Vw-P .ISC' tt'Jt'" - -".r,
' ' """ i limn I 1 1 1 fin i ii i win i ii in 1 1 m nijiirr"i-S--t. -jffjt.
The whole art of Government consists in the art of being honest. Jefferson.
VOL 6.
STRO UDSBURG. MILFORD COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 1846.
-No... 471
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY
SCJBTOCH & SPERIXG.
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1EPAU letters addressed to the Editors must be post paid.
From the Erie Observer.
Is there a God.
BV ARCHETYPAL.
Is there a God ?
Look to yon firmament above,
Where worlds on worlds pour out,
And ask the planeis there that move
Or ask thine heart whence springs the doubt; i
Ask, and ihine inmost soul will say,
These are his works and Mis alone
All in that fair blue Ileav'n we see,
Bear proof of Him, th' Eternal One.
Is there a God ?
Look to ihe mighty deep below
Where oceans 'mid deep caverns sweep ;
Whence springs their mystic ebb and flow
What power commands the restless deep?
'Tis nature. Yes but nature loo,
Proclaims to ail proclaims aloud
Holds forth in every shado we view,
The power of a ruling God.
Is there a God ?
Look to the green and fertile earth
Look to each herb each plant we see ;
And ask thyself what gave (hem birth,
The smallest blade ihe loftiest tree.
Thine heart will tell thee, if sincere
Thine age bear witness of the proof
That thou can'st feel and see e'en ihere
The will the power of him above.
Is there a God ?
Oh! doubt it not where'er we gaze,
Where e'er we roam where e'er we be ;
There, there in all and ev'ry place ;
Are myriad proofs, Lord, God, of Thee ;
The eagle soaring high in air,
The insect on the low-grass sod
Tho great, the small, in every sphere
All nature's works proclaim a God.
Is there a God? ,
Man. ask that which within thee. dwells,
And wakes thy soul to hope or fear ;
That which thine every action feels,
And whispers to thine heart and car;
Or look around, beneath, above;
Look where thou wilt, thou'lt ever sec,
In all, in each, full proof enough,
Of him who reigns cternallv.
Original and True.
An editor out West has a journeyman
pnnt-
cr, worth his weight in gold a sort
of rara
cvis, a quiz, a wit, a poet, an orator, a man
who is up to every ihing under the sun. In
ltta iimmor wVion Imainnta i (lull nnrl himinftR
' ...... ,, .. 'mate. The doctor's bowels of compassion wore
tirnrrir arrft mir mlitnrini frlnnri rt :l nntrlin(Ti
. . .
In rln Vim! nnn Ihn hp lir Mlft lniirflfiVman.
u J WUb llllg MV v j m . av. J J
"Tom," says he, " I want a speech to-day
half a column done up brown " " I'll fix it,
sir," replies Tom, who proceeds forthwith to
his case, and, without copy or previous prepa
ration sets up an admirable speech, purporting
to have been delivered by 6ome crack orator
before the last public meeting. If necessary,
Tom makes a wood cut, representing the orator
in one of his happiest flights. The speech
takes like wild fire, and is considered a splen
did effort of genius. Occasionally Tom is
called upon to grace the editorial chair. " Tom
1 shall be absent for a couple of weeks keep
up ihe steam !" " Yes, sir," says Tom, and
sure enough ihe paper goes along like a loco-
moiive. Sometimes Tom is requested to knock
"lie argument of a political opponent or a black
guard editor into pi. No sooner said than done.
Tom "oes to his cac, with dire indignation
"pun his brow? and sets up a perfect smasher.
The. oflendin" wretch is killed; to all intents
and purposes. In addition 10 all these qualifi
cations, Tom does all the pugilistic business of
h establishment, reports ihe proceedings of
he Legislature, duns the subscribers, keeps ihe
books, attends the meeting?, officiates at the
ball and parties, does .ihe stump fp.eaking for
'he county, and exhorts at all the Methodist re
vivals. A good 1hand wc should nay. That
fellow Tom deserves to be a.Member of Con-ctc.-s,
or Governor of Oregon.
