The whole art of Government consists in the art of being honest. Jefferson. VOL 8. STKO UDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY, PA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1847. No. li. published hy Tfieorioro SchocEi. TERMS Two dollars per annum in advance Two dollars ant :i quarter, half yearix and if not paid before the end ol ihevcar, Two dollars and a half. Those who receive their naiL'is by a carrier or ttagc drivers employed by the proprie tor, will be charged 37 1-2 cents, per year, extra. .No papers discontinued until all arrearages are paid, except at the option of ihe Editor. ID Advertisements not exceeding one square (sirtccn lines) ut be inserted three weeks for one dollar; twenty-five cents, far every subsequent insertion ; larger ones in propoilion. A liberal discount will be made to yearly advertisers. ID Allleiti-is addressed to the Editor must be post-paid. TOB PRINTING. Having a general assortment of larg", elegant, plain and onia mental Tvpe, uc are prepared to execute every description of a Cards, Circulars, Bill Ifc:uls, Rotes, XSlanfc Receipts, JUSTICES, LEGAL AND OTHER BLANKS, PAMPHLETS, &c. Printed itli neatness atid despatch, on reasonable terms, AT THE OFFICE OF THE Jefferson iau Republican. From the Democratic "Whig. Flaici Facts for the lcopIc, IS RELATION TO THE HISTORRY OF GEW. JAKES IR.V1HT. It had noi been ihe ituenuon of the friends of Gen. Irvin 10 publish any part of his private lnstorv, being cottteni to rest his claims to the support of the people of Pennsylvania upon the reputation he has acquired through Jiis public acts. He lias ever manifested a desire that no allusion .should be made in the public journals to any of his private acts, however credible they might seem, lest a false impression should be t reated that it was on account of his private virtues alone, his friends asked for him the sup port uf the freemen of the Commonwealth; and 1 most confidently assert that whatever of this character has found its way into the papers, has heen placed there without any agency of his. 13m inasmuch as the opposite pany have seen proper to review his private character in a man ner suited to the purposes which ihey intended i he examination to serve, and have recently published the first number of what promises to be a series of articles on the subject; 'a decent re.pect for the opinions' of those who are not personally acquainted with him requires, thai his friends should correct any misrepresenta tions that may be made through such publica nons. As far as Gen. lrvin's personal acquain tance extends 1 plainly disavow any such ap prehensions, for thus far the' will carry wih them i heir own antidote; but as there are many portions of the Siaie where the people know nomiug of his private character except as they may gather it from the srewspapers, justice de mands that ihe misstatements m this respect should not be allowed to pass unnoticed. In his own r.-teighborhoc'jl they will but serve to disgust every one wiho reads ihem Another emiat('4eraiion that rati)' be urged is, that should l"-s 'nids keep silence, it might be thought Hiai dreaded the investigation of his pn-;0f v;'.te character. By no means. They are wil- J tnar-u un full v into this snbiect. and lo compare b o J ' 7 Irrelative merits of the two Candidates in this aespeci, and no fears have they for the result of sire comparison, take it in what point of view won will intellectual or moral political or so cial. 1 .therefore most heartily respond to the language of -a correspondent of the 'Centre Democrat'? the 21st ult., as follow.: 'Before the votes of the people of Pennsyl vania can be a.-ked for James Irvhj, it becomes necessary 'lhat his claims to, and qualifications for that important station, should be fail ly and honestly siateo1. The people have a right to know the why -and the therefore. They have a right to -ask, for what reason he is preferred to Francis 11. Shunk." 1 propose to -furnish from my own personal acquaintance with Genl Irvin an acquaintance which has been long and intimate just the in 'fbrmation which is demanded by the above ex tract. In performing this act of. courtesy to ,the opposite pany, it may be well to adopt the precedent which they have et, and commence with his early history. James Irvin was born in Pcnn's Valley, Cen tre country, in the year 18.00. JH.is maternal grandfather, James Watson, was a Whig of the devolution, and resided in Jjaucaster county until 17S9, when" he immigrated toPenji's Val ley. His fath'er,.