Newspaper Page Text
From the Richmo.nl Khquircr.
Interesting proceedings at Ear- 1
risburG.
The following Idler with which \vc have ;
been favored by Mr. Buchanan,so complete
ly exhausts the merits of the contioversv,
which agitates the keystone slate, and ex
cites an intense interest in tire whole com
munity, that it is almost idle for us to add
another word upon the subject. The Whigs
of the county of Philadelphia are attempting
to usurp eight seats in the H. of It, and two
in the Senate, to which they have no shadow
of claim. The Democratic members were
elected by a majority of the people, whether
ihe vote of the Northern Liberties be re
ceived or rejected in the count —and the re
turn in their favor is made by a majority of
the Judges, 10 out of 17 —and yet sa out*
rageous is tire design of the Whigs, that they
have suppressed that return, and are attempt
ing to foist in their own members, upon a
minority of the votes. nnJ in utter prostitu
tion of the great principle of the republic, the
will of the majority of the people.
It is sincerely hoped, however, that the
whole matter will be compromised, without
bloodshed, and without casting any further
reproach upon the noble escutcheon of Penn
sylvania, or the elevated character of repub
lican government.
Wa srrriraTO?r, D*c. 7, 1833.
T<j the Editor of the Enquirer :
Mr UK hr Sir — l I nave this moment re
ceived yours of yesterday, arid hasten to an
swer votir eiKj-Jti ;es respecting * the keystone
state.’ I can readily conceive that her pre
sent condition most occasion anxiety and
c.-’rm in her sister states; an I they must be
all
cause of the evolutions y movement* at
Harrisburg.
‘At the general e’rc* n, n tin- second
Tuesday of October lust, t'vo U lorratK!
Senators, and eight Dens rcratic it p , n,a
fives Were elected over their Whig compete
tors by S dear majority of roe people of the
county of Philadelphia, hi ail the 17 Election
Districts into which that county is divided,
C. Brown, the highest Democratic .candidate
f’r the Senate, received 10.036 votes, anti
W. \\ ntfocr, the h .-h *s: W hig candidate
for the name office, received 9,490 votes,
leaving an undisputed majority of 54f3 votes
in favor of Mr. Bro . The majority of
Mr. St venson, the o .v Can
dida fe, over Mr. Wagner, was 520 votes.
Oa the ticket for Representatives, the lowest
of the eight Democratic candidates received
a majority of 335 votes over the highest Whig
candidate. And vet, strange as it may ap
pear, all the tun nit ar.d the outrage at
Ifari'i.sborg. h • ve cn attempt oi
liie two defeated Whig candidates for the
Senate, and the eight defeated vVhig candid
ates flu* the House, to seize and occupy the
seats of those who have been elected by a
majority of the people.
‘You will naturally ask, how any difficulty
could have arisen in n case so plain ? I shall
proceed to tell von, but it will first be neces
sary to furnish you a brief statement of the
election laws of Pennsylvania, so far as they
relate to the return of Senators and. Repre
sentatives from the county of Philadelphia, j
‘ln this county, there are seventeen elec- i
<ior Districts, and, consequently, seventeen |
return Judges, being one from each District. |
Si u !h P duty of these Judges to meet at the ;
State House, m 0.,. pity of Philadelphia, on j
the first Friday succeeding me Geneva) Flec
tion, and to sscertain from the returns of all
the Districts the persons elected Senators
and Representatives. Having performed this
duty, they are then bound to make duplicate I
general returns of the whole election ; one of)
which is to be deposited in the Pmthonota
ry’s office, at Philadelphia ; and the other, so |
far as it relates to the election of Senators, j
having been first enclosed, sealed and ad
dressed to the Senate, is then, under a second
sealed cover, directed to the Secretary of the )
Commonwealth, to be placed bv the return |
Judges, ‘ in nne of the nearest Post Offices.” j
A similar r.ourne is to hi* in regsrJ .
to that portion of the general return which \
relates to the election of members of the I
House, except that is to be directed to the :
House of Representatives. Toe return i
Judges are, also, required to transmit to each
of the persons elected Senators or Repre
sentatives a certificate of his election. This
is the sum and substance of the law.
‘ln obedience to the law, all the seven
teen return judges of the county of Philadel
phia met at the State House on the first Fri
day after the general election, for the pur
pose of performing their duty. A question j
was raised before these assembled Judges, I
whether the return of the votes in the North- j
ern Liberties should be received. After in- j
vestigating the alleged frauds and irregulari-’
tics in this district, it was decided, bv a ma- j
joritv of ten to seven, that this return should
be rejected. Whether this decision be right
or wrong, it cannot affect the election of the
Democratic Senators and Representatives to
the sta'e Legis’ature. In either alternative,
they have been elected by a decided majo
rity of the people. By rejecting the district
of the Northern Liberties, their majority is
increased from some five to fifteen hundred
votes.
‘The Return Judges, having ascertained
that the two Democratic Senators, and the
eight Democratic members of the House, had ;
been duly elected, tl en prepared duplicate
returns of the election, according to the Act i
of Assembly, which were signed by ten of;
their number. One of these returns was de- 1
posited in the Protiionofnry’s office, at Pliila-;
delphin, and the other was transmitted to and
received bv the Secretary of the Common
wealth. A regular notice was sent to each ‘
of trie successful candidates for the Senate |
and (lie House, of his election ; and here their
duty ended. It will thus be perceived, lhat j
the Democratic Senators and Representatives j
elect were regularly returned as elected, by
;t majority of the Return Judges, according
to the requisitions of the law.