Practical Jokes in the Army.
BY C. M. J.
Ned C. was a young and merry Sub, of the
ih infantry, and what 18 termed in the army
. , ,
"a clever fellow. it IS true that IN ed was
, . , . ,
nomewhat given to "keeping 1)18 spirits tip by
pouring spirits down," especially when station
ed at the outposl; but he never would have
been called an intemperate man.
At ihe time of my story, the detachment to
which Ned belonged occupied a post on the
South-west frontier, and might be said to be in
close quarters; as the officers and men, from the
crowded state of ihe garrison, were reduced to
less than half allowance of eating and sleeping
room authorized by regulations. To this ar
rangement was Ned indebted for the society of
the surgeon of the post, who shared with him
the comforts and conveniences of an apartment
twelve feel square.
The Doctor actuated by feelings of regard
for Nod's well-being, (it may have been with
an eye to his own quiet and repose,) was in the
habit of administering to him, occasionally a
dose of good advice, and remonstrating with
him on the impropriety of staying out late at
night, gluing " tight," and coming homo ,s dis
turbing people after they had gone to bed;" all
of which Ned took very patiently, but without
mending his ways. The Doctor, finding that
it was utteily useless to appeal lo Ned's sense
of propriety, with the hope of effecting a change
in his mode of life, began to address him to his
fears.
" Ned," said he, "if you don't stop this frol-
icking, and drinking, and spreeing, you'll get j
the dropsy I know you will and you'll die
in spite of the d 1 ! I tell you, ouce for all, to ,
slop it, for if you gel the dropsy on -our chest, I
- . i
you are a gone sucker! all ihe medicine in my ' whom would express his surprise at the en
chest won't save you ! No, sir, burn't brandy larged slate of Ned's corporosiiy.
won't save you!" At the end of a week, the Doctor again ab-
Tho Dnninr rWiA in vain in mm AA hp. sfracted Ned's breeches and drawers had
continue lo enumerate the various cases of hard .
drinking terminating in dropsy that had come
undpr his nhservaiinn sinew h bad hien a mem.
I r ,U.. fJ I C.ir T..A :
uer ui i lie nieuicai oiau. was niuuiiiyi-
ble.
As the lectures on lemperance, and the ler-!
nble pictures of disease and death, from indul-
gence in strong drink, held up to his view, wore
of no avail in exciting his fears, the Doctor was
about to despair of effecting a reform, when it
43
was brought about, for a time in the following
manner.
As usual, late one night, Ned came home
very glorious, singing at the top of his song
with a whoop loud enough to "wake up half of
creation. After making several lurches lowards
the door, he succeeded in entering, and in the
vain attempt of disen-cumbering himself of a
coat and pair of boots, at the same moment
made a pitch forward, and lighted with his head
3gainbt the short ribs of his sleeping, room
sadlv disturbed: however, after veniine on the
ever, alter veniing on
"
head of his fallen friend a few hearty curses,
he kindly assisted him in divesting himself of
his clothes, and saw him decently laid out on
1iis mattress.
Next morning, as soon as it was light, the
Doctor possessed himself of the sleeper's pan
taloons and drawers, and with the assistance of
the hospitable matron, had them neatly taken j
in about four inches in the waist, ihcn quietly
replaced ihem, and tumbled into bed to await
the result. Half an hour before breakfast, (his
accustomed time for raising.) Ned slid out of
bed, cooled his copper by a long pull at ihe wa
ter jug, and then commenced the operation of
making his toilet. The Doctor, who was lying
with one eye open and a wad of bed clothes
stuffed in his mouih by way of smoihering a
desire lo laugh watched closely the dressing
process going on before him.
" Tis very strange," exclaimed Ned; "I won
der what has got iu these d d drawers ?
they were large enough yesterday, and now I
can't make ihem meet! ;Tis no use in trying
I'll hitch them to my pants."
Ned then drew on his pantaloons, and strained
himself to the utmost to make them meet over
his bread basket, but it was no go for with
evjry effort . he only increased the size, of the
bunch of ehtrt that.stuck out a feet" between
ihe buttons and button holes of the waisiband.