-Johu ikvin, who was a native of Ireland, came 4ntot'his country -when quite voting, and settled -in Penu's Valley in 1792. He was without friends or .fortune, but by in clujitry and 'economy, acquired, u competency. James was sent to school in the neighborhood, where he received such an education as, at that tune -could 'be acquired in a ljg school house Jn the country; an education, )w ever, like lhat which has the foundauoo of future ueful ues for many ofihcrnosi pi omiucnt.and dis '''guished men of the age in., which, we live, "Ki jtju such an one as served lo make him 7aifhe is-,-a highly intelligent, well informed 'Hian. Hear .a v be said tQibe in a great meas ure Msilf-laiirliil was never within the walls of a-CidJege . a sjyU,1.nt---cnrj .exhibit no diploma uu.', ojV( JJ4 ,jle i:iost jbatisfactory; evidence of fr.Kiid pud the cultivation oJ. his talent,' in fiti'UA, of pratical results. At the aj-e of thirteen he was taken from school to assist his father, who was largely engaged in various branches of business. In this capacity his close application, strict integrity, and business talents, added to the natural generosity of his disposition, soon gained for him general esteem and insured him ihe unlimited confidence of his father. At a very early age he was in trusted uith the exclusive control and manage ment of such branches of business as are usual ly committed to persons of mature experience, and such as few young men of his years are capable of transacting in a satisfactory manner. Hut it was not on account of his business qual ifications alone that he received popular favor. These, it is true, gave him the confidence of ihe people with whom ho dealt; but it was his candor and generosity his disposition to favor and oblige, and his willingness to aid and as sist others whenever an opportunity offered that won the good will all around him. The poor and distressed always knew where to look for assistance, and many a grateful heart re joices in the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of the man from whom so manv acts of kindness have been received. He remained with his father until 1822, when, with i lie old gentleman's assistance he purchas ed a stock of goods, and opened a store near his nativo place, where he also carried on the business of farming and milling in connection with merchandising. In the course of a few years he remitted to his father all the money that had been advanced u him, and subsequent ly depended entirely upon his own capital. So successful was he, and so extensive the patron age he received, that in 1832 he was enabled to purchase an interest in Centre Furnace arid Milesburg Iron Works, from Mr. Miles, who was one of the proprietors, and in 1839, in con nection with Mr. Gregg, he bought the remain ing interest of Gen. Houston. In this new en terprise Gen. Irvin has been as successful as Jiis neighbors, although it was confidently pre dicted by some who had all their lives been ironmasters, that he must inevitably fail for want of experience that no one who had not served a regular apprenticeship at ironworks need ever pretend to conduct them to advantage. The prominent objection urged against him i is, thai being a successful ironmaster, he is un fit to ht)ld office. Now, his success, instead of being an objeciion, is really a strong argument in his favor, for whilst he has succeeded in all variolis enterprises some of which required capacities of no ordinary character those of his own age who have had the same opportu nities; and who claim more than equal mental endowments, are farvin the rear. If Gen. Irvin had acquired his property by undue means, o-r in atiy other way than by his own honest, pa tient industry-'-if he applied it to selfish or im proper purposes or if he prided himself upon being a wealthy man the objection might have some force; but the fact is just the reverse. No man in the country applies a greater proportion his property to benevolent and charitable purposes there is no one mort purposes---inere is no one more puonc spirneu, or wno Keeps nis capital more actively empioyeu and, moreover, no one who is more truly re publican in his sentiments and practice. 1 ma' safely assert without the fear of contradiction, that he has never been applied to in vain, to contribute to any public or charitable object. He has always responded liberally and cheer fully lo such calls. But it has been said that j he gites from selfish motives; merely to carry favor as a politician. This, however is far from the truth. It is well known that benevolence is a prominent trait in his character, and that it was his constant practice to give liberally long before he was thought of as a' candidate for of fice. As a further proof of the falsity of this charge, the writer knows of instances of his be nevolence ol which the public are ignorant and will ever remaitl So if his" wishes are not disre garded. I would not have made this allusion were it not that the opposite party, through their organs, are corYsManlly attributing his be nevolence to sinister motives. But it has been said that Gen. Irvin is an ar istocrat. This is the most silly and ridiculous charge to make against one who is farthest re moved from anything approaching aristocracy. I know lhat numerous letters have been written to remote parts of ihe State, giving the most lively .and graphic descriptions of 4 palaces,' ' palisades,' ' splendid equipage,' costly furni ture,'" and numerous ct ceteras. I understand from ihe contents of these letters that it is de sired the public shall infer he is a purse-proud aristocrat. If such an impression is sought to be made thereby, it may be well enough to give a true statement of his style of living as it has been. and as it now is. For several years after he" became a house holder, he w.as the tenant of a one-story log house"! hat had been built for the accommoda lioti of a miller who attended his father's mill. He then built a plain stone house of ordinary sizej and in the same style that farm houses in the country are usually