Huntingdon journal. (Huntingdon, Pa.) 1843-1859, May 12, 1847, Image 2

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    THE JOURNAL.
Huntingdon, Wednestla). M;1 12, 1847
WHIG NOMINATIONS.
FOR GOVERNOR:
GEN. JAMES IRVIN,
OF CENTRE COUNTY.
FOR CANAL COMMISSIONER:
JOSEPH W. PATTON,
OF CUMBERLJIND COUNTY.
STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE.
THOMAS E. FRANKLIN, Lancaster city.
JOHN C. KUNKEL, of Dauphin county.
THOMAS DUNCAN, tt
JAMES MARTIN, ti
THOMAS C. HAMBLY, York.
WM. M. WATTS, Cumberland.
DANIEL M. SMYSER, Adams.
JOHN P. WETIIERILL, Philadelphia city
JOSEPH R. CHANDLER, it
ROBERT T. CONRAD,
THOMAS M'GRATH, Philada. county.
DILLER LUTHER, Berks.
ROBERT M. BARD Franklin.
THOS. M. T. M'KENNAN, Washington,
ANDREW J. OGLE, Somerset.
HARMAR DENNY,llegheny.
RICHARD IRVIN, encingo.
JOSEPH H. KUIINS, Westmoreland.
G. J. BALL, Erie.
H. D. MAXWELL, Northampton.
J. B. SALISBURY, Susquehanna.
ELHANAN SMITH, Wyoming.
SAMUEL A. PURVIANCE, Butler.
HENRY S. EVANS, Chester.
ROBERT T. POTTS, Montgomery.
0:7- At the request of a female friend,
we have placed upon our first page that
truly touching poetic effusion, by J. G.
WHITTIER, entitled " The Prisoner for
Debt." Our readers have doubtless seen
it before, but it is a composition that can
be read with interest a second time.
ANOTHER GREAT VICTORY !
By the news given in another column,
it will be seen that victory and glory
still cling around the standard of that
greatest military Chieftain of the age,
Gen. WINFIELD SCOTT. Notwith
standing the attempt made one year ago,
by the Parasites of Jas. K. Polk, to tar
nish the fair fame of the old Hero, he
has now shown himself still capable to
prosecute a war with all the vigor and
success which has ever characterized
his unraralelled and glorious military
career. The laurels which he won du
ring the late war now stand forth in all
their former verdure and dazzling splen
doll And he will now be greeted with one
universal shout of admiration, which
will spring up spontaneously from the
hearts of a grateful and patriotic People!
By his vigorous and effective prosecu
tion of it, the war will doubtless soon
be closed, and peace again be restored
between the two countries.. It would
not only be folly, but utter madness, for
the Mexicans to attempt any further re
sistance to the onward march of our vic
torious army.
We shall have the full particulars of
this great battle for our next paper.
VIRGINIA ELECTION.—In addition to
the Whig gain of 5 members of Con
gress, they have a majority of 12 in the
House of Delegates, which makes a
majority of 2on joint ballot. Locofoco
ism will soon be among the things that
were.
11)- The Globe has not heard the re
sult of nny of the late elections. Could
not a " gentleman from the neighborhood
of Bellefonte" give the editor some in
formation in regard to them
SCOTT AND TAYLOR.--A large and en
thusiastic meeting of the friends of Gen.
SCOTT for the Presidency was held in
Lebanon on the 24th ult. Spirited re
solutions were adopted in favor of the
" Great Pacificator," Irvin and Patton,
and also highly commendatory of old
"Rough and Ready."
We regret to learn from the pa
pers, that Dr. JACOB WAGENSELLER, State
Senator from the Union district, is dead.
Our readers will remember that he suf
fered a painful surgical operation last
fall, from the effects of which his sys
tem has never been able to recover. He
was a gentleman highly esteemed in his
county and district.
Or Gen. Taylor in a letter to Gov.
Shunk, dated the 27th of March, has
acknowledged the vote of thanks passed
by our Legislature.
OD- Tie Penn. Intelligcncer has our
thanks for an extra.
The Veto Message!
Gov. Shook and the Broad Top Railroad!
In another part of to-days's paper the
reader will find the Message of the Gov
ernor, Vetoing the "Huntingdon and
Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company."