.After exhausting himself in vain attempt lo
close the opening in his nether garments, he
approached the Doctor who appeared to be
asleep, and, after arousing him, inquired if lie
could tell what had occasioned ihe sudden dis
proportion between his unmentionables and that
pari of his person which now refused to be en
closed in them.
" Why, yes," said the Doctor, rising and
scrutinizing Ned closely-'--It is just as plain as
the nose on your face you have been drinking
and swilling, at such a rale lately, (hat just
what I predicted has come true you have got
the dropsy .'"
"Great God! you don't tell me so!" ejacu
lated the poor Lieutenant, as he clasped his
hands together and full back in an arm chair.
" Oh ! thai I had lislened to your advice, my
dear follow ! Cant you do something for me?"
" I'll try !" was the reply, "but you must go
to bed, keep on low diet, avoid all stimulating
drinks, and take such remedies as I may pre
scribe !"
Thank you, Doctor, I will do anything in the j
world to get rid of this horrible disease," said
Ned, "and if you will only cure me, I'll pro
mise to stop drinking altogether Doctor do
you think I'll have to be lapped ?"
" It is impossible lo say, Ned, but," added
the doctor, "as you are young and have a good
constitution, I think wo may avoid that opera
tion, provided you keep still and lie on your
back ?" ,
Ned followed the Doctor's advice strictly,
look simples, dieted, and kept on his back,
whilst the Doctor and Ned's brother officers,
to whom the joke had been imparled, were en
joying themselves at his expense. Every dayj
he would receive half a dozen visits of condo-
lence from ihe subs of the carrison each -of
them restored to their fair proportion, replaced
by ihe bedside of his unsuspecting patient and
then told him 10 rise and dress himself.
,,A.,r,A do ilirt nnA 'NIo1 ennn fminrl In Ilia infill
. mui-tu uu um, m... ,
ji'e joy that his clothes were almost as much!
too large for him now, as they were nelore too
. - . - . - T
,small all symptoms ol the dropsy having dia -
, appeared thanks to ihe kind attention of the
Doctor, which were liberally bestowed on himj
j by Ned. The Doctor bound all the otlicers to
5
secresy, and Ned's dropsy became ihe siand-
ing joke of ihe garrison.
Time passed on, and by accident or design,
Ned made the acquaintance of the fair (1 would
not say frail) one whom the Docior employed
as Seamstress ihe very person who had en
gaged to sew up ihe Lieutenant's inexpressibles
as a mailer of course he had not advanced
very far into her affections, before she threw
out some hints that awakoncd Ned's suspicious,
and with a little management, he soon pos
sessed himself of all the particulars of the trick
that had been played upon him. No longer
having the fear of death from dropsy before his
eyes, Ned relapsed inio his old habits "just as
easy as falling off a log," and the doctor's night
ly precautions again commenced. The tem
perance lectures were renewed, and ihe late
hair breadth escape was held up before him
"tn terrorem; but to no purpose. JN'eus con
stant reply to all ihe admonitions of the Docior
was "a short life and a merry one!" at times,
however, Ned would appear melancholy and
dejected, and would say to the Doctor, that he
was tired of his existence, and that he must
not be surprised if he put an end 10 himself.
About 11 o'clock one night, after the Docior
had retired to rest, and was snoozing it away
very comfortably protected from the assaults of
the musquitoes by a well lucked pavillion, he
was suddenly aroused from his slumbers by the
entrance of Ned who was very much disguised
by liquor.
"Doctor," said hn, (reeling backward and
forwards, and introducing a hiccup ryow and
then between his words) " DoqtOr get up 1 1
want to talk to you 'bout something that con
cerns life and death I want your advice, my
dear fellow, I am abo'ut to commit a deed a
fearful deed a hoVrid deed! Get up, won't
you?" , , ,r :
"Clear put and go '.tonbed.and stopyour
ijois?,' gro.yjcdfr tho :DucluHa;..,hc turned over
in bed,
" Well, it is the laM favor I have to ask of
you, Doctor, and 1 ask it for the last time. 1
am tired of this life, and if yon don't get up I'll
blow my d- d brains out, (and hero he drew
and cocked a pistol,) will you get up to hear ichal
J have to say or not ?"