‘ After the Return Judges had completed
their ‘ si mess and adjourned, sixol the whole
muni of seventeen retired to another room •
in tht State House, and then and there pre- ;
pared *nd signed, in conjunction with the Re
turn and idge from the city of Philadelphia, a
return of the votes p lied in seven only of the !
seventeen election Districts of the county oi
Phi uielphia. No objection wl.atever liad ;
bee: made; certainly no testimony had been;
offered to impair the validity of the elecffon in
anv on • of the other (en disfranchised Dis
tricts ; hut it was necessary to exclude the
votes in ll ese ten Districts, in order to furnish
a pretext for the minority to usurp the rights
of the majority. The only reason which I
i avr m or beared assigned for tins attempted
viola of the rights of the people, was. that
rts a ma jority of the Return Judges had ex-
i t , j the votes of the district of the Northern
Liber; 1 -.and thereby had returned Mr Ingcr-,
R( e; j jjv elected to Congress, therefore the i
minority dfjhe Judges were justified in ex-;
j;., /‘he votes of these ten Districts, nnd i
■J..,, re:orning the defeated Whig candidates, !
n j • : i-ied to the Senate ana the House cf
R -prcsonfaiivcs.
; It Is scarcely necessary to slate that, in
oi'fuv, tills minority return, signed by
[■ . j ... ‘,_f CR when it is a notorious fact that
ji.. ,-ore, nnd from the Acts of Assembly
tliatVvr’.? must be, seventeen judges in the
c ,„iniv :f Philadelphia, was a perfect nu.niy;
•H .! i.vru ever continue such, until it can be
” .it'tblidicd that the minority shall rub the
V'r \ minority return was delivered to the
1 bv him sent by express on a steam
eng n to the Secretary of
wea! hail was received at ins pmae be, ore
t j ie y” •a! majority return had arrived. 1
sta n- facts.
| * Shortly after the election, a rumor exten
sively prevailed that the Whigs intended, if
| possible, to force into the Legislature, as sit
ting members, their leu rejected candidates
from the county of Philadelphia; and, by
’ their votes, before they could he removed by
! contesting their election, to pass laws, to elect
the canal commissioners, the U. S. Senator
and other officers, and to govern the State in
| direct violation of the legally dec.ared will o!
a maioritv o.’ the people. I did not believe
! the rumor; and thought that the minority
: return had proceeded from the excitement
■ at:d exasperalion which defeat often produces
alter a hotly contested election, and tunt \\e
I should hear no more of it. Besides, I culd
r.ot then imagine, that such a palpate and
daring usurpation of the most sacred rights,
not only of (lie electors of the county of Phil
adelphia, but of the Commonwealth at large,
would be attempted. In this, it appears, I j
have lx .-a mistaken. |
‘ Bi.-inre and at the time of the meeting of j
the Legislature, there were, in the office of j
! the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the mi
nority return lioai the county of Philadelphia;
and “duplicates of the majority return, one
transmitted through the Sheriff'as the minor
| it•/ return had and the other through
the Post Office, which is the only legal ehait-
I ad. Now, Sir, in answer to your question, I
lean inform you that the sole cause of all the
j disturbances at Harrisburg is, that this officer
took upon himself the fearful responsibility of
i“‘tkltO’ J: ,r from the Senate and the House of<
H • tu-es the returns of the majority of \
■ tit Judges of the county of Philadelphia which
had b< r-n directed to time Bodies respectively,
: and and. live red to them the minority returns only.
Had he delivered all these returns, as was
ci a y ids duty, the Legislature would have
: organ;/..':; in pjce. The Whig tuembets
t Cuii'd m l ila'ii have contended, as they have
ione, !hat ‘ minority returns, delivered l>y
•lie S : iry to r ■ Senate and the House,
we :.- *: evidence of election which
•o : them in the first instance,
• of the tight, of the de
, r< , . ates to become the sitting
j {j u , it It is m this principle, and this
a j ( ie, ; t tig;, ive proceeded to forma
rt olutio.. >ry llon ;e of Representatives, con-
Isi hug of oily fj-.M regularly elected Whig
j members, and the ight rejected Whig Can
didate. of the com y of Philadelphia.
* Li defence of the Secretary, it has been
said, that .a.> h 3 received the minority re
! turn, it. was his doty to consider it the only
j legal return, and to withhold all those which
came after. T would make the political
rights of the of Pennsylvania to de
pend upon the i tof a race. If this were
the law, defeated candidates might always
seize the seats of the Senators and Repre
sentatives elected by the people; provided
j they could obtain a false return from a mi
nority of the Return Judges, and command
the fleetest courser or the swiftest locomotive.
Indeed, in every instance, they could deliver
their returns first, by express, to the Secreta
ry of the Commonwealth; because the law
requires the regular return to he transmitted
: through ihe Post Office, by due course of
mail.
‘But there is no pretext in the law for this
! defence of tiic conduct of the Secretary. In
; regard to these election returns, he is a mere
| depository; and his whole duty is pet formed
; by delivering, at the appropriate time, all
such as lie may have received, to tke proper
officer of the Senate and the House, respect
tivcly. If the law bad assigned him any other
part than that of a mere ministerial agent, it
would have been an outrage on popular Go
vernment. To confer upon the chief Exec
utive officer of the Governor, dependent up
on his will, any power whatever to decide,
cither first or last, on the validity of election
returns of members of the Legislature, would
be to place the Legislative Branch of (he Go
vernment under the control of the Executive.
I ins would violate one of the essential and
fundamental principles of Republican liberty.