We are indebted to the last Globe for
the copy, and consider it a favor, never
having seen it before, and wishing to
publish not only the message but the
bill with it, as it is a matter of consid
erable importance to a great portion of
the people of this county. As we have
not yet received a copy of the bill, we
deem•it proper to give the veto in ad
vance of it.
According to the veto, the bill provi
des for the construction of a railroad
from this borough to Stonersville, in
Bedford county, and branch railroads to
coal mines. These, says the Governor,
are works for which charters have been
uniformly granted; but, continues he,
the bill goes further, and authorizes the
company to purchase and hold five thou
sand acres of land, and to engage in the
business of mining, selling and trans
porting coal, not only on the railroad,
but also on the canal, and for this pur
pose to construct boats, engines and ma
chinery.
Now, if we understand the English
language, (and we have no doubt his
Excellency does) and he means what he
says, then he has no objection to the
construction of the railroad and the
branch roads—not at all—he would give
a company the privilege of running a
road through the best lands to be found
from the canal to Stonersville ; but then
lie would take most effectual means to
prevent that road from ever becoming
useful, for he will never agree to let the,
company own coal lands, nor to have
machinery for mining, nor cars and boats
for transporting the coal !
And, now, for the ad captandum argu
ment of the Governor to support his ab
surdity. Forsooth, dear people, says he,
this bill must be vetoed, because this lit
tle company might, with five thousand'
acres of land, engage in some extensive
farming operation or speculation ! Now
dear farmers, 4‘ aint you pleased with
that ?" Don't you feel tickled ?
Seriously, there is something so su
perlatively ridiculous in this idea of
" farming five thousand acres of land"
on Broad Top Monntain, that we doubt
whether another man than Francis R.
Shank, or his very brilliunt Secrectary
of the Commonwealth, Jesse Miller,
could for one moment honestly entertain
it. The only way we can reconcile the
idea with honesty on the part of the
VETO KING and his adviser is, that
they have both been cooped up in office
all their lives, and do not know that
there are hundreds of thousands of acres
of land in this State that are totally
worthless for farming purposes, but yet
teeming with mineral wealth. More
anon.
Q '. The two companies of volunteers '
recently called for from this State, will
be ready to march in a short time. They
will be composed of Capt. Caldwell's
company of Mifflin and Capt. Taylor's
company of Bedford. A majority of
Caldwell's men are from Huntingdon
and Blair counties.
[r7- The Locofocos say Gen. IRVIN is
an " aristocrat !" And pray what is
Francis R. Shunk 1 Is he an aristocrat ?
For THIRTY-TWO YEARS, says the
Pa. Intelligencer, he has lived in office,
" rotating" from one to another, until
he has pocketed over SFVFNTY THOU
SAND DOLLARS of the People's mo
ney ; and now, having got to the high
est, he still asks for more ! Which is
the greatest aristocrat, the man who
earns a competence by his own industry
and enterprise, or the man whose only
hope, whose only desire, is office, OFFICE,
OFFICE! To live in office year after year,
where he may riot in luxury and pride
upon the hard earnings of the people—
wrung from them in grinding TAXES!
Let the people answer which of these is
the greater aristocrat.
The wife of a good Whig of Fair
field county, Ohio, presented him with
two sons and a daughter at one birth—
all living and well. He named them
Zachary Taylor, Winfield Scott and
Martha Washington.
LOCOFOCO ARGUMENTS.-W bile the
Whigs of Richmond were assembled in
mass meeting, a few evenings since, some
unmitigated Locofoco yillaillihrew oil
of vitriol into the crowd, brWhich two
or three persons were burnt—one of
them quite severely. Such are the ar
guments of Losofocoism!
A. COATRAST.
SHUNK, THE OFFICE HOLIEIt CANDIDATE,
Gen. James Irvin, the People's Candidate.
One of the principal objections urged
against Gen. lam by the Locofocos,
says the Harrisburg Whig, is his " im
mense wealth." Now it is a well known
fact that Gen. hum is not what might
be termed wealthy. True, he is in corn
fortable eircumstances;; and what prop
erty he does own, has been acquired by
untiring industry, perseverance, and
close application to business. Gen. IttvlN
is emphatically a working man, and has
accumulated his property by active in
dustry, while Francis R. Shunk has lived
a life of inglorious ease, subsisting upon
the BOUNTY of the People, and lining his
pockets with money taken from the pub
lic Treasury. The friends of Mr. Shunk
claim for him great merit on account of
what they term his great public services !
