THE HUNTINGDON JOURNAL.
`•One country, one constitution, one deattny."l
Illunlingdon, Aug. 3, 1842.
COUNTY CONVENTION,
Democratic Harrison Meeting
The citizens of the several townships
and borough of this county, are requested
to meet at their usual places of meeting,
on Saturday, the 6th day of August, to
elect two Delegates from each of said
townships and boroughs, to represent them
in the County Convention, which will
meet in the borough of Huntingdon, on
Wednesday, the 11th of August,
at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, to nominate
a County Ticket, to be supported by the
opponents of the present State administra
tion, at the coining election, and also to
appoint Congressional and Senatorial con
feree!.
By order of the County Committee.
THOS. FISHER, Chairman
July 19th, 1842.
(y The Lewistown Bank, it is said, is'
redeeming all her liabilities in specie. It
may be so.
FRIENDS OF THE LAMENTED
11ARRISON!
Forgct not the DELEG.•ITE
EL LCTIO.V on Sattirday
next.
It is hoped that the primary elections on
Saturday, the 6th, will be attended to by
our friends in the different Townships and
Boroughs in this county ; so that the voice
of the people—fully, fairly, and unequivo
cally expressed—may come up in the
COUNTY CONVENTION on the fol
lowing Wednesday, and present a Ticket
that will secure the united and active sup_
port of the democracy of numbers in "Old
Huntingdon." We are proud to know
that our county is full of men "good and
true," and of such should our whole ticket '
be mad, up; and then, certainly, as in days
gone by, can we again triumph over the
reckless demagogues of the " foul party"
and their deluded followers.
Nominations are to be made for Mem
bers of the Hoot.
Prothonotary and Clerk of the Courts of
Quarter Sessions and Oyer and Terminer
—Register and Recorder and Clerk of the
Orphans' Court—County Commissioner—
Auditor—and also Congressional and Se.
natorial Conferees.
Our indefatigable Loco Foco opponents
are already laying schemes to deceive, mis
lead and distract us as a party. The best
interests of the country are at stake.—
Thetis matters should, therefore, be attend
ed to in time.
Thunder and Lightning.
This neighborhood was, on Friday at ter•
noon last, visited by a heavy thunderstorm,
which, did, however, no serious injury that
we know of.
In a field on the farm of Mr. John Hil
debrand, a mile or two west of this borough,
a stack of hey was struck by the lightning,
and partly burnt. Seven workmen were
in the field, and were talking of going to
the stack for shelter from the rain when it
was struck; but fortunately, they were far
enough from it as to mope all injury.
On the Grave Yard Hill, adjoining town,
two oak trees were struck by the fluid, and
greatly riven. On Piney Ridge and Stone
Creek Hill several trees shared the same
fate.
Slate Convention
In pursuance of the call of the State
Committee, previously published, a Con
vention of the friends of Geneial SCOTT
assembled at liarriabsig, of Tuesday of
last week. The " Telegraph" states that
delegates were in attendance from the
cLunties of Allegheny, Adams, Cumber
land, York, Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks,
Dauphin, Cambria, Union and Philadel
phia. SAMIRL PARK, of Lancaster, pre
sided.
information Wanted.
Is it true that some of the officers on'
the Public Works send the Slate funds to
Pittsburg to buy up Erie Relief Notes at
a heavy discount--and then pay off the
" hands" with that depreciated currency?,
And who pockets the profits? We would
like to know.
011 The Legislature have abolished the
office of Surveyor General.
ter Our correepondent, Leonidas,'
suggests some wholesome ideas on norm
marts, in the closing pal t of his fifth nuns
ber. Let them be read and co idered.
Law Abolishing Imprison.
meat for Debt.
This law will be found on the first page
of to-day's paper. It is given ir, Full, and
may be relied on as correct. The proviso,
however, in the first section, requiring
twenty day's residence to entitle the
debtor to its benefits, has been repealed
by a subsequent act.
