Egyptians of old punished rape by ex ' cision ; treachery by culling out Ihe tongue, I Murder was a capital offence. So alsu , was a neglect to help a person attacked on ; the highway, when assistance could have been rendered. Parricide was treated wills ! ihe most dreadful severity, the criminal be ing put to death with # every variety of tor ture. Perjury was capital; and false accuser* were condemned to undergo the same pun ishment which the innocent accused would have sulTered if convicted. A breach of the law of Amasis, which obliged every Egyptian once in the year to show to a magistrate bis manner of life, wag punished capitally ; and if the party could not prove himself to be in some honest em ploy meut, tbe consequences were the same. Adultery was punished with a thousand lashes as the man's penally, and oc (be part of the woman by cutting off her nose.— This was by no means a mild sentence yet we are told that adulteries were not uu frequent among tho Egyptians. j LI QUO II LAW AMENDMENT IN RHODE IS* | LAND —Previous lo the adjournment of the Rhode Island Legislature, an important amendment 10 ihe Liquor Law was passed, authorizing the arrest, confinement and fin* I of auy person found drunk in any of thai | towns of the Stato ; bat, if suoh intoxicated person shall disclose tho name of the person who furnished the lipuor with which he go* drunk, and shall give evidence against said person, be may he discharged (rem imprison ment ; and persona furnishing intoxicating li quors, giving or aeling, are liable to prose cution. The vote fot the bill stood 43 yead to 42 nays.
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