buih, in which he lived until he purchased an imerest in Milesburg Ironworks, where he.afierwards resided for sev eral years, pan of ihe time in a t-wo story frame hou.fi, with but one roonpaird a -kitehe-n cm w first floor, and y corresponding number of room above. This house was built for a nailer em ployed at the works. When he removed thence a few years since, he took up his quarters in the house in a part of which he now resides As this building has been made a matter of pub lic interest by his opponents, it may not be amiss to give some account of it. 1 would not descend to notice these things so foreign to the issue, were it not that they are magnified into matters of great importance by the other party. The house was built by a mechanic of Belfonte, according to his own plan, wiih the design' to occupy it himself; and for a time it was so oc cupied. At present it is used as a boarding house, of which Gen. Irvin and his lady are patrons. A great portion of the ground floor is taken up by two large. store rooms and an of fice. This, then, is the immense castle, with towering turrets and frowning battlements, that has figured so conspicuously in the tellers of political correspondents. But how is it about that 'costly furniture V I would respectfully assume tho responsibility of inviting any one who is curious on that subject, to visit his rooms, and 1 can. readily fancy the look of surprise, af ter reading those flaming descriptions, at see ing there just such plain, ordinary furniture as may be found in most of the residences in the same town. i hua stands his aristocracy, so far as is evinced by his style of living. - And since we look in vain for aristocratical- ness in the manner of his living, where shall we search for it? Is it visible in his social in tercourse 1 Go ask the workmen in his em ploy; Ask the laborer the mechanic if he shows any symptoms of aristocracy in his in tercourse with him, and he will tell you it is seldom you meet a man more plain and unas suming in his manners. Wherein, then, do the members of the opposite party see grounds for such charges? Nowhere but in their own fer tile imaginations. It is useless for them to make such assertions any where within the bounds of Gen. lrvin's acquaintance; but their object is fully understood they are intended exclusively for the foreign market. They are by.no means profitable at home, in the neigh borhood of the manufactory. Such expedients, if they were founded on fact, are but ridiculous shifts in a contest involving public principles. What effect they might in such case have upon that portion of the communiiy who are govern ed more by party prejudices than by ihe power of reason, 1 do not pretend to say, nor is it ne cessary to inquire, since they are without the shadow of truth. It was certainly not in his Representative capacity that he acted the part of an aristocrat, for his untiring efforts in Congress were made in behalf of the Interests of the poor man. He advocated the measures which were best cal culated to promote the welfare of the laborer and the mechanic. He entered Congress at the Extra Session of 1841, and amongst the important questions that then engaged the at tention of that body was one arising out of a plan suggested for the raising of revenue. On this subject he differed with mahyl'of his polit ical friends, as it was proposed to. lay a duty upon Tea and Coffee, arid after using his, utmost exertions to prevent a duty being imposed on these articles, he made a speech against ihe measure and finally voted against the bill be cause they were enumerated therein amqngst the articles proposed to be taxed. (Sec Jour nal of the House, page 303, 1st session, 27th Congress.) The duty on Tea: and Coffee hav ing been stricken out in the Senate and the bill sent back to the lower House for its farther action thereon, he voied in favor of the Senate amendment. (Journal of the House, page 482, 1st session 27th Congress.) Whilst in Con gress, U'fell to his lot to nominate a person from his district to fill a vacancy occurring in' the Military Academy , at West Point. Numerous applications were made in behalf of the sons of rich and influential men, some coming from the circle of his own immediate friends and relo.--tives, but he choso to reject them all and pre fer the son of a poor man of hrs own Iown. As a politician, Gen. lrvjn hai always been moderate in his actions and IVoeral in his views. He has held, like most 7ien who choose to feel an interest in public affairs, his own views and opinions of meri and measures,' and all he has ever done 'n this respect has been with an eye single to the promotion of the public welfare. He never manifested any aspirations after office, but was willing to serve his neighbors in a pub lic capacity whenever he saw lhat they really desired his services. He has hhown clearly by his conduct towards Geh. Markle, who Was ..uccessful in obtaining the nominautiri in 1844 for which he had been proposed as a candidate by his friends, that in his political movements he has no selfish purposes to gratify, but emi nently strives to proritoto the public good. Various attempts have been made to prove him unpopular in his own district: All the in genuity of figures has been called into requisi tion in endeavoring to solve