Our readers will no doubt, with most
other intelligent men, consider it a long
tissue of legal rigmarole—thirty-seven
complicated sections of awkwardly dove•
tailed mischief, trouble and vexation;
with a cunningly devised Yankee clap
trap title, namely—" An Act to Abolish
Imprisonment for Debt," &c. The Solons
who passed the law were no doubt actua
ted by sinister motives. With all defer
ence to our sage law-makers, we must
say that they were actuated by such mo
tives--for we believe it most devoutly.
It was originally designed as a trap for the
Whigs in the" factious" Senate. An act'
bearing such a title as this does, was well
calculated to gull the poor into a belief
that the Loco Focos who profess a love
for the "dear people," were trying to do
something for their benefit. It was never
dreamt of by the Loco Focos that the
factious" Senate would let such a bill
pass —but the Senate had seen traps",
before, and were perfectly willing that the
Loco Focos should have all the praise or
all the blame for thia. It passed the Sen
ate v ith but one dissenting voice, and it is
now the law of the land.
To ascertain the merits of this law, it
will be well to compare it with the " Act
for the relief of Insolvent Debtors,"
which it supercedes. By that act the
debtor was permitted to file his bond vi ith
any Judge or with the Prothonotary, con
ditioned for his appearance at the next
Court of Common Pleas, there to present
his petition for the benefit of that law,
and comply with all the orders of the
Court in that behalf. On filing such
bond, the officer discharged him—and the
debtor was at liberty. If he complied
with the condition of the bond and the
order of the Court he was discharged from
all his debts, so far as imprisonnient was
concerned; ano w
arrested him, he was subject to an action
for false imprisonment.
By the new law, the creditor may arrest
the debtor, and take him before a judge;
and mm c. ;:t ie to b.. had at once, instead
of waiting until the next Court. if the
debtor has fifty or a hundred creditors
they may, one after another, arrest him,
and put him through the same farce; and
the only restriction there is an the credi
tor, is the cost of the proceeding, which
is but trifling, and will not prevent Shy
locks from harrassing those who have
brought themselves within their power.-
IBut then, to do away this difficulty, our
legislators have wisely re-enacted the old
insolvent law. So that after being har
rassed under the sew law till he can suf
er it no longer, then the debtor may avail
himself of a iischarge under the insolven'
law, or that far more effectual remedy—
the BANKRUPT LAW.
As far, indeed, as names are concerned,
this new law may be said to evidence the
progress of civilization ; but it cannot be
forgotten that under the old law no hon
est debtor was ever compelled to see the
inside of a prison. Every hottest man
could get bail for his appearance and then
he was at liberty, and the law allowed him
to retain more property than most men in
good circumstances are possessed of; so
that in fact the condition of the poor debt.
or is not any better now than it was beforel
the passage of this act.
The new law also changes the nature of
the bail before justices for appeals and stays
of executions. Before the passage of this
act, in such cases special bail was entered,,
which is only for the appearance of the prin
cipal—end the bail could at all times be ex
onerated by delivering up his principal; but
under the new law, in order to entitle a
party to an appeal or a stay of execution,
he must enter absolute bail, which is for
the payment of the money ; and it the prin.
cipal does not pay the money the bail
cannot in any way be relieved from the
payment thereof as long as he remains
solvent. This will be a hardship upon
the poor man; for although any man could
procure special bail, there are but few
who can reasonably expect to get absolute
bail.
The effect of this law, in connection
with the Stay Law, and the Bakrupt Law,,
will be to check or perhaps finally to
labolish the Credit System in Pennsyl
vanis.
OJ-There wasfrost in some parts of this
ciiunty on the mornings of Monday and
Tweak) , last, which did but slight injury.
MORE WHIG CONSISTENCY.—It was for
merly a grave charge against the Democratic
party that they wished to destroy all the
banks ; it is now made a matter of accusation
that 24 loco tacos sited to re-charter the
Farmers' Bank of Reading in Berko co,, an
institution that the people of the county,
without distinction of party, wished to have!
re-chartered. Do the whigs and antimasons
,go for an indiscriminate destruction of all
!banks, that thee thus denounce those who
charter any ?—remorratic Standard.
