From the Penn'a. Intelligences.
The apportionment
Parsons to the contrary notwithstanding.
. flow then could the sheriffs answer to the
The election of members of Congress— People for depriving them of a legal elec.
The duty of the Sherif —The Veto tion 1 The sate way, then is for the sher-
Power in the State Constitution a via- iffy to obey the law—the statute book is
lotion of the Constitution of the United their only guide, be the consequences
States, when exercised on an Appor- what they may. The Governor's word
tionment Bill. is not law--his circular cannot suspend a
In our last was published a circular ad- law and he himself is not only VlOLA
dressed to the several Sheriffs of this TING the law, but the Constitution of the
Commonwealth, by A. V. Parsons, Secre. United Stales, in undertaking . to deprive
tary of this Commonwealth, stating that it the people of an election, enjoined upon
was unnecessary for them to do their duty them by both.
and obey the law of the land by inserting Theie is another consideration, which
in their proclamations a notice of the elec• ought to have some weight, with both the
tion of members of Congress. people and the sheriffs. It is a question,
Mr. Parsons states that he is instructed yet undecided, whether the Governor's
by the Governor to say, that the appor• signature is necessary to an apportionment
tionment bill, which was the:object of the bill. The Constitution of Pennsylvania
extra session, and which passed both Is silent upon this subject, and the same
Houses by a large majority, and one languag e is used in the constitution of the
House by two-thirds, will nut receive the United States, in reference to the election
Executive sanction, and this extraordinary of Senators and Representatives in Con
season is given why the Sheriffs should, gress. The reason is plain, as it was
under the solemn obligations of their oaths never intended that one man should have
and duty disregard both the Constitution the power to prevent the States from being
and the laws. represented. Consequently the Senators
Under the unrepealed law of that State, are elected by the Legislature without
the Sheriffs of Louisiana have lately held the concurrence of the Governor, and can
an election and the people have voted for not the Legislature prescribe times, places
members of Congress, although it was and manner of electing Representatives
known to all, that the members elect without the consent of Executive Officers?
would not represent the State in the new' Can it be supposed that it was even in•
tended that a Governor elected for three
Congress, under the new census of 1840.
Uuder the UNREPEALED LAWS of four, or more years should have the pow-
Pennsylvania, the Sheriffs and People, er to prevent elections to Congress, and
are equally BOUND to do their duty, un-
dissolve the Union in defiance of the peo•
leas it can be shown that a circular of a pie and their representatives? That it
Secretary of the Commonwealth can, not
was never intended, is clear from the fore-1 ,
ealy set aside the Constitution and the going, as well as the fact that a large
ma-
Laws, but deprive the people of the right jority of the States of this Union are now
of election, and the State of a represents- represented in Congress under apportion.
tiun in Congress: Iment bills which required and received no
The Sheriffs have nothing to do with signature from the Governors.
the Apportionment Bill. They have no There are but eight States in the Union,
business to inquire Whether an election unless Michigan makes nine, that give
would be valid or not. Neither they nor their Governors power to prevent the
the Secretary of the Commonwealth, nor passage of laws unless sanctioned by two
the Governor are judges of the qualifies-Ithirds of the Legislature. These States
tons of members—like the Sheriffs of are Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Georgia,
Louisiana, they must obey the Law, an d Mississippi, Maine, New York, Hew
that LAW IS POSITIVE AND IN Hampshire and Massachusetts. The
FULL FORCE. Governors of Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama,
The Constitation of Pennsylvania is si.
lent on the subject of members of Con
dress, and they are not mentioned in that
ocument, except to prohibit them from
bolding or exercising any office to which
coy salary fees or perquisites, are by law
annexed.
The following is copied from the Con.
stitution of the United States, and com
prises all that is said in that instrument,
relative to the obligation of the people to
sentative,,
chosen every seConTe House of Repre
the several States. "f members
1.--Sec. 4. The times, place4 . at
manner of holding elections for Senators
and Representatives, shall be prescribed
by the Legislature thereof; but the Con
gress may at any time, by law, make or
alter such regulations, except as to the,
place of choosing Senators."
In conformity with these provisions of
the Constitution of the United States the
Legislature of Pennsylvania, on the 2d of
July, 1859, (Pamph. L. page 519,) passed
a " Consolidated act relative to the elections'
of this Commonwealth." This act, de
pending upon no other act, without any
proviso or contingency whatever, UN.