ihis difficult prob lem. Lei me inquire jnm this subject for 'a moment; and when the facts are correctly sta ted ue will-see that there is about as linle truth in this allegation as-in some oihers that ' have appeared in the authentic columns ol the Loco foco papt-rs. Several years ago, when the Militia System was in its glory, military offices, although by no means lucraiive, were nevertheless eagerly sought after. Gen. Irvin held several offices" in the Militia and Volunteer corps from, 1821 to 182S. In the latter year he was elected Brigadier General, and in 1832 to the office of Major General. Thus stands his unpopularity in military affairs : and now let see us how he has succeeded in the civil department. In 18She was first nominated by the Whigs of this district as a candidate for Congress, in opposition to W. W. Potter, Esq., a gentleman eminent in his profession as a lawyer, and of great personal popularity. At the previous Congressional election, in 1836, Mr. Potter re ceived a majority over the Whig candidate of 1700 voles in the, district, but in 1838' his ma jority over Geh. Irvin was but 222. In 1S39 a special election was held to fill the vacancy oc casioned by the death of Mr. Potter, when Gen. Irvin was again placed upon the Whig ticket, in opposiiion to Gen. McCullough, one of the strongest men in the district. At this election the. Democratic majority was. reduced to 131. In 1840 Gen. Irvin was again nominated by his party, and was opposed by Gen. A. P. Wil son of Huntingdon count), a gentleman of known ability as a lawyer, and considered by his po litical friends as one of the most eligible candi dates, especially at a time when personal pop ularity was an important consideration. The eleciion resulted in, giving Gen. Irvin a majori ty of 410 voles in the district. In 1843, after a full opportunity had been afforded to test his merits, he again appeared before trie people as a candidate for re-election, and was opposed by Gen. McCullough, who had been elected over him in 1 839. The result of tills election fully proved his growing popularity and the approba tion of his constituents, his majority being 133G votes. It is well worthy of remark that in 1838 this district was the only one in which the Whig vote for Congressman exceeded the vote for Governor. But his popularity within his own county, which has always been considered one of the' strong holds of Democracy, is still more remarkable. In 1840 Gen. Wilson's ma jority in Centre county over Gen. Irvin, was G25, being, however, 169 votes loss than the majority of Van Buren over the lamented Har rison. In 1841 Gov. Portei's majority in Cen tre couniy was 1174, but in 1843 General Ir viii's majority in the same couiily over Gen McCullough, was 342, making a change of 1516 voles since the election of Governor Por ter in 184 1 Hence it may be observed how much of truth there is in the Locofoco state ments in regard to Gen. Irvui's impopulariiy in his own district. The latest , and most unfounded objection which has been urged against him by his polit ical opponents is,' (Kill when in Congress he was nothing more than' a yea aiid a nay mem ber. If the people will take pains to inform themselves on this subjeci, they will find that' he was one of the most elhcient representatives that has ever been sent fiom this district. He was active and zealous in his efforts to" promote the iniefesis which he represented, andit can uol be denied that he maintained an influential position in Congress. Soon after he entered upon his office it became his duty to advocate the protective policy, jn which his native State, and particularly the peoplq 6f his own district, were deeply interested. In' the course of his efforts' in that behalf he delivered a speech, oft which his friends had good reason to bo proud I l.'ia.K .till, nnil rvn I r. k uiiu wmuii L-viiitcu.au iiiwuicuu ui-vjua,jniance with the subject, and the ability lo express his views clearly and forcibly. There are no bril liant flashes of oratory in i no grand flourish es of rhetoric but it sQ'(s foith in plain unaf fected style, the clear and accurate views of investigating intelligently and minutely the great question uwder consideration, and of compre hend ing all its bearings. It is just such a speech as every laborer atid mechanic ought to read, who desires a clear understanding of the subject, as it bears upon tho domestic interests of the country. He did not endeavor in that speech to show the benefits of the TarilTpolicy as they might bo felt by tho rich man and tho capitalist, but the burden of his argument was intended to prove that it would benefit the poor er classed, give them employment and furnish them themeans of obtaining a livelihood, where as the contrary effect would follow Ihe intro duction of the free irado system. It is well known lhat he was one of ihe most active and efficient suppoitefs of ihe Tariff of 1842, and io his exertions as much as to those of any oth er were wo indebted for the passage of that bill which restored the credit of the country and revived and invjgtirated all branches of in dustry a measure which will be more fully appreciated when the legitimate effects of its successor, theTariff of 1846 shall have been fully tested. Gen. lrvin's speech on the Tariff bill proves