The " Standard" knows very well that
he Whigs and Antimasons are not for'
"an indiscriminate destruction of all
banks"—nor are they to be affected by
such insinuations. We proved, last week,
that the Loco Focos profess to be o UNI- 1
FORMLY FOUND OPPOSED TO
OUR PRESENT BANKING SYS.I
TEM," while at the same time they char-I
ter, re• charter and keep up. that sytem by
their votes in the Legislature and by coun
tenancing them at home, thus showing the
most palpable inconsistency. This is all
that your brethren are accused of, on this
score, Mr. Standard. It matters little to
us whether the Loco Foco party is uni
formly opposed to, or whether it takes the
other extreme and uniformly supp7rts,
banking. But we do object to its being
the one in theory and the other in practice.
That's all. How do you like it, Mr.
Standard.
Speaker of the Senate.
At the close of the Extra Session, JOH'
Sntoitm, Speaker of the Senate, resigned
his station, and the Senate proceeded to
an election of Speaker when, after thirty
four unsuccessful ballotings, on the thirty
fifth, WILLIAM IIIEsTEN, Senator from
Lancaster county, was elected. Mr.
Strohm'a term of office, as Senator, expi
red with the late Session.
Extract of a Letter to the Editor, dated,
HARROBURG, July 27th 1842.
Dian Si:t
The Legislature adjourned
last night about 11 o'clock, after passing
a bill giving the money in the Treasury,
except so much as may be required to
!defray the annual payments from the trea
sury, to the domestic creditors, and
'doubling the present taxes on all property
Inow taxed for state purposes. The Gov
ernor rlid not inform the Legislature what
he would do with the Congreettienid Die
trict Bill. It is still in his hands, and it
is doubtful whether he will elan, or hold it
over the next session.
In haste
Yours &c.
otr The " Standard" generously offers
to inform its readers of the notices of
the Sheriff's Sales, dec. gratis, because
the Sheriff is allowed to pay hut two pa
pers for publishing them, and chooses to
have it done in the " Register" and " Jour
nal"— they having the most extensive
circulation.
Now, we do not like to be out-done in
acts ot generosity, and shall, therefore, as a
quid pro quo, publish the numerous "pro
posals," litungs," and other " State
jobs" which make their appearance in the
Standaid from time to time, and for which
that popes alone receives pay. We intend
to publish these, we say, whenever we have
rosin, and can borrow the matter. And if
our " democratic" brother is not Satisfied,
sod still continues to make a poor mouth)
about the matter, we shall agree to trade our
accounts against the Sheriff tar the Stani•
ard's accounts against the State—even up
—or perhaps give him a few dollars to
boot. What say you to the bargain, Mr.
Standard? Will you negotiate 1
001VIAZUNICLA.TION0.
Mr. Jesse Moore.
MR. Enrron
As the time is fast aps
proaching when the Democratic Harrison
party of this county tire to nominatecan
didates for the respective offices to be filled
he coming fall, allow us, through the
columns of your excellent paper, to sug
gest to the consideration of the County
Convention, Mr. JESSE MOORE, our
present Representative, as a suitable per
son to represent this county in the Legis
lature another session. We feel confi
dent that we express not only our own,
but the sentiments of the whole party,
when we say that his course during the.
regular and extra session just terminated,'
has been not only unexceptionable but
exceedingly acceptable to his constituents,
and to our friends in the Legislature gen
erally. Ile has proved himself to be an
honest, worthy and faithful man, co-oper
ating ale ay s with his political friends,
and sincerely attached to correct pritici
plea. If lie shouldlaw eto stand a nomi
nation, his election WI he sure.
liy publishing the above in your value
ble Journal you will oblige
MANY VOTER/.
No. Vir.
The cause of the hard limes
Mn. EDITOR:
In my former communica. ,
'tions I have endeavored to call to the re-
collection of your readers, some of the
facts which have taken place in the last
few years; and which have been the pri
mary cause of all our difficulties. Let me
now endeavor to show what has been the
effect of such a condition of things.