REPEALED and IN FULL FORCE has
the following sections, viz:
" lll—Elections of members of the House of
Representatives of the United States.
Sect. XXIII. The election of Repre
sentatives of the people of this Common•
wealth in the Congress of the Unite&
States, shall take place on the second
Tuesday in October, in the year one
thousand eight hundred and forty, and on
the second Tuesday of October in EVERY
SECOND YEAR THEREAFTER, at
the places appointed by law for holding,
the general elections.
Sect. XXIV. It shall be the DUTY
OF THE SHERIFFS of the several coun
ties TO GIVE NOTICE OF SUCH
ELECTIONS in the manner hereinbefore,
required in the case of general elections.
Sect. XXV. It shall be the DITTY OF
THE GOVERNOR, on the receipt of the
returns of the election of members of the ,
House of Representative, of the United
States, as aforesaid, by the Secretary of
the Commonwealth, to declare by procla
mation, the names of the persons so retur
ned, as elected in the respective districts,
and he shall also, as soon as conveniently
may be thereafter, transmit the returns so ,
made to the House of Representatives of
the United Stales."
Thus it will be seen that not only the
election law now remaining in full force
and virtue requires the people of this State
to elect members of Congress, on the Sec
ond Tuesday of October 1842, but it is'
enjoined upon the Sheriffs to give notice
by proclamation, Will any sheriff dare
to disobey the laws, and violate his duty'
at the command of any Secretary of the
Commonwealth?—What makes sheriffs or
any other officer amenable to any man? It
is time plain and bounden duty of the sher
iffs to follow the law, let it lead them
wherever it may. They are no judges of
the qualifications of members, and have no
right to inquire whether members elected
can take their seats in Congress or not.
But how do sheriffs know that the ap
portionment bill will not become a law?
The Governor himself cannot now tell,
with certainty, whether it will not yet be
the law of the land. Public Officers have
no certain lease of their lives, as we know
in the death of the lamented Harrison,
sad it he should die, or be incapaciated, it
would secotne a law, the circular of Mr.
!Missouri, Connecticut and Arkansas, only
have the power of returning bills for re
consideration, when, if they again pass by
a majority, they become laws. Vermont
only has one House, and the Governor
and twelve counsellors can only suspend
its bills one year, when they become law,
without even the sanction
of a Senate—
while in the States of Virginia, South
Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee,
Ohio, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey,
Delaware, and Rhode Island, the Execu
tive sanction to bills is entirely dispensed
with.
Thus it will be seen that this despotic
t fipi,skof some of the American Consti
used even irr e,g.tom the despotisms of
Charles I to the scaffotklLlAs_not been
ed in the Constitutions of two-dirtliF ht ,
the States in the Union, and if we are not
much mistaken the spirit of freeman, now
aroused by its monarchial use to defeat the
will of the people, both in the General
and State Governments, will ere long blot
out this odious vestage of despotic power
from every charter in this land of freedom.
If there is any thing in the Constitution
and laws of Pennsylvania, which can pre
vent the Legislative majority from com
plying with the 4th section of tho Ist ar.
title of the Constitution of the United
States, iidjb NULL AND VOID, AND
'NOT B ING UPON THE PEOPLE!
That article says that "the limes, places
and manner" fbr holding elections for
Senators and Representatives in Congress
"shall be prescribed by the Legislature
thereof."—No proviso that a Governors
can make it necessary to require two
thirds—but that the Legislature, (and a
majority constitutes the Legislature,) has
the whole power over this subject. It a
State Constitution can require two-thirds
of the Legislature, it can require the ac•
quiescence of every member—and if a
Governor can take away the power of one
third, he can take away the power of the
whole Legislature, and the Constitution
can be set aside.
That the Constitution of Pennsylvania
requires the signature of the Governor to,
all bills, unless they pass by two thirds of
both Houses, before they become a law,l
is true; and this making of the Governor
one third of the Legislative power, is nol
doubt binding upon the people, anti-demo- 1
cratic as it is until removed by them, ex
cept where it conflicts with the Constitu
tion of the United States. But in the
case of prescribing the times, places, and
manner of holding elections for Represen
tatives in Congress it DUES CONFLICT,
when exercised, and is therefore, by the
sixth article of the Constitution, NULL
AND VOID. What is the language of
the article!