his intima'e acquaintance with the public affairs of this Stale that he knows her resources and ihe means by which ihey may he made availa ble and manaffiid iff public advantage. Thin we see how unjiial all these charges are which have been mad against him, and what ridicu lous attempts are being made io hide from pub lic view h'is true merits and his iiuiess in all. respects for the office in which the people of this enlightened Commonwealth are about to place him. And now let us take aglance at tho oihef side of the picture, and inquire what of Fran' cis R. Shunk ? Where are the great public5 measures which he has originated, or in which' ho has taken a prominent par,t ? What of h'lt' private life ? Have his talents insured, him success there ? " Francis S. Shunk was educated' for the Bar, to which lie wa:s admitted, opened an ofiice. and by professional Card in trio iiewsp'.ipers and a sign upon his window shutter, gave ihe usual indications of a readiness and willingue.v to serve the public in the capacity of aii advo cate. No doubt many even of his most zeafp'f supporters, are unaware of this fact iii h'ts his tory, and well may they bo so if their informa tion i to be derived from any celebrity that he ai-cmired; or any distinguished efforts that H& ever made in his professional course : fur it well known, and which cannot be concealed, hat he was unable to succeed in his profession, for no oilier reason than a want of capachy, and was obliged to abandon it and resort to ollice hunting as better suited to his talents. Where are his clients, hts speeclies, his briefs, or ca ses ? Where does his name figure in the dts- cussionjf important questions befoie ihe Su preme Court! Answer who can. 1 would not have adverted to this circumstance had we noi been &o boldly challenged to a comparison of the merits of the two candidates. Sirice' Mr. Shunk closed the windows of his law of fice and left it no doubt disgusted wMf the aristocracy of professional life he has been a pel of his pany, and highly favored by beiifj kept in office ever since. But his public ca reer has been no more creditable than was his professional life. Let his ftierids point us io any important measure that he has origiiiaied. They will search in vaih for any such evi deiice of his talents. Since he lias occupied the chair of Stale maily of his appointment have been most injudicious, and made in dtfect opposition to the wishes of the -person's inoit interested in them. Some of his parly may remember the distress ing siaie of affairs that he impended bvtir iho people of this Judicial district iiot long since, tin account of which he very justly received the bitterest censure from the ranks of Detiiocracy. It may not be forgotten, lhat in spile of all op position, entreaty and importunity, on the p;irt of the committee who was sent to endeavor t avert the disaster, he determined to persist ia his course, and had it not been for the unex pected action of the Senate of the U. States, we would have experienced a state of thing which all so much dreaded, and which is felt in some other Judicial districts of the Sia'e. Now this shows that so long as he fs supported by the wisdom of the Legislature he can pass along without coirimiiiirig any egregious blun der, but as soon as he is thrown upon his own resources he manifests his weakness and lack of judgement. His character, to say the most of it, is a mere negative, and can be recom mended in no other way than as did the quack his nostrums 4 if 'twill do no good 'twill do no harm.' Whilst I do not allcdge anything derogatory to the moral character of Mr. Shunk, I by no raeins accord to him any superiority in this 'particular, (oT I know the moral character of our candidate to be far above the shadow of suspicion. I am perfectly willing that the pub lic should compare their relative merits in that respect, as well as with reference to those qual ifications which are requisiie io a faithful and prompt discharge of the duties pertaining to that important station,' at the present u'me, when the state of the country requires vigorous and vviso legislative action. I leave the peo ple to judge for themselves after a careful ex aminaiion of the relative qualifications of .the two Candidates. A NEIGHBOR. A mct. " liow U0 you do, Mrs. I om nave you heard the story about Mr. Fundy V ' r " Why no ; really, Mrs. Gad, whaUs iU? do tell." Jfe " Oh, I promised not to tell for all the world. No, 1 must never iell on't as long asldie ; just as true as the world." ... T' " What is it 1 come fell." " '"- Now you won't say anything about' it1' will you 7" . A a. " No I'll never open my mouth a'tuui jitirT- nover. Hope to die this minute." " Well, if you believe me, Mrs. Fundy . told me yesterday, that her sister's hubaiuf was told by a person, that Mrs. Trobule'sefde.si daughter told Nicholas that her grandmother heard by a letter she got from her ihird sister's husband's oldest brother's daughter, thai it was reported by the captain of a olam boat just aj- rived from ihe fejee Islands, that the mermaid about lhat section wore shirk skin stuffed with pickled eels." bustles Insects breathe through the holes or pores on each side of every segment of iho abdomen, called spiracula.
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