One party has adopted what they con
sidered available rallying cries ; and then
by every means in their power they have
l impressed upon the people that the only
hope of avoiding embarrassment in the af
-1 lairs of our national and state governments
I was to vote for their men, and that they of
course would adopt and carry out their
measures, for which they so loudly ex
claimed. Yet in every case, although al
ways successful, have they either refused
to advocate, or denied their attachment to
those very measures t Again some other
ignis fatutis of party was sent bobbin;
along over their political mire ; and that
now became the star of certain prosperity;
and in crowds the people followed the
false light and the party triumph was coin
, plete. Yet one after another of these
glimmerings of hope have shone and gone
out, but the daylight of prosperity has
never dawned over the midnight of politi
r cal folly, corruption or madness. The
I
people are still called upon to attend upon
i
the same political charlatans, and that
. they will save them, and their country,
from the direful evils of a return to the
1 good old doctrines of Washington, Jeffers
'son, Madison Monroe and others, or as
'they say, the old federal doctrines which
established a National Bank and a Pio
,tectlve Tariff. Will the people again
follow the blind guides who have for 12
years been leading them on from one panic
'ouranother, until our currency is trash, and
tour workshops are silent ?
What would you, farmers, think of a
man who should change each year his
plan of planting his corn and each suc
ceeding year gave him a worse crop than
the preceding, and who would then refuse
to go back to his good old plan that had
always secured him a sure crop? Would
not all laugh at him as a poor misguided
dupe. To Ile .ere you wou ld I You
would say to him, "Why you used to have
a good crop before you followed the ex
periments of that fellow who wants to
sell you his patent rights, or wants to make
you believe you know nothing about farm
ing." Now how is it with the govern
ments? You have seen how they got a
long on the old plan, and that we then
had good times, but ever since we have
been following the advice of these patent
democrats, we have been going dawn hill.'
But they think the poor and honest hard
working farmer and workingman dues not'
know any thing about government, and
that they are bound to believe whatever
they are told ; and when one of these
patent right chaps wants you to follow
him he always says "stick to our party—
' don't desert the party—never go over to
_ _ _
the federalts.'s —remember the buck-shot
war—you were always a democrat and
your father before you," and with such
stuff draws your attention from the con
dition of the country. When thus assailed
ask them why has not our party improved
the currency 1 they have been in power
for twelve years 1 why have the expenses
of government increased so much? our
party has been in power during all the
time? why has our state credit got 50 per
- -
cent below par—our party has been all
this time in power? Why is the National
freasury out of credit and in debt— our
party has always been there 7 Where is
the specie currency we were to get—our
party have had the power ever since
Where are the honest officers that our
party said they would appoint h Swart
%%mut one of them? Is Harris? Is Came
ron? Is Brodhead? Is Fritz? Our party
'appointed all these, and they have never
been imprisoned. Where is the reduction
in the expense of managing our public im
provements? they cost more in 1859 to
repair them than they did in 1838 even in- '
cluding the stealings on the Big Break,
and why is this? our party has had the
power? What has stopped the iron
Works--our party have been in power ?
What has stopped our commerce--our
party have been in power? Or, to sum up
all, why have the times been every year
getting harder since 1832, when our party
has been all the while holding the reins of
Government ? And are these the effects
of our party principles as carried out by
our men? Ask these questions, and de
'nand answers that will satisfy your mind,
and see if any of that party can give you
a reply that cats take the blame float,
.themselves. Oh no, they will say you Sr.l
,turning federalist or antimason. They
'will begin to doubt your Democracy. Yet
to me it would seem that it was some evi
dence of returning reason, and that the
spirit of Republican Freedom was still a
live in your breast. But the truth is,
party slang is too often the argument thatl
is used by leaders of both parties. Letl
reason and not passion be your guide, and,
my word for it, the gull traps of party will
never catch you in its springs. Learn
then, to act and think for yourself.--
Learn to take a part in all the doings
which affect in the remotest manner your
interest, and tell the leader of all parties
that you intend to guard your own rights,
independent or his dictation, or of that of
his party. Learn to examine carefully the
public acts of your public agents, and you
will then see if they do what they say, or
whether they do as they please; and let
you who are the real sufferers pay the ex
penses.