1 The Secre tarv, so far from say t
| power to withhold a sealed return, directed
I to the Senate or the House, has no right even
I to know its contents, because the law requires
! that it shall be first sealed up and addressed
I to the Senate or the House, and afterwards
he placed under a second sealed cover and
directed to him. In delivering such papers
according to their direction, lie is but a mere
ministerial, not a judicial officer. But even
if lie were constituted a judge, what law has
established it as the rule of his decision, that
he shall dec : are the first paper in the form of
] a return which he may have received, wheth
er through the legal channel or not, to be ab
solute verity; and any return which may
j arrive afterwards, to be so perfect a nullity as
! to justify him in withholding it from the Clerk
lof the Senate or of the House. If he were
j a judge in this question, it would he his duty
to exercise judicial discretion; and then lie
would be bound to declare, that a return
made by six cut oi’ seventeen judges was a
mete nullity ; because it was signed by a mi
nority of the whole number. But the law
confers upon him no such authority, it
imposes no sucii responsibility. The line
of his duty was clearly marked. He
ought to have delivered to the clerks of the
respective houses all the returns which were
directed to these bodies, and fie would then
have performed his office. As it. is, Ins con
I duct :n delivering the minority return to the
j clerks and withholding that of the majority,
! is a revolutionary and direct invasion of the
dearest rights of the people by the E.xccu-
I live branch of tiie Government. What is
the known and acknowledged remedy for
such a daring usurpation of popular rights by
; Executive power, let the history of all free
| Governments—let the most approved au-
I thors on the subject of civil Jiberty, answer
! the question.
‘ But fortunately, no occasion exists for re
isorting to extreme measures; and i should
Ibe the .ast man in (lie country who would
’ advocate them, unless in a case of absolute
land unconiiolahb necessity. Bite law has
| made ample provision to remedy any defect
|of evidence arising from the withholding of
; the official return by the Secretary. If any
I such return, sent to him through the Post
I Office, he either lost nr destroyed, or, as upon
j the present occasion, be suppressed and with
’ held, there is another original in existence, in
die Piothonotary’s office, of the proper coun
; tv. A certified copy of this original from the
! office in Philadelphia was presented to
. the clerk of the House of Representatives,
’ at the time of its organization, by one of the
; members elect, and under it, the eight mem
bers, duly elected and returned, were quali
fied and took their seats. The number of
Representative*, under the Constitutes of
! Pennsylvania, is one hundred. The number
i which have already qualified and taken
I their seats in the Regular House, is 55; and
the Whig minority, exclusive of the b fi r,ted
1 Whig candidates, is 44; so that the Demo
cratic majority will be 12.
‘ The attempt to govern Pennsylvania by
j a minority of the people, must and will speed
ily and peacefully terminate. It will end as
every assault on the liberty of the peojde has
heretofore done, in this free and glorious Re
’ public, by overwhelming every agent who
’ has been employed in it, with popular indig
nation, now end hereafter.
Yours, verv respectfully,
JAMES BUCHANAN.’
Alabama Legislature —The two Houses or
garezed at Puscaioosa on the 4th, Jnrites M. j
Calhoun, Senator from Dallas, was elected!
Present of the Senate. The vote stood—;
Calhoun 14, McYav 7. Rains 4. The Hon. J
James Vv. McClung, Member from Madison, >
> was elected Speaker of the House—McClung
,-Jd, Shields 12.— Mercantile Advertiser. ~ j
From the B:dtitnrv American. i
FROM HARRISBURG.
7"he Philadelphia troops at Harrisburg oc
cupy the Court House, the Arsenal and some I
of ihe public houses. On Monday the foi- i
lowing order was issued by Maj. Gen. Pat- j
tereon:
Hr ad Quarters, Ist Division. P. M. >
Harrisburg, Dec. 10, IS3B. 5 j
ORDER OF THE DAY.
The division having arrived at the seat of
government, has been reported to the Com
ma nder-in-Chief, and awaits further orders.
The troops will remain quietly in quarters,
except when on duty. The repose of the j
town must not be disturbed by unnecessary
beating of drums, and all officers and sol
diers, while in uniform or with arms, are ex
pressly forbid entering the halls of the Capi
tol, public offices, or the grounds within the
| enclosure. The military will be held in strict
I subordination to the civil authorities.
General Prevost will detail one company ‘
i for guard duty at the Arsenal. The guard
now on dutv will be relieved at 9 o’clock
A. M.
Col. Kenderton Smith will report his regi- .
ment for duty to Brigadier Gen. Goodwin. j
Officer of the dsv : Gen. Goodwin.
Officer of the guard : Capt. Bentsili.
Bv order of Major General,
ROBERT PATTERSON, j
Samuel J. Henderson, Aid-de-Camp.
The Harrisburg Telegraph extra sta’es
) that Commodore Elliott had arrived there,
I accompanied bv several s.ulmrdinnte officers,
. . . . . * /. . .
with authority from the General Govern- i
ment to command the U. S. force at Carlisle, j
or any other means in his power, to quel! the :
insurrection. A company of volunteers had j
arrived from Chambersbnrg for the same pur
pose. Volunreers from different parts were
on the march, and others ready at a mo
ment’s warning.
A public meeting of the citizens of Harris
burg has been held, at which a large num
ber present volunteered to assist the authori
ties in the suppression of tumult.
Among the persons arrested as being im- j
plicated in the disturbances, are Charles F. j
Meunch, of Harrisburg, John Savage, of
Philadelphia, and Messrs. Pray and Ryan,
two of the Van Buren claimants of sears in
the Legislature from Philadelphia county.
They have given bail to answer the charges
against them.