Awr. Vl—Sect. 2 This Constitution
and the Laws of the United States which
shall be made in pursuance thereof, and
all treaties made, or which shall be made,
under the authority of the United States,
SHALL BE THE SUPREME LAW
lOF "I'HE LAND, and the judges in any
State shall be bound thereby, any thing in
the Constitution or laws of any State to
the contrary notwithstanding.'
, gislature of Pennsylvania have
1)1 . majorities in both Houses,
ded toe State into districts for the election,
of members of Congress. It has in obetli•
once to the 4th section of the Ist article of
the Constitution, prescribed the time, pla,
ces, and manner of holding the elections,l
and ajourned. Can therefore the Execu-i
tive, under a clause in the State charter,'
violate the Constitution of the U. States,
disobey the standing laws of his own Com
monwealth, deprive a lecislative majority
during his term of office from obeying the
supreme law of the land, take away from
the people the right of election, and virtu
ally,, so far as this State is concerned,
'DISSOLVE Tim UNION ?
This question is of the highest impor-
Jance to the friends of free government.—
We look upon it as a question higher than
party, and one involving public liberty,
l and the union of the States. Let the
Sheriffs do their duty in obedience to the
law. Let the people obey both the law
and the constitution, and if it needs be, let
this question, so vital to our form of gov
vernment, be decided by the highest judi
cial tribunal in the country.
The Veto Prospective.
The " Butler Herald," a Loco Foca ps- 1
per, in speaking of the high-handed course
of Governor Porter in reference to the
Apportionment Bill, discourses as fol
lows :
We do not feel disposed to find fault
with every act of the Executive in relatio n n ,
to his peculiar manner of administerirg
the affairs of the Commonwealth, but we
cannot refrain from spolking out when the
necessity of the case demands it. It
'should tie the policy of every Democratic
print in the State to let those entrusted
with power, know when they act wrong,
and not hesitate to let them know it, re
gardless of giving offence.
The extra session, which cost the state
of Pennsylvania--the poor tax-ridden peo
ple of an almost bankrupt state—about
fifty thousand dollars was called express
ly for the purpose of districting the state,
and now, after all the costs, trouble and
expense—the whole to end in nothing, is
too much. It Pennsylvania was out of
debt and a few thousand dollars ahead in
the Treasury, a little sport might be made
at the public expense; but in our present
wretched condition it is a sin to trifle thus
with the interests of the people.
To the bill we have some objections :
but no doubt it was as good a bill as un
der all circumstances could have been a
dopted. As to there being a small frac
tion over in some districts, and in others
a fraction less than the ratio, it could not
be avoided, and probably it it had, would
have been worse for all parties concerned,
and we think the Governor should have
substantial reasons for refusing his assent.
Opposition to a measure like this should
be based on constitutional grounds and
not on the supposition that it was made
for party purposes : for if it were so,
;every measure might be vetoed, because
the Executive thought it might militate a
gainst his party, right or wrong.
In some sections it may please the peo
ple, and we hope it may: but here we as
sure the Governor and those who uphold
hint in the act, that it is by no means ref.
It is the truth, and we wish to
degraa..„.. , t f i tr
lic men when hei. d ..l;,.
it would be equally
opinion from pub
views df the peopreti't% .oeet the
ROMANTIC ATTIMPT AT SELF-DISTRUC-
Tiox.—A young lady, some sixteen years
old, named Mary Porter, residing at
Stockbridge, Mass., in the family of the
Rev. Mr. Austin, from some melancholy
depression of spirits, bordering upon ali
enation of mind, recently attempted to
drown herself. It was customary with
her to ride out on horseback before break
fast, but one day last week, not returningl
as usual, some of the family went in pur
suit of her. The horse without any rider
was discovered by a woodside, and, on
further search, the young lady was disco
vered perched on a rock inthe middle of
a shallow stream which courses in that
vicinity. There she was, denuded of her
riding habit, and dripping with water.—
They hurried to her, and led her to the
shore ; and she then informed them that
she hail taken herself to the water with the
intention of drowning herself, and had
made too efforts to do so, but had found the
water too shallow. She had mounted the
rock to look for deeper water when she
was discovered, and happily rescued.—
She was forthwith conducted home, and
with all practicable despatch placed in the 1
Asylum at Worcester.
FACTS TOR PRINTERS.—There are in
the United States 1,552 printing offices ;
447 binderies; 148 daily pipers; 1,141
weekly; 125 semi and tri-weekly papers;
227 periodicals. These offices employ
18,525 men, and the amount of capital in
vested is 05,875,815.