" No, and be hanged to you," shouted ihe
Doctor.
"Then here goes," and as hesaid it, bnng
went the pistol, and poor Ned was stretched on
the. floor weltering in blood.
" Great God," cried ihe Doctor, as he leaped
from the bed, (carrying with him the mosquitoe
bar through which he had bolted his head,)
"what hare you done!" then cabling a glance
in the corner of the room, he saw by the flick
ering light of an expiring caudle, the mutilated
remains ofihe unfortunate youns man As he
rushed in agony from the room he encountered expenditure is made by the law ihe sole judljo
several of the officers, who hearing the report I whether it shall be PubHc ()r Priva,('- Su
of a pisiol were proceeding to the spot lo learn ' sums are lo be " accounted for specially .'in -ill
ihe.causeof this unusual disturbance. To their ; instances wherein the expenditure thereof may,
enquiries ihe Doctor only replied by exclaim-;'" his judgment, be made public." Ail e.xpen
ihg, "Oh! he begged me to get up he said : diiures " accounted for specially" are sealed ai
hc would kill himself if I didn't get up, and he1, the Treasury upon vouchers, and not on '"Pre'
has done it! I might have prevented him. j dents' certificates," and, like all other public
Oh! I never, never shall forgive myself!" Such j accounts, are subject lo be called for by Gyi
wcre the lamentations uttered by the Doctor as j grcss, and are open to public examination. Had
he paced backward and forward before the door j information as respects this class of expend?-
when the commandant demanded ihe cause of
the alarm.
"He has just shot himself, and I might have
nrevented it. Sir. but I would'nt net tin when '
he begged me hard to do so. Oh! I shall al-;
ways have his death upon my conscience." i
"But speak, sir, who has shot himself?" as-
ked the commandant, seizing .he frantic Doc-!
..r.i !.. .i.:u '
lor iiy me remnant ui uic iiiusiiwiiuc uai, vtuitu.
I still streamed from his neck.
"Lieut. C, Sir
"And have you
has blown his brainsom!' j
examined the wound?" de-
manded ihe commandant.
"No, sir, no I shall never be able to look
i Pon lm agaIn
Calm yourself, Doctor, and go immediately
.7 !.- nnt P ttkn I ill llrll " tinlll
i the rnmmanibnl sternlv.
The Doctor yielded lo the ono of authority
' J
. - i
tiif urhth tlirt iE ivnnfc nrt cnnLnn o nw v
1 ,
H lliv.ll t ii v mill itiiua vy i w
poKcn, siowiy
, enacted and a roachino ,jje
j XA JUst )een nc,e an PPac ling je
.J ' .
1 ,
! n,I K . M A I f t rt nnrl nlmnrf Kite Imniir All MlO tlftOn
'' " ' - " "- " - "
You'll sew my pantaloons up again!
will vou, old Pill "Box." The fact was,
Np.1I
liau uuiiimeu smut; uunuurw a uiuuu, uuu mm ,
well bespaitered himself with it, which the j
Doctor supposed was Ned's. It occasioned a
hearty laugh among the officers, as they were)
in the secret; to which the Doctor said he saw
nothing to laugh at.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
In response to C .T. Siigcrsoll's Reso
lution. To ihe House of Representatives:
I have considered the resolution of the House
of Representatives of the 9th inst. by which I
am requested " lo cause lo bo furnished to that
House an account of all payments made on
Presidents' certificates from tho fund appropri
ated by law, through the agency of the State
Department, for tho contingent expenses of for
eign intercourse, from the 4th of March, 1841,
until the retirement of Daniel WebsteV from the
Department of Slate, wilh copies of all entries,
reeeints. letters, vouchers, memorandums, or
1
other evidences of such payments, to whom
paid, for what, and particularly all concerning
the North-Eastcrn VSoundarv dispute wilh
Great Britain."