Latest Accounts.—By the Jdailroad Cars
from York. —We received neither slips nor
papers from Harrisburg by last night’s Sus
quehanna Rail-road cars. We conversed,
however, with a gentleman who left Harris
burg yesterday morning, and from whom we
learn that no event of moment had transpired
there on Monday. The two divisions of the
House still maintained their separate organ
zatson. Yesterday was thp day for the official
canvass of the votes given on the amended
Constitution, and the general impression was
that the amendments would be carried by
a very small majority.
Wednesday ( o-dav) is the day set apart
by the Van Buren division of the House for
the election of a U. S. Senator, which will
bring up before ti e Senate and State Execu
tive the question of the recognition of the
lower House under its existing organization.
From the Bain more American.
FROM WASHINGTON.
From our special correspondent we have
the following notice of yesterday’s proceed
ings in Congress :
Washington, Dec. 11,1838.
UNITED STATES SENATE.
The Senate were in session but one hour !
to-day. Several private hills were passed, j
but no public business was discussed.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. |
The Journal having been rend, Mr. !
Haynes, of Georgia, moved that the House J
go into Committee of the Whole on the Pre- j
M MjNav*i ixyciim
Petitions and Resolutions were then re- \
eeived from the several states. When New
Hampshire was called, Mr. Atherton asked
leave to present the following resolutions :
Resolved , That this government is of
limited powers, and that by the Constitution
of the United States Congress has no juris
diction whatever over the institution of sla
very in the several states of the confederacy.
Resolved. That the petitions for the aboli
tion of slavery in the District of Columbia
and the Territories of the United States,
and against ihe removal of slaves from one
state to another, are a part of a plan of ope
rations set on foot to affect the institutions of
slavery in the several states, and thus indi
rectly to destroy that institution within their
several limits.
Resolved That Congress has no right
to do that indirectly which it cannot do di
rectly, and that the agitation of the subject
of slavery in the District of Columbia, or in
the Territories, as a means or with the view
of disturbing or overthrowing that institution j
in the several states, is against the true spirit j
and meaning of the Constitution, an infringe- j
ment of the rights of the states affected, and I
a breach of the public faith on which they
entered into this confederacy.
Resolved, That the Constitution rests on
the broad principles of equality among the
members of this confederacy, and that Con- ;
gress, in the exercise of its acknowledged !
powers, his no right to discriminate between
the institutions of one portion of the states or
another, with a view of abolishing the one or
promoting the other.
Resolved, therefore, That all attempts on
the part of Congress to abolish slavery in the
District ol Columbia, or the Territories, or to
prohibit the removal of slaves from state 1o j
state, or to discriminate between Ihe c-onsti- i
tutions of one portion of the confederacy and
another, with the views aforesaid, are in vio
lation of the Constitutional principles on
which the union of these states rests, and be
yond ihe jurisdiction of Congress; and that
every petition, memorial, resolution, proposi
tion or paper, touching or relating, in any
way or to any extent whatever, to slavery as j
aforesaid, or the abolition thereof, shall, on
the presentation thereof, without any further
action therein, be laid on the table without
printing, reading, debating or reference.
Mr. Cushing objected to the introduction
of the resolutions.
Mr. Atherton moved to suspend the rules
of the House.
Mr. Adams asked for the yeas and nays,
which were ordered ; the vote stood ayes
137, noes C 6, and so the rules were suspend
ed, and the resolutions before the House.
Several members here made an effort to
get tb.e floor.
Mr. Atherton had the floor, and com
menced a speech in favor of the resolutions —
defending each resolution upon Constitutional
and other grounds. He spoke for 30 or 35
minutes, and concluded with a motion for the
previous question.
Tiie motion was unexpected and created
a good deal of excitement in the House, a
member seldom or never preceding such a
motion with a speech.
Mr. Wise said he hoped the member would
withdraw the previous question. The reso
lutions were not Southern resolutions, and
Mr. Wise said as one Southern man he re
pudiated them.
The Speaker called Mr. Wise to order.
Mr. \\ ise begged permission of the House
to offer a Southern resolution—one that rep- j
I resented Southern interests. The resolutions j
j offered by the gentleman from New Damp- i
(shire did not represent the South.
! The Speaker again-called Mr. Wise to
order, and the House joined in ihe call,
i Mr. Cushing asked Mr. Atherton to with-;
draw the previous question.
| Mr. Ti!ii&ghit asked the ame from Mr. •
I Athurton. He said that it was not manly or
customary for a man to make a long speech, j
■embodying an argument upon any subject,!
land then move the previous question.
The Speaker and several friends of the
| administration called Mr. Tiliinghast to or- ;
der. lie was compelled to taka his seat,
i w hen the House seconded the previous ques
i lion.
Mr. Stanley, of N. C. said he wanted the ;
members to* toe the mark,’ and should there- j
tore move a call of the House. The call was!
ordered by a large vote and the names read
1 accordingly.
W hen the name of Mr. Wise was called,
jhe said : ‘ Mr. Speaker, as a representative
o‘ the South, I amTiot here upon the subject
of abolition.’ The Speaker told the Clerk to
proceed with the call. Two hundred and
ten members answered to their names.
I’he names of the absentees were called—
now* numbering 13 members—224 members
, had answered to their names.
A motion was made to suspend the call,
j and the ayes and rioes ordered, when the vote
, stood ayes 113, noes 109.
! Mr. Wise again asked leave to offer his re
’ solution as announced.
Mr. Bell here said something about the
! haste in which the House was acting upon
lan important matter. He hoped the resolu
tions would be printed, that the House could
have time to examine them, and for this pur
pose he moved the printing of the resolutions
and an adjournment.