What are those services 1 Why they
are comprised in this—and only this—
that he has served the Commonwealth
in an official capacity for about THIRTY
TWO YEARS, for which he has recei
ved out of the Treasury of the State the
snug little sum of about SEVENTY
THOUSAND DOLLARS ! ! Whatever
Shunk's services may have been to the
State, he has been pretty well paid for
them, and if he is not wealthy, it is his
own fault,
Mr. Shunk commenced his official ca
reer, we think, in 1814, or 1815, as Clerk
in the Land Office, and served in that
department for two or three years. In
1816-17 he was appointed Assistant
Clerk of the House of Representatives ;
and in 1818-19 he was elected chief
Clerk of the House, and served in that
capacity from that time until 1838, with
the exception of a single years. In 1838
he was appointed Secretary of the Com
monwealth by Gov. Porter, and remain•
ed in that office until 1842. In 1844 he
was elected Governor of Pennsylvania,
and will continue in that office until
January 1848, when the people will give
him leave to retire to his original obscu
rity. The whole history of his public
services, and his compensation therefor,
may be briefly stated as follows:
For two years' services as Clerk in the
Land Office, $l,OOO par year $ 2,000
For two yeare'services as Assistant Clerk
of the House of Representatives,
$l,OOO per year, 2,000
For NINETEEN yearsiservices as Chief
Clerk of the House at $2,000 per year,
. .
- . . . .
including perquisites,
For six years' services as Clerk of the
Canal Hoard, at $15,00 per year,
For four years' services as Secretary of
the Commonwealth and Superintendent
of Common Schools, at $2500 per year, 10,000
For FIVE DAYS' cervices as Clerk of
the House in 1843, at $3O PER DAY ! 150
For three years' services as Governor of
Pennsylvania, at $3,000 per year,
Here we find that Mr. Shunk has been
in office for about—THIRTY TWO
YEARS, and received the enormous sum
of over SEVENTY THOUSAND DOL
LARS out of the public Treasury !
And notwithstanding the length of time
he has fed at the public crib, and the
wealth he has amassed in the people's
employ, be succeeded in FORCING his
re-nomination upon his party, and very
modestly asks the_people to give him an
other opportunity of thrusting his paws
into the public coffers, so that he may
retire from office immensely wealthy.
In the history and character of Gen.
JAMES IRVIN, there is something to
command our esteem and admiration.—
He is emphatically a self-made man, and
has risen to the enviable distinction he
now occupies, by his own untiring en
ergies, aided by an iron perseverance.—
He is not " immensely wealthy," but
the property he has acquired is distrib
uted with a liberal hand among the poor
and destitute of his neighborhood, who
regard him as their " friend and bounti•
ful benefactor." We repeat that Gen.
IRVIN is a workingman, and the imme
diate representative of that honorable
class of the community. He is one of
Nature's own noWerrten—a monuMent of
God's noblest work,—AN HONEST
MAN. He has not been fed and pam
pered at the public crib. Nor has he
been embroiled in the corruptions and
intrigues of party politics, for which the
Locofoco party have been so notorious,
and in which Francis R. Shunk has been
steeped to tie chin—in which, indeed,
he has literally "lived, moved and had
his being."
Such, Freemen of Pennsylvania, is the
contrast between the two candidates.—
Who can hesitate as to which is the
most meritorious, or in the hands of
which the great interests of the Com
monwealth would be best promoted
No man, certainly, who will give the
subject a moment's consideration. Act
then upon the impulse of your better
nature—upon the convictions ofb your
better judgment—and vote for the man
who is most worthy of your suffrages—
and who must command your respect
and esteem. That man is Gen. JAMES
IRVIN, the "Popular Congressman " of
the Iron District—the friend of Pennsyl
vania and American Industry—the dis
tinguished Statesman whose nomination
has been hailed with joyous acclama
tions throughout the length and breadth
of the Commonwealth—and whom the
"toiling millions " will glory in eleva
ting to the Gubernatorial chair.