TRODBLE ON THE COAST.--Cllptaill
Champion, of the Harriet, at Baltimore,
from the west coast of Africa, reports that
on the 26th April the schooner Mary Car
ver, Farwell, of Plymouth, Me, was cap
tured by the natives of Barbara, and the
captain and Grew murdered in the most
cruel manner, on account of some dispute
between the captain and the natives.
Here is something rich! The Speaker
of the Ohio Senate talked of an applica
tion to Gov. Corwin to call out the aid of
the military, to compel the attendance of
the resigned Senators! Paixhan guns and
Colt's rides, but that is rich
The late proceedings in Ohio, have a•
roused the Spirit of 1840. A Convention
was held at Xenia, at which 10,000 per
sons attended.
Indigo, bound on a snake bite, is said
to be a cure.
4 1,
1M.7.70k3
-Aw.-„Q\
THE HUNTINGDON JOURNAL
'One country, one constitution, cne destiny."
Huntingdon, Aug. 31, 1842.
V. B. PALMER, Esq. (No. 104 S. 3rd St.
Philade! phia,)is authorized to actasstgent
for this paper, to procure subscriptions and
advertisments.
DEMOCRATIC HARRISONIAN
COUNTY TICKET.
PROTHONOTARY,
JAMES STEEL, of Huntingdon.
REGISTER & RECORDER,
JOHN REED, of Huntingdon.
• ASSEMBLY,
iONATH AN M'WILLIAMS, Franklin tp
BRICE BLAIR, of Dublin township.
CommssioNEn,
ALEXANDER KNOX, JR. of Blair tp.
CORONOR,
JAMES SAXTON, JR. of Huntingdon.
THOMAS E. ORBISON, of Cromwell tp.
Dr. JOHN M'CULLOUGH and JOHN
BROTHERLINE were chosen Congress
ional Conferees, to meet other Conferees
from Mifflin, Juniata and Union, in the Bo
rough of Lewistown, on the 10th of Septem
ber.
PETER HEWIT, ISRAEL GRAFFI
US, JAMES METLIN and A. J. WIG
TON were chosen Senatorial Conferees, to
meet in the Borough of Mifflintown, on the
9th of September.
North Eastern Boundary.
On Saturday the 20th inst. the treaty
between the United States and Great
Britain was ratified by the Senate, by a
vote •f 29 to 9. Messrs. Allen, Bagby,
Benton, Buchanan, Conrad, Linn, Smith
of Illinois, and Sturgeon voted against it.
The Tariff Bill,
On the 22nd inst. Mr. McKennan, in
troduced as a substitute for the Tariff Bill
lately vetoed by Mr. Tyler, the same bill
without the Distribution clause, and ex
empting tea and coffee from duty. This
bill passed the House by a vote of 105 yeas
to 103 nays, and was sent to the Senate,
: whore it was referred to the committee on
finance, who reported it with amendments.
At our latest advices it was still under
discussion in the Senate.
Veto and Ditto?) on a small
locale.
In another part of this paper will be
reekl„tlle Governor's veto of Mr. Roth
to the attentitirilibgl. We commend it
crat in little Clinton. As Wit Demo -
likes to whitewash the character of his VI
cellency this will afford him another oppor
tunity.
Nominations.
The following nominations have been
made by the Harrison Democrats, for the
next Legislature.
Adams.—Maxwell Shield and William
Diehl.
Allegheny.—Neville B. Craig, Hiram
Holtz, James Robinson and James Sheri
dan.
Butler.—Samuel Marshall.
Erie.--Stephen Skinner and Lyman
Robinson.
Indiana.--John McE wen.
Laneasser.--For Senate, John Lovett.
House ' Daniel Balmer, A. H. Hood, Chas.
Carpenter, Andrew Thompson, Jacob
Foreman, John Warfel.
Lebanon.--For Senate, Levi Kline.—
House, Daniel Stine.
Union.--John A. Valvanzah.
' C Revolutionary::
" The Federalists are. and al%ays have
been revolutionary in their movements."—
Clinton Democrat.
If you mean the Whig party, you are
right for once, FLAP. They were revo
lutionary" in 1776, and have been co ever
Isince
Oto" We are indebted to the Hon. Wm.
W. IRwzx for a copy of his speech i. on
the duty of Congress in the present crisis."
delivered in the House of Representatives,
in Committee of the Whole on the state
of the Union. on the 12th inst.