Mr. Cushman, of N. 11. called for the
yeas and nays, which being ordered, the mo
ron to adjourn was lost, ayes 107, noes 113.
The question then came up on the main j
question, which was carried by yeas and 1
nays, yeas 114, nays 109.
The main question— ‘ Shall the resolutions j
pass?’ was now put, and the yeas and nays j
ordered.
Mr. C. H. Williams, of Tenn. here asked
the house to he excused from voting. So
I much haste had been exhibited in passing
jibe resolutions through in one day, and the
i resolutions were so important, and came to
him in such a questionable shape, that he
was not prepared to vote.
Mr. W. Cost Johnson made some few re
marks, which could not be heard, and moved
an adjournment.
The ayes and noes were ordered, and the
motion again lost—ayes 108, noes 113.
A division of the resolutions was then
called for, and the yeas and nays ordered
j upon each.
Mr. Williams, of Tenn. here asked leave
to be excused, and appealed to the House to
excuse him. Mr. W. was about to give his
| reasons, when the Speaker called him to or
der, and the House joined in the call. Mr.!
; Williams was compelled to take his seat, and j
| was not excused.
Mr. Wise rose and said that whether the
. House excused him or not, he should net vote.
He would state his reasons, and the Speaker
jshould not prevent him, for the 80th rule of
! the House gave him permission to give rea
; sons. Mr. Wise commenced giving his rea
sons against the first resolution. It spoke of
) slavery in the states, and Congress had no
thing to do with slavery in the states.
The Speaker called Mr. Wise to order,
and decided it was not in order to give this
as a reason for not voting, and the same in
terruption followed every one of Mr. Wise’s
reasons, until
Mr. Petriken, of Penn, called Mr. Wise to
order for discussing the merits of the resolu
tions.
Mr. Wise said he was not discussing the
merits of ths resolutions. They had no
1 merits in them. He was discussing the de
j merits.
The Speaker said that was not. in order.
) Mr. Wise said he had a right to give his
| reasons. The 80th rule gave him that right,
j and he should exercise it, wilh deference and
! respect to the Speaker and House.
reasons, when the Speaker and severa 1 mem-
bers called him to order, and he was com
pelled to take his seat.
Mr. Jenifer said he was opposed to the
resolutions because they had been introduced
in an objectionable manner, and pressed with
an indecent haste by their author, in a wav
altogether unbecoming, and after a long
speech.
The vote was then taken upon the first
resolution, which was carried, ayes 108,
nnes 6.
The House then adjourned.
From the Baltimore American.
NATIONAL SILK CONVENTION.
The delegates appointed to attend the
Convention cf Si'.k Growers and Culturists,
assembled yesterday morning in the room
selected for the purpose in the Masonic Hall.
There were one hundred and seventy-five
delegates in attendance, comprising a body
of highly respectable and intelligent citizens
from various parts of tiie Union. We annex
( a brief sketch of proceedings:
Judge Comstock, of Connecticut, was:
I called to the chair, and Dr. C. C. Cox, of
j Baltimore, and J. F. Callan, of Washington,
appointed Secretaries.
On motion, it was resolved that all persons
present from different parts of the United
i States friendly to tiie objects of this Conven
tion, and not duly appointed delegates, be
! invited to take seats in this Convention.
On motion it was resolved, that the States
be called in order, and the names of the dele
gates from each be reported to the Secreta
ries.
The names of the delegates having been
(recorded, it was found that there were one
: hundred and seventy-five in attendance. —
1 [More are expected to-morrow.]
Dr. Buck, of Washington, then moved that
the Convention adjourn to meet in the City
of Washington.
Upon this motion a debate ensued, in
which Messrs. Buck, Gummere, Kinsman,
Oknsled, Hopper, Clarke, Thompson, Ellis,
Henry, and McClain participated. The mo-
I tion was then postponed.
On motion, it was resolved that a commit
tee, to consist of one from each. .State, be
appointed to report permanent officers to the
Convention.
The committee, after having retired for,
consultation, reported the following persons
as officers of the Convention :
President.
Judge Comstock, of Connecticut.
Vice Presidents.
Samuel Whit marsh, of Massachusetts.
E. A. Russell, of Connecticut.
J. H. King, of New York.
Dr. Green, of New Jersey.
Sami. D. Ingham, of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Naudain, of Delaware.
Judge Eccleston, of Maryland.
Michael Nourse, of District of Columbia.
James Winslow, of Virginia.
James Duncan, of Ohio.
J. Adams, of Georgia.
Treasurer.
L. J. Cox, of'Baltimorc.
Secretaries.
Dr. C. C. Cox, of Baltimore.
J. F. Callan, of District of Columbia.
J. H. Pleasants.
George Goskell,
T. C. Gould.
On motion, it was resolved that a commit
tee he appointed to report the order of pro
ceedings of ihe Convention.
The Convention then adjourned until 7
| o’clock, P. M.
—. ..
Messrs. Clay and Crittenden were upset in
a stage near Brownsville, Penn., on their
. way to Washington, and somewhat injured,*
| though not seriously, ” i
SENTINEL & HERALD.
i COLUMBUS, DECEMBER 20, 1888.
We understand that Charles J. McDonald, Esq
; of Bibb county, has been nominated as the Demooa
tic candidate for Governor, by the Convention which
j assenibled in Millcdgeville on Monday last.
CATHOLIC CHURCH.
The pews of the Catholic church, in this
city, will be rented, at public auction, on the
i first day of January next.