CENTRAL RAILROAD.-Wm. B. Foster,
Esq., one of the engineers of this road,
has been engaged for the last two weeks,
in surveying the route from Harrisburg
to the mouth of the Juniata. Surveys;
are being made on both shores of the
Susquehanna.
Mr. MERRICK, the president of the
road, and Mr. TnemrsoN, the Chief En
gineer, are now at Harrisburg, making
the necessary arrangements for placing
the road under contract at the earliest
practical poriod.
The United States Gatteze says:—The
people of our city look with earnestness
towards a commencement of the Penn
sylvania Railroad, It is a work upon
which much of the business of Phila
delphia will depend. The early supply
of means must now follow the adoption
of men and measure. The second in•
stalment, we notice, is called in, and the
President of the company, and the prin
cipal Engineer are, we believe, on the
proposed route, while the other engi
neers have been for some time engaged
in preparing views of their divisions.—
We trust nothing will occur to prevent
the rapid progress of the great work
upon which so much of the anticipated
prosperity of our city depends. Every
month in such a work is of consequence,
and every one should seek to save time,
while he hastened the construction of
the Railroad.
Drj.- Prentice says, the Louisville De
mocrat speaks of Gen. Taylor as "made
by the Democratic party." We wonder
if any body is silly enough to believe
that a party which made a James K.
Polk, ever turned out such a piece of
workmanship as Gen, Taylor. Old
Rough and Ready is not the work of the
ILocofoco party, but the "noblest work
orGod."
38,000
Reported for the Journal
9,000
DEMOCRATIC MEETING.
In pursuance of notice given on the
the arrival of the news of the battle of
Cerro Gorda, a meeting of the Demo
crats of the borough of Huntingdon and
vicinity, convened on Monday evening,
at the Democratic Head Quarters, and
organized.by the appointment of SIMON
PURE, Esq., as President, and Mr.
./Ilexander G. Faithful, as Secretary.
' The object of the meeting was stated
in a neat and brief manner by the Pre•
sident ; and the meeting was also ad
! sressed in an able and eloquent manner,
by several Democrats of undoubted po.
litical soundness. After which the fol•
lowing preamble and resolutions were
offered by the Secretary and unanimouE
i ly adopted by the meeting :
9,000
$70,150
Whereas, the cowardice and other un
solderlike conduct of Gee. Santa Anna,
has disappointed the reasonable hopes
and expectations of his friend President
Polk, and the faithful of his party, and
turned all the glory of the Mexican
War to the advantage of the Federal
Generals of the American Army, and
the Federal party in the United States—
Therefore,
Resolved, that it is the duty of the
President to supercede the said Santa
Anna, by the appointment of a better
General to the command of the Mexican
Army.
Resolved, That it is likewise the duty
of the President to recall Scott and Tay
lor, and to appoint a Democratic I,ieu.
ienane General to the chief command of
the American army, in spite of the ob
stinate negative of Congress; and if he
cannot prevail on any Democrat to risk
his life in the field of battle, his party
expect the President to take the com
mand in chief in propria persona, which
is a right guarantied to him by the Con
stitution of the United States.
Resolved, That it is anti-Republican,
and contrary to the principles of equal
rights, to have none but Federal Gener
als in the Army of Occupation in Mexi
co; and that it is ruinous alike to the
Democratic party and the country, to
have the w:ir carried on any farther,
without one or all the changes specified
in the foregoing resolutions being imme•
diately made.
Resolved, That these proceeding be
signed by the officers, and published in
all the papers in the borough friendly
the course of justice and equal rights.
Signed by the Officers.
GLORIOUS NEWS.
1
-
ANOTHER GREAT VICTORY BY
GENERA L SCOTT ! !
A areal Battle between the Forces under
GEN . SCOTT dit SANTA ANNA.
TOTAL POUT AND DEFEAT OF
THE MEXICAN'S.
6000 Mexicans tafithi Prisoners.
600 Americans Billed di. Wounded.
ESCAPE OF SANTA ANNA.
Gen. La Vega again a Prisoner—Gen.