(r:r The September No. of the " Moth
er's Magazine" has come to hand. It
contains an excellent article on Neglected
Children.
0*- Mr. Wise made his second aerial
voyage from York. Pa. on Saturday the
20th inst., being his 57th ascension. He
landed seven miles south of Lancaster, '
having made the voyage in *IN
Ohio Legislature.
Last week we published an important
statement which we copied from the Ohio
State Journal of the 11th inst., showing
that no Apportionment Bill had passed the
Legislature of Ohio, and announcing the
fact that the Whig members of the Senate
and House of Representatives had resign
ed their seats, and appealed to the people.
We have since received, in the Ohio pa
pers, the Address of the Democratic Whigs
late members of the General Assembly, to
the people of that State. The Address
shows that the present Loco Foco majority
were recklessly bent on perpetuating their
power by an utter disregard of their oaths
and the interests of the people; and that
the Whigs were to be, as far as it was
possible, disfranchised.
A statement is given in the Address
which shows that by the bill which the
Loco Focus had determined to force thro'
the Legislature, and which would liave
passed had not the resignation of the
Whig members prevented it, one half of
the Whigs in the State would have been
disfranchised. They say, were the Whigs
to carry the. State by len thousand, they
could elect only SEVEN members of Con.
gross, while the minority would elect soon-
TERN."
The act of Congress, which requires
the State to be divided in single districts
l of contiguous territory, would have been
most grossly violated by the bill which
the Whig portion of the Legislature have
defeated in this novel manner. One dis
trict, composed of the counties of Aslita
,
Ihula, Lake and Cuyahoga, runs about one
hundred miles along the lake shore, and in
some places is not snore than from six to
ten miles in breadth. The district com
posed oPthe counties of Holmes, Wayne
and Summit is formed of counties which
scarcely touch each other. Another dis
trict extends from the centre of the State
almost to the Indiana State line. And
another runs along the Ohio river fur
some two hundred and fifty miles. Why
all this gerrymandering? The answer is
plain. It is to gratify the vaulting ambi
tion of some of the Loco Foco members
who have set their hearts on goipg to Con
gress.
The seven Whig districts contain 524,-
1 702 inhabitants ; while seven Loco Foco
districts contain only 462,499, leaving a
Whig excess of 62:203; a greater amount
of popuration than is contained in one of
the Loco Foco districts. In fact the
whole bill seems to be made up of enormi
ties like theid.
Against e tlCe±asSage of such an abomi
nable kill tObahig portion of the Legis
lature at firstntised their voices loud in.
remonstrance. They invoked the spiritl
of their institutions, which frowned upon
told attempt of the minority to rule
t~eCongree s; ' - i i i e l y hgrin . tecl a t w o
L the co la F w co o s l
of their oaths; they appealeu
sense of justice; but every appeal was in
vain. It had been resolved in secret
midnight caucus, and the unholy decree
had gone forth, and every Loco loco
member was pledged to the support of the
abominable and iniquitous bill. What
were the Whigs to do in this emergency
Could they sit, and tamely submit to see
the rights of their constituents thus viola
ted ? No. Such conduct would have
been a disgrace to the name of Whigs.
In Ohio the Governor cannot defeat a bill
by a veto power, for no such power is
known to the Constitution. The only
way to defeat it was to withdraw from
, the Legislature and leave it without a
quorum to. do business, the Constitution
requiring two thirds.
To us the conduct of the Whig members,
under the peculiar circumstances which ear•
rounded them, was highly commendable.
They availed themselves of the only con-
stitutional means left them of serving their
constituents, by preventing the passage of
so monstrous a bill, which was to sway the
political destinies of the State for tea years
to come. They threw the trust reposed
in them back to the hands of the people,
and left it to them to say whether they
will submit to such legislation as was at.
tempted to be practiced upon them.
It will be remembered that this stretch
of usurpation was attempted by the very
party who lately endeavored to overturn
the Government of the State of Rhode
Island for the purpose, as they then falsely
avowed, of extending the right of suffrage.
In Ohio they attempt to disfranchise up.,
wards of 60,000 freemen—some dozen
times as many as they profess to wish to
extend the right of suffrage to in Rhode
Island.
Such are the unhallowed works of Lo.
moism
'''4lo7oll, fora line—to fill this column
A NOVEL CASE.