J. GRAHAM, Pastor.
T. Howard, Secretary. 2t
HOME AFFAIKS.
It has been manifest to a!!, that for some
time past there has been in our midst, a reg
ularly organized band of Thieves, who lost
;no opportunity in perpetrating the most
enormous crimes; and from the ease and fa
cility with which the force of the criminal
laws have been heretofore evaded, they
were encouraged in a boldness and reckless
ness which has at length led to their detec-j
fion. The public mind has, for near two
weeks, been almost constantly occupied with
this subject; by the vigilance and zeal of our!
civil officers, aided by the praiseworthy 7 energy i
of our citizens, some ten to fifteen suspected ,
personshave been lodged in jail.whoaresecur- |
ed by a strong, regular and efficient guard of
Citizen volunteers, who not only guard the jail
j hut patrol the whole city, from dark until day.
determined that each shall have a fair and
j impartial trial; and if guilty shall meet merit
led punishment. Our Superior Court is now
| in session, and four of the suspected persons 1
j have already been tried and found guilty, one
for Robbery, the others for Larceny. Con
sidering the object of this association of citi
zens to rid themselves of the outlaws who
have been so long infesting our society, we
( have never witnessed more praiseworthy for*
i bearance and decorum. No man desires to
j overstep the law to visit upon the suspected,
I or even those proven to be guilty, summary
j punishment, but one general desire prevails,
I and that is to have the laws of the country
j fearlessly, faithfully, and impartially admin
■ istered. Those who have not been tried,
! and who were not able to employ council for
J their defence, have had assigned them by the
j Court, able and experienced council to de
! fend them. The Hon. Judge Wellhornehas
j manifested throughout the highest regard to
| his official duties, watching with unwearied
! diligence over the rights of the accused on
the one hand, and the supremacy of the laws
on the other. All must regret the instru
ments of evidence which have to be resorted
to in these cases. Two of their own gang
have turned informers against Ihe balance,
j and upon their evidence, so far convictions
have taken place; but from the very nature
of the case, it admitted of no other remedy;
but whilst we rejoice in the means of detec
tion thus afforded us, we can but detest the
instruments by which the disclosures are
made, and feel that they, too, richly deserve
punishment. Under this state of things, the
utmost caution and circumspection is requir
ed to see that the innocent are not made vic
tims to suffer with the guilty. So far, we
have not the slightest apprehension that this
i hast L*t th.c Luo utn \Ct
I *
1 passed.
PROCEEDINGS IN CONGRESS.
It will he seen by to-days paper that Con
gress has commenced session with a fairpros
j pect for the despatch of business speedily.
The Abolition question, which has, for a few
sessions back, thwarted the operations of the
House of Representatives, is likely to receive
its death-blow, if we may judge from certain
resolutions introduced in that body, by Mr.
Atherton of New Hampshire. The resolu
tions may be seen in to-day’s paper, and de
serve an attentive perusal. But whilst we
are enabled to congratulate the country on
the business-like attitude assumed by Con
gress, yet with much reluctance be it said,
that there are certain members of that body
who are disposed to throw obstructions in the
way of all honorable proceedings, thus sacri
ficing the welfare of the country for personal
i aggrandizement. That jackanapes, Henry
i A. Wise, the would be Randolph— mushroom
clever —has been heard to yelp even at this
early stage of the session ! He opposed the
passage of Atherton’s resolutions, on the
; ground that they were of northern manufac
ture ! Perhaps Mr. Wise is jealous of the
honor accruing therefrom—honor to whom
honor is due. It is time, high time, that this
highly gifted son—the favorite of nature —
should learn that universality of genius doth
not, nor can be circumscribed within the nar
row limits of one man's cranium, however huge
may be the dimensions thereof. In every po
litical dish Mr. Wise has a finger; at least it
would seem so.
But with regard to the resolutions: What
matters it, we would ask, whether they ema
nated from the North or the South, from this
portion of the Union or that. The objection
urged is wholly of a local nature, alto
gether uncalled for and unexpected from
a gentleman of such universal pretensions
’ to genius as Air. Wise. But whatever may be
i Mr. Wise’s defects at this period of his career,
he nevertheless promises to come the better of :
them, and in some future day we may wit
ness him as numbered among the stars of the
first magnitude in our political horizon ! Old
John Quincy Adams comes next; : ivith pry
ing snub-nose and wistful look,’ lie seems to
! plod his way into the secret affairs of diplo
! macy; and to this end he lias drawn up re-
I solutions to enquire into the Stevenson and
O’Connell affair ! It would seem that John’s j
I brain had become as of the nature of mucus ! i
There has been an awful caving in some-!
where. The last vve heard from the venera- j
ble ex-President was, that lie was writing
poetry to Miss Ellen Tree! Thrts the world
goes: Wise quoting from Fanny Wright—
Adams dictating love-poetry to Ellen Tree-:
What an amorous Congress we have !
Some scoundrel sent us, by yesterday’s:
: mail, a copy of the Emancipator, which we’
at once committed to the flames without ex
amination. Thus it is the department of go-j
vernment is made the vehicle through which
the detestable incendiary is permitted to insult j
and trample upon our rights'and feelings.
The Legislature. —So far the aclion of th.s
body has but one merit, and that is negative,
i We believe it has done no harm, from the,
i fact of having done nothing.
We publish this day the most recent and
full statements, which we have been enabled
to glean from the papers, in relation to the
disgraceful scenes being enacted at the Penn
sylvania Capitol. We have no room for
comment, and can only add that it is the foul
est blot upon the American escutcheon.