Wilh an aivxiotis desire to furnish to the
House any information requested by that body
which lnay be in the Executive Departments, j
hayp felt bound by a sense of public duty lo in
nuke how far I could with propriety, or con
sisienily with the existing laws, respond to
their call.
The usual annual appropriation " for tho con
tingent expenses of intercourse between the
United States and foreign nations," has boen
disbursed since the date of ihe act of May 1st,
1810, in pursuance of its provisions.
By the ihird section of that act it is provided
-
" That w hen any sum or sums of money slial
bo drawn from the Treasury, under any law
making appropiintiou furjho contingent expen-
ses of intercourse between' the II itttVTil State
and foreign nations, ihe President shall lie, unil
he is hereby authorized to cause the .saim i
be duly settled annually with the accounting' nfi
ficers of the Treasury, in' ihe muniicr flJFivinj
that is lo sav, by causing the sume. uVhtj rfr
counted for specially in all instance wlu-rei
the expenditure thereof may, in his judgment,
be made public, and by making a cert.hV.ieof
the amount of such expenditures as he may
think it advisable not to specify; and every such
certificate shall be deemed a Mifiieie.itt voucher
for tho sum or sums therein expresed to have
been expended."
Two distinct classes of expenditure "are an
thorized by ibis law ; tho one of a public, and
the other of a private and confidential charac
ter. The President in office at the timcofiho
lures been called for by the Resolution of the
House, it would have been promptly commu
nicated. Congress foreseeing that it might become
necessary and proper to apply port.uns of ilns
fund for objects, the original accounts and
vouchers for which could not be " made public"
"jury ' the public interest, authorized
ihe President, inslead of such accounts and
vouchers, to make a certificate of the amount
' of such expenditures as he may ihink kadvi-
. tl 11.1.
sao,e not 10 speciiy," ana nave provmcu mat
j" every such certificate shall be deemed a suf
ficient voucher for the sum or sums therein ex
pressed to have been expended."
The law making these provisions is in .full
force. Tt is binding upon all the Department
of the Government, and especially upon ihe
t- . i J r. Li... .l...
executive, wnose uuiy u .s . .a
care that
IIIK IiiW3 UC I dll III llll Y CICIUICU 1" m- yAV-i-
11 I f l a II " (1 r
J
i cise of the discretion lodged by it in ihe Exec-
: ulive, several ol my predecessors have. .mad
cerliicaie&" of the amount of such cxpendi-
: ture3 as thev have thought it advisable now-to
! specify, and upon these certificates, as the on-
1 J " I
i , y vouchcr3, settlements have been made at the
'
ireasurj-.
I Tt nnnpnrs that within iho nenod snecified in
- -r, r
the resolution of the House, certificates were
given by my immediate predecessor, upon which
settlements have been made at the Treasury
amounting to five thousand four hundred and
sixty dollars. He has solemnly determined
that the objects and items of these expenditures
should not be made public, and has given his
certificates to that effect, which are placed up
on the records of the country. Under tho di
rect authority of an existing law, he has exer
cised tho power of placing these expenditures
under the seal of confidence, and the whole
matter was terminated before I came into office.
An important question arises whether a subse
quent President, either voluntarily or at the re
quest of one branch of Congress, can, without
a violation of the spirit of the law, revise tho
acts of his predecessor, and expose to public
view that which he had determined hhould not
be " made public." If not a matter of strict du
ly, it would certainly bo a safe general rule
that this should not be done. Indeed, it may
well happen, and probably would happen, that
tho President for the time being would not be
in possession of the information upon which his
predecessor acted, and could not therefore have
the means of judging whether he had exercised
his discretion wisely or nol. The law; require
no other voucher but the President's certificate,
and thero is nothing in its provisions which re
quires any " entries, receipts, lettors, vouchers,
memorandums, or other evidence of such pay
ments" to be preserved in tho Executive de
partment. t
The President who makes the 'ccr-iheate
may, if ho chooses, keep all ihe information
and evidence upon which he acts in his own
possession. If, for the information of. his suc
cessors, he shall loave.the evidence on-:which
he acts, and the items (if iho exponditureHnvhich
make up tho sum for which ho has given hn