.Indrew J. Rothroek
David It. Porter.
(lad Kichapoo's Reports, page 1.)
This was a suit brought before DAN=
krarcA, Esq., Justice of the Peace in and
for the Borough of Huntingdon, to recover
from the defendant the balance due on the
following account in favor of the plaintiff
--to wit :
"D. li. PORTIR
To A. J. RoTisaocit, Dr.
For work done in 1837 in Gaysport.
To plastering 8,30 sq. yards a 12i
per yard, $l6l 71
" do. 1,70 " 10 17 00
6. do, 34 " isi 2 12i
41 1000 Luth 2 00
paid cash for hair 100
Bill rendered by D. Lindsey
for hauling 3 33
1129 12f
Credit $79 12
HUNTINGDON COUNTY. S S .
Before me
the subscriber, one of the Justices of the
Peace in and for said county, personally ap
peared Andrew J. kothrock, who after being
sworn according to law did depose and say
that the above account as it stands stated
against David H. Porter, is just and true.
and further saith not.
A. J. ROTHROCK.
Sworn and subscribed thei
20th day of May, 1842,
Before me.
DANIEL AFRICA."
The defendant had "at sundry times
And in divers places" promised to settle
with the plaintiff or his agent, Wm. Roth
rock; but there was always some reason
or excuse for not doing so. At Harrisburg
I he could not settle because the papers
were at Huntingdon, and at Ifhtingdon
he could not settle because the papers
were at Harrisburg. Thus the matter
stood until the 18th day of August 1842,
when the plaintiff's agent heard that his
Excellency the Governor, in disregard of
his promises, intended to leave for Har
risburg, when he called on the Justice to
issue a summons, which was put into the
hands of the proper officer to be served ;
but as he thought the report that the Gov
ernor intended to leave without a settle
ment was perhaps a false rumor, he in
structed the Constable not to serve the
summons unless the Governor went on
board of the packet boat that night. The
boat came,—the Governor stepped on
board, and so did Constable Port. They
0
passed down to the fi rst lock there
the writ was served, when th ernor g
directed the Constable to mie e allow
ing return ; which was accordingly en
dorsed on the writ.—" August 18th 1842,
served personally, defendant pleads his
privilege. Alexander Port, Con." The
25th was the day appointed for hearing
the case. John Cresswell appeared for
the Governor, and presented a paper,
drawn up by his Excellency himself, of
which the following is a copy.
"In the case ofl . Before Daniel Africa a
A. J. Rothrock Justice of the Peace its
vs , and for the county of Hun-
David R. PorterJ tingdon.
a ears defendant by his agent John Cresswell
pp
issu
ing the writ in the stated case,he was
s , Pads that at the time of
and still is the Governor of tilt ommon
wealth of Pennsylvania, elected and sworn,
and performing the duties thereof. He there
fore prays that the said writ and the service
thereof may abate.
DAVID R. PORTER
HUNTINGDON COUNTY, SS.
ersonally
came before the subscriber, one of the Justi
ces of the Peace in and for the county of
Huntingdon, John Cresswell, who being duly
sworn, cloth depose and say that the facts
stated in the foregoing plea to the above sta
ted case are true, to the best of his knowledge
and belief.
JNO. CRESSWELIA
Sworn and subseribed .
the 25th day of Aug
ust 1842, Before
FRANS. B. WALLACE."
The Justice, however, not having the
fear of the great Kickapoo and the bloody
scalping knife before his eyes, but deter
mined to do justice in the case, without
" fear, favor, affection, reward, gain or any
hope thereof," and without" envy, hatred
or ill-will," proceeded to hear the case,
and gave judgment for the plamtiffor the
sum of 855 00, and costs of suit.
seems that in Pennsylvania the Gov
ernor is not privileged from suit, so as to
enable him, after being six years in office,
to plead the statute of limitations on all
debts contracted before the expiration at
his term of office—a practice which would,
no doubt, become very fashionable in this
State some two or tht ce years hence.
Now, as a matter of course, and accor
ding to custom, some folks won't believe a
word of what is above contained. But
we cannot help it. There is, however, a
record of the whole case in the office of
Daniel Africa, Esq.; and Sir William
Blackstone, the great English commenta
tor, assures us that a record is "a matter
of so high a nature, and importeth in itself,
such absolute verity, that if it be pleaded
there is no such record, it shall not receive
any trial by witnesses, jury, or otherwise,