REPUBLICAN MEETING IN HARRIS.
At a republican meeting held in Hamilton,
on the lOih i 3 (. for the purpose of appoint
ing delegates to represent the county m the
Convention to be held in 31 Hedgeviise on the
third Monday in December, Mai. Abner
Dunagan was called to the chair, and P. H.
Lundy appointed Secretary.
The following Resolutions were introduced
by Porter Ingram, Esq. ami passed unani
mously :
licsolved , That we will be represented in
the approaching Convention, to be beki ip
Miiledgeville on the third Monday inst. to
nominate a candidate for Governor.
Resolved, That the delegation from this
county he instructed to vote in said Conven
tion for no person as a candidate for Gover
ner, who is not free from even a suspicion of
being in favor of a National Bank.
Resolved, That the total separation of the !
j Government from ail Banks, is a measure
| that ail true Republicans desire to see con- I
; summated, and that the delegation from this j
[county in said Convention be instructed to
! use their influence to procure the passage of;
i resolutions by said Convention, requesting 1
jour Representatives in Congress to vote for
j a separation of the Government from all i
[Banks; and that our Representatives in the!
j present Legislature be requested to vote lor
the vlnti Bunk an i Independent Treasury j
Resolutions now before the Legislature. I
Resolved , That the Bill, now before the
Legislature of this State. for general or Free 1
Banning, is, in the op nion of this meeting, a
[truly republican measure, and that our He
j presentativTS be requested to vote tor the
passage of said Bill, with such safeguards
and restrictions as shall be most conduc've to i
a sound currency and the good of die people.
Resolved, That the Republican party of’
Harris county most heartily concur in the
nomination of tlie Hon. John Forsyth as a
candidate for Vice President of the United
States, and that Georgia would feel a pride
in seeing her own talented and gifted son
elevated to that high office.
The following gentlemen were then ap
pointed to represent the county in Conven
tion: P. H. Lundy. Hopson Alilner, Esq.
and Porter Ingram, Esq.
On motion, it was
Resolved, That the proceeding of this
meeting be signed bv the Chairman and
Secretary, and published in the Standard of
Union and Columbus Sentinel and Herald.
ABNER DUNAGAN, Cb’n.
P. H. Lundy, Sec’ry.
At a late hour last night, we were put m
possession of the following highly interesting
particulars of the attack and capture of the
Castle of San Juan de Ulloa —for which vve
are indebted to the polite attention of an offi
cer of the the U. S. Revenue Cutter Wood
bury :— JY. O. Bulletin.
U. S. Revenue Gutter Woodbury, )
7th Dec. 1838. J
P. P. Rea, Esq. Editor N. O. Bulletin :
Having been an eye-witness of the engage
ment between the Castle of St. Juan de Ulioa,
and tiie French blockading squadron under
the command of Rear Admiral C. Baudin, at
Vera Cruz, I have penned the following
account of the same, and which I have di
rected to you, tor whatever purpose you may
think proper to make use of it. The 27th
day of November was fixed upon for the final
issue of the message to tiie Mexican govern
ment from the Fierich Admiral. According
to reports in the morning, a courier had ar
rived, bringing their answer, which was,
‘ W ar to the blade, and from the blade to the
I mil.’ ouii.. o o,p mo’ innjr nch squad- j
ron proceeded wiiii three double banked Jri- j
gales, lour sloops of war, as many brigs and j
bomb vessels, and took their position abreast!
of the Castle without any interruption, at j
about one mile distant—tiie weather being
very fine and perfectly cairn.
At hall'past 2 P. M. the bombardment from
the French fleet commenced—at that instant
the Mexican colours were hoisted on tiie
Castle and the fire promptly returned.
Tiie fire was continued by both sides with
out cessation, till between the hours of 4 and
5 P. 31., when the bombs from the French
fleet having taken effect, two severe explo
sions took place in the Castle, which for some
time completely enveloped it in smoke. Upon
clearing away, vve perceived that tire observ
atory which was situated on the highest bat
tery, from which the warmest fire was kept
up, was entirely demolished. The other ex
plosion took place in the low battery, burying
in their ruins upwards of 200 men, and dis
mounting upwards of 170 pieces of artillery,
according to the accounts I received from
town. The firing from both sides continued
until 8 o’clock, at which time that from the
Castle ceased.
The next morning by a despatch from town,
we were informed* that the 10-s in the Castle
was 400 men killed and wounded, among
whom were 35 officers. The second in com
mand of the Castie, Col. Cela, of the bnftal-1
ion Aldama being among the number killed. :
From the French squadron no authentic
information has been received of their loss;
yet you may form an opinion, when I assure
you that that the frigate Ephigiue alone re
ceived upwards of 100 round shot, according
to the report oi’ an officer of the U. S. sloop
of war Erie, who visited the French Admiral |
the morning after the action. During the
night a flag was sent from the Castle to the
French Admiral, demanding a cessation of:
hostilities, for the purpose of extracting the !
bodies of those killed and wounded from the
ruins caused by the explosion. The same
morning, between the hours of 10 and 12, a j
number ol boats left the squadron and pro
ceeded to the Castle. The French having \
possession of the Castle the town must eitrier
capitulate or be destroyed ; nevertheless it is
well fortified in ail its passages, every street,
being barricaded. The troops are numerous
and appear to be in good spirits.
An officer of a French vessel of war in
formed us that the Castle had capitulated,
; and that at 12 o’clock tiie French flag would
he hoisted—which was accordingly done at!
2 o’clock, under a general salute from the
whole squadron, consisting of 27 vessels of all j
classes, including 2 steam ship;.