Shields mortally wounded—Gen. Pillow
slightly wounded—Maj. Sumner killed—
Lieut's. Maury, Gibbs and Jarvis wound •
ed—Five Mexican Generals Prisoners
of war—the entire camp Equipments,
Munitions of War, &c. of the Enemy
in possession of the americans ! !
5.4.31 1 7.4 .4.IVJY.IPS WOODEN LEG
./IND SILVER SOUP DISHES
./IMONGST THE SPOILS 1 !
GEN. SCOTT Marching on to the Halls
of the Nontez—umas.
The Greatest Ratite that ha%
yet been fought!
By the Packet Boat of Sunday eve
ning, we received, in advance of the
mail, a Pa. Telegraph extra, containing
the following highly important news
from Mexico, of a desperate battle be•
tween Gen. SCOTT and SANTA ANNA
at Cerro Gordo, in which victory again
perched upon the American banners,
and Santa Anna again completely routed.
This is described as one of the great=
est battles which has yet been fought,
and the success brilliant beyond man
plc.
FIMDEIIICKSBUTIG, (Va.i) May
On the afternoon of the 17th ult., the
advance under Gen. Twiggs, numbering
8178, encountered the enemy, when a
severe, but indecisive, conflict ensued.
As the general order shows that General
Scott's intention was to give battle only
on the 18th, this action was brought on
by the Mexicans. The main battle oc
curred on the 18th, and resulted in the
complete triumph of the American arms.
Santa Anna made his escape after the
route of the army. Gen. La Vega was
again taken prisoner, with five other
Generals, a long list of Colonels and
subordinate officers,
PLATE DEL Rio, April 11, 11 o'clock A.M.
The division of Gen. Twiggs started
two hours since, and a heavy cannons
ding has already commenced upon his
lines from the artillery of the Mexican
forces. At intervals, too, the rattling of
small arms is heard distinctly from the
dragoons.
5 o'clock, P. M.—l have just returned
from the scene of conflict, and a bloody
one it has been on this side of the far-'
thest Mexican fort. No one was seen
in possession of it last evening, but this
morning it was found to be occupied by
the enemy's light troops and to force it
at once was deemed indispensable.
For this purpose, the Rifles, under
Major Saltner, besides a detachment of
artillery and infantry, were ordered to
charge up the rugged ascent. This they
did gallantly, driting the Mexicans after
a desperate resistance.
They were obstinate in their defence,
and great numbers of the enemy were
killed, while on our side the loss was se.
vcre. Maj. Sumner was shot in the head
with a musket. Lieuts. Maury & Gibbs,
of the Rifles, were wounded; also Lt.
Jarvis, of the 3d Infantry. I could not
I learn that any of our officers were kill
ed—the entire loss on our side Was esti
' mated at one hundred.
About 3 o'clock, the enemy made a
demonstration on a fort in the neighbor
ing heights to the one our men had cap
tured, as if with the intention of reta
king it, but it all ended in their march
ing down the hill, blowing a most thrift
charge on their trumpets, firing a few
shots and then retiring.
Their appearance, as they came down
the hill, was certainly most imposing.—
The cannon on the hill meantime kept
up a continuous firing on Gen. Twiggs'
lines, doing little execution, however,
other than cutting down the trees and
brush. As we returned to camp the fire
was still continued.
The enemy had evidently ascertained
the position of the road, which has just
been cut with accuracy, but the balls
principally went over.
At 3 o'clock, Gen. Shields was order
ed to support Gen. 'l'wiggs, with three
regiments of volunteers.
CAMP PLATE DEL RIO, April 18.
THE AMERICANS HAVE ACHIE-
VED ANOTHER GLORIOUS AND
BRILLIANT VICTORY AGAINST AN
OUTNUMBERING FORCE, AND OC
CUPYING A POSITION WHICH
LOOKED AS IMPREGNABLE AS
GIBRALTER. ONE AFTER ANOTH•
ER THEIR WORKS HAVE BEEN
TAKEN.
Today, FIVE GENERALS, Colonels
enough to command TEN such armies
as ours, and other officers innumerable,
have been taken prisoners, together with
SIX THOUSAND MEN, and the rest
of the army driven and routed, with the
loss of every thing—AMMUNITION,
CANNON, BAGGAGE AND BAG
GAGE TRAINS, and nothing but the
impossibility of finding the road, which
prevented our dragoons from reaching
their works, enabled any of Santa
Anna's grand army to escape, including
his own illustrious person.