Fellow citizens are not these things
worthy of your calm, deliberate and ear
nest attention ? How few of the people of
our county but who are disgusted at the
scenes which every day's legislation pre
sents—which almost every official act pro•
duces? How many have given up in dis
pair and say that it makes no odds who II
elected, all are rogues alike? There are
many, very many; and they say so with
some show of truth. Yet where one party
have been twelve years promising, and
every year breaking those promises—they
have a right to say that party has been
long enough tried and we can du no worse.
They have broken all their pledges.
None of their dreams of prosperity have
been realized—none of their experiments
have succeeded ; and the people have not
only the right, but have the best reason in
the world to say that their conduct has
been the cause of all our hard times.
In my next I will endeavor to show
what I believe to be the proper course for
the people to pursue to remedy the diffi
culties which now surround them. The
difficulties can be remedied and the reme
dy is in the hands of the people
July 28th 1842
LEONIDAS
No. Vv_
Theßemedy.
MR. EDITOR :
I have said that the rem
edy for our present difficulties was with
the people, and I propose to explain my
Iviews as to how they can apply that reme
dy with success.
It has been said, by one of the most
learned and able commentators upon the
science of government and law, that
"when a free people have their constitu
tion and system of laws pretty well estabs
fished, construed and understood—when,
their usages and habits of business have!
accommodated themselves to their institu.'
thins; and especially when they are secure ]
in their persons and property, under an
impartial administration of justice, they'
should above all things to BEWARE OFI
H EORY , for in that way madness lies."'
The truth of this every one will admit whop
will look back over the past. Had the
people not been deluded by the false theo-,
ries of the politicians of the last few years
how much better would have been their,
condition. How plainly do we see that
" in that way madness lies." When the
people were "secure in their persons and ,
property" twelve years ago, they forgot
the good old maxim of " a bird in the hand
&c," and the wild and Utopian notions of
party demagogues were adopted. The
experiments of party assumed the place
of the long tried, and well proven systems,
adopted by those sages who did not wear
their principles as men wear a coat, which
must change with every fashion, 4.• the end
is not yet. We have gone far enough to see
the "madness",of our course; and let me
say now as the first step in the remedial
process—"BE WARE OF THEORIES,
IN THAT IrSY MADNESS LIES!
Make up you minds that you will not be
mislead by new notions of government—
that the oily tongue of the political bawl
era of the present day cannot direct you—
that you will act by and for yourselves—
that you will take a bold and active part,
in the affilirs of your country--that you
will take a determined stand in favor of
measures--and that those measures must
and shall be carried into effect. Measures
have heretofore only been heard of in
promises before an election. When the
election is over there is nothingmore heard
of their measures. Your Legislators go to
the seat of government, but what do they
do? Your Governor is elected pledged
to accomplish wonders in the way of bet
tering the condition of the country. Yet
when he is elected what does Ile do? draw
his pay from the public purse like the rest
of the office holders—and you, and the
improvement of your situation, or that of,
the country is forgotten. The people can!
stop this. Let them refuse at all times
to select men for office who will not avow
their measures before election ; and who
will not try to carry them -out sifter the
election. If once deceived, never let
THAT MAN deceive you again. Let
him be denounced and dispised as unwor
thy of your confidence; but select anoth
er; and when yen have thus commenced
your work of r efortnation, you:will soon
find the institutions of your country as
suming permanency and stability.
But I hear some one say, there is nobo
dy we can trust any more. It is a mistake.
You are led to think so because the corn
(motion of party politics has shaken the
cunning and corrupt to the top (as shaking
a basket of shelled corn will bring the
cubs to the top) and when any office is
be filled one of these fellows is alwayu
ready and willing to fill it. But here let
me draw a line of distinction between
those men who think, read and discuss tin.
principles of political economy, and those
men who talk nothing but the slang phra
sea of party; who say "it is all right" to
every act of one party, and "it is
wrong" to all the acts of the other party.
