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.