The capitulation says the French 3re to
remain in possession of the Castle, the Mexi
can authorities retain full possession of the
city, exercising all their functions as before,
1000 troops only to remain, the balance to go .
j into the interior.
I was given to understand that the French
j Admiral had issued circulars to all the Con
[ suls —opening the port to all flags.
The interior of the Castle, and almost all
the lower batteries are destroyed by the ex
plosions, and the effect of the bombs. The j
bursting of a single bomb of 82 lbs. destroy
ed the observatory as before mentioned.bury
ing a number of troops in it* ruins.
The Prince de Joinville, in command of
the sloop of war ‘ Creole,’ behaved in a most
gallant manner, which came under mv home- ;
diate observation, as I was within pistol shot j
of the French fleet when the bombardment
commenced.
Thus has this celebrated Castle, heretofore
deemed impregnable, yielded to a petty force ;
after five and half hours bombardment. The j
number of shot fired from the French squad-;
ron, is said to he upwards of 5.000 and from j
the Castle about 1700.
I arn unable to give you any further details, j
as we sailed the same afternoon at 4 o’clock, ‘
ter th.i place. I
I Fro r, the N. O. Bulk tin.
| T Steamboat Implosion and great Loss of
\ J M e \ 1 1 iie Particulars of an awful disaster
| which happened onboard the steamboat Au
gusta, ol this port, are given in the Natchez
Courier of the sth December? The Augus*
ta left Natchez on the SJ instant for ViVfcs
jburg with the ship Jeannette in tow. On the
1 voyage the ship got aground, when the Au
j gusla separated from her, and proceeded to
a wood pile. At one place she supplied her
self with four or live cords of wood and was
making for another, when the pilot seeing
some floating timber ahead, rung the bell to
stop tiie engine. The engine was stopped
till the float passed, and the pilot again rung
as the signal to go ahead. The engineer here
discovered that the engine was at the dead
point and he immediately run hack to turn
| the bar, but before he had time to return the
j dreadful explosion took place.
, _ The Augusta is one of the most frightful
i fragments ol destruction ever seen. The
| boilers and whole machinery are rent into
[trifling pieces; the Social Hall and its appur
j tenances are shattered into atoms, and nearly
: the entire main cabin is swept away; a very
j small portion of it, next to the ladies cabin,
! being ail that is left, and that in such a split
up condition as to tell plainly the dreadful
I extent of the explosion.
Tiie names of some of the passengers dead
! and missing, are not yet known ; the Augusta
was, however, not very full of passengers.
rShe came down in tow of the Hail Columbia,
and there were found five persons on board
dead, and their bodies wofuily mutilated ; and
! twelve persons more or less wounded, of
i whom the medical gentlemen consulted, thinks
that not more than three or four will recover;
some it was thought could not outlive one
I J; 7;
Tire five persons found dead are :
j Leonard Brown, Clerk.
W m. Henderson, Ist Engineer.
Geo. \\ ard, Merchant, Troy, Miss.
John Wilson, deck hand.
Robert Smith, do
On whose bodies a Coroner’s Inquest has
| been held, and death by accidental explosion
reported.
Besides these, the following account is as
-1 certained :
The Captain—missing, supposed dead.
William Taylor, 2d Engineer—slightly
i wounded.
Barber—mortally wounded.
William McDonald, Watchman—badly
scalded.
Henry Smith.deck hand—slightly wounded,
Wm. Johnson, fireman—badly scalded.
James White,deck hand—badly scalded.
Jame3 Inis, do do
Jas. Johnson, do do
Unknown name fireman, do
Lewis Lacliapelle, pilot—slightly injured.
Mate (Davies) and Barkeeper,escaped un
injured.
28 deck hands and firemen were on board,
: and when they called them together, some
time after the explosion, only S could be mus
tered.
The pilot at the wheel (with his pilot box)
was blown upwards of fifty feet, and con
trived to get ashore by using one side of the
pilot box. The bodies of those dead and
wounded are much discolored and disfigured,
presenting a heart-rending spectacle.
There was one female passenger on board,
who escaped unhurt.
On examination of the pieces of the boil
ers found on the (leek, no doubt is entertained
that this explosion was the result of culpable
negligence on the part of the Engineer.
From the Montgomery Advertiser.
FIRE.
Our city has finally experienced what we
had long anticipated. On Sunday night a
j fire broke out, at about 11 o’clock. P. M., in
[ the row of wooden buildings at the foot of
i AI-.hi ocrtrcrt, nr tiit; Omirihmwc, and nftrr
! burning with great rapidity for nearly four
hours, destroyed property valued at from
J forty to fifty thousand dollars.
I From what we are able to learn, the fire
originated in a negro bouse in rear of the
| printing office of the Journal. When we
reached the spot, the roof of the Journal of
fice was enveloped in flames, and we saw no
hope of saving either of the buildings conti
guous. From there it spread on both sides
until all but one of the wooden buildings on
Court street, as far as the Bank, and the
large brick building known as the Planter’s
Hotel, belonging to A. 3lcGehee, were en
tirely consumed.
Tins is the most disastrous fire that has
ever occurred in 3iontgomery; and bad as it
is, our citizens have reasons to be thankful
that it is no worse. Without an engine,
without hose, without reservoirs of water,
without order, indeed without every thing
necessary in such a place as this at such an
emergency, had the fire happened on a windy
night, the whole business part of the place
must leave been destroyed. Still as the air
was, it was with great difficulty that the
Courthouse, Postoffice, and other buildings,;
were saved. And we now ask our citizens,
if they will, after this