Santa Anna's travelling, coach, with
all his papers, valuables, and even his
WOODEN LEG, has fallen into our
hands, together with all the money be
longing to the army.
No one • anticipated when aroused
from his bivouac this morning such a
complete victory.
Five hundred will cover the total loss
of the Americans in killed and wounded;
had it not been for the positive cower
dice of Santa Anna, who ran before the
battle Was half lost, it would have been
far_ greater.
No one can estimate the loss of the
Mexicans. They are scattered in hilts
by the roadside and in etery direction.
What disposition will be made of the
prisoners is not yet known ; they may all
! be set at liberty on parole, on account
of feeding them arid in order to accele ,
rate the advance movement of the army.
It was General Scott's intention to
push on towards the city of Mexico
with all haste.
Apitit 19th,
The route of the Mexicans last even
ing was total and complete. The re ,
mains of the army were pursued to
within four mile of Jalapa, by General
Twiggs, at which point they all disper
sed, so that there was none to follow.
Santa Anna himself escaped by eat ,
ting a saddle mule from the harness of
his magnificent coach, mounting hint
and subsequently taking to the chappa
rel. A service df massive silVer, all his
papers, money, and every thing In the
carriage, even his dinner, was captured.
The Mexican loss upon the height
was dreadful, the groud in places around
was covered with the dead and wounded.
Col. Patacio was found there mortally
wounded. Their loss on the retreat was
terribly severe ; every by-path was
strewn with the dead. Had our dra
goons been able to roach them in season,
all wo:ild have been killed dr captured—
Santa Anna among them.
Canalles, with his noted lancers, had
the prudence to vanish early. Even up
to this time it is impossible to give any
thing like a full and correct list of the
wounded officers. The Mexican officers
taken prisoners 1111 arrived at Vera
Cruz. Gen. Shields is severely, and it
is feared mortally wounded.
Gen. Pillow was slightly wounded
While storming the fortification com
manded by Gen, La Vega. A number
of other American officers wounded.
FOREIGN NEWS
The Steamer Caledonia arrived at N.
York on Friday last. From the news
brought, we take the following notice of
the markets :
LONDON CORN AIARRET,
Throughout the last fortnight a heavy
business has been transacted both in
Wheat, Flour, and Indian Corn, and the
depression whieh prevailed has given
way to buoyancy and activity. 'I he
operations in foreign Wheat were mo
derate on the 4th, bat the transactions
effected were on advancing terms. In
dian Corn was held firmly in conse
quence of the more encouraging reports
from the Provincial markets.
In town made flour scarcely anything
was dons ; nor was there much demand
for Norf olk, households, or other ship
marks. But American was in decidedly
improved request, good brands hying
only saleable at 37 a 38 shillings.—
During the week ending the 12th the
transactions in all those articles were to
a moderate extent, and rising prices gen
erally paid. Holders were reluctant to
accept previous rates: On the 12th
wheat advanced front 2 to 3 shillings
per quarter, and flour met with an ex
cellent demand at full rates. Indian
corn was quiet, hilt steady in value.—
The further advanre of 1 shilling per
quarter in wheat took place on the 14th.
Indian Corn in demand, but the sup
plies arc almost exhausted. Of Ameri
can Flour the diminution of the stock is
so considerable that the prices of the
best brands, are full one shilling per
brl. above the prices of the 12th. Yes
terday, April 19th, the market was the
scerie of much agitation, and nearly all
that was on sale was eagerly taken on
French and Belgian accounts, at a rise
of prices equal to six shillings per quar
ter over those of that day week. In•
other circumstances such an advance
might have made a favorable impression
on the stock exchange, but the reverse
was the case.
The state of aflitirs in Ireland is im
proving. Matters have reached their
worst and are now mending. The last
accounts of Mr. O'Connell 's health are
very unsatisfactory.
GIVE THE DEVIL HIS DUE.—The Wash
ington Union claims for the President all
the credit of the battle of Buna Vista.
The Louisville Journal says it is un
questionably a fact, that, if Polk had
not sent Santa Anna into Mexico, the
battle of Buena Vista would never have
occurred !