The former always are governed by the
circutnstances of the case; they tell the
truth or a falsehood; will agree or disa
gree with any man; will call the thieving
of their party honesty, and the honesty of
the other party theft; will advocate a
measure to-day and prollounce it afederal
notion to-morrow; will call banks "monied
aristocracies" in public while they are
stock-holders in them. The former are
- -
the mainstay of the people, and the lam..
are the slang-whanging demagogues of
bar room, or an election day, whom
mouths are always full of every election I ,
victory and nothing else. There can be
no difficulty in choosing between these
two. With the first you are sure of having
a fair trial of principles, for they will sink
or swim with those they avow. With the
latter you will always be deceived; arid
in a careful selection of the former you
will be sure to apply another remedy to
the present existing evils.
But again, I hear another say, "oh what
can the people do? the politicians always j
have matters cut and dried." Let me tell
you what you can do. Let every man who 'd
values his birth rights go to the primary
meetings, and to all meetings; let bin.
show the politician that their eyes are on
him. Let them watch the hangers on of
the party; and whenever he hears a nun
say if "1 dont get a nomination for this or
that I'll go over to the others— never trust
such a man! He would sell his birth
right for a mess of pottage. His princi
ples will never keep the people out of their
difficulties. He will adopt any of those
theories "in %%hid' madness lies," raring
for nothing but his own aggrandisement.
Go to the primary tneeetings ; be seen and
heard there : and when you select men to
represent your wishes on any added se
lect such as will go for the good of the
many, and not for the success of the few.
Do this and you hare applied another of
the remedies to the existing sufferings of .
poophs.
l'hese are some of the primary steps
which the people must take if they would
set about applying means to remedy the
misfortunes which have befallen them ;
and I do hope they will receive their calm
considaration.
LI2O.IVIDAS%
August lat 1842
Deplorable Casnally. 74.
WC learn from the Bradford Porter the
particulars of the most deplorable and l e
shocking occurrence we ever rememol4l
to have recorded, resulting in the death '
of a worthy citizen of Bradford county :
The Porter states that " Mr. Alonzo B.
Holcomb, a farmer, of Leroy townsh,p
was the owner of a valuable Bull,
he kept chained to a stake in a field ~„ I
his farm. On Friday last Mr. Holcorn!:
as in supposed, undertook to remove It.,
stake to another part of the field, when
he was attacked by the bull and gored to
death. bo furious were the assaults of
the animal, that the man was literally torn
piece -meal : not an article of clothing was
found upon his person except the wrist
band of his shirt. After accomplishing;
his work of dest ruction, the hull approach
ed the house when his head and horns
were observed by some of the family to bt
covered with blood, and on search bein;:,
made, the mutilated remains of the unto'-
tunate man were discovered, near "hem a
the bull had been chained.
.~.~~._
A CONVICTED JUSTICE IN PRISON.---
William Wiley, Esq., who was mete ;
months since convicted of receiving err:. len money, viz: the large amount stolen
from the Frederick Bank, of Maryland.
to return it to the Bank officers, and
whose case was carried up to the Supreme-
Court on a bill of exceptions : in conse
quence of that Court having affirmed the
judgment of the Court below, and sent the
case back to the Circuit Court for sew
tence, was this morning arrested en a
bail- piece and lodged in the city prison ;.
there to remain until the Court can paps
sentence upon him, in September next..
N. Y. Union.
HEAVY Dsmauns.--The Earl of Kin•
noul presented the Rev. Robert Young tit
the living of Aucl►terwarder, in Scotland;
and demanded of the Presbytery to give
him a trial. This was refused. An a -
peal was had to the Synod, which b y
ordered the Presbytery to conform to
wish of the patron. Irrefused, and flit
General Assembly sustained the refuaal..
An appeal was had to the House of Lords,
when the judgment of the Synod was con
firmed. The Synod refused to conform,
and legal proceedings being had, the Pres.
bytery was ordered to pay £5OOO to the
Earl of Kinnoul, and EBO,OOO to 019. Rev-
Mr. Young, as damages.—U. S. Gazette.
Chapman, the " crowing" editor in In
diana, has just been cast in a verdict of
$909 ler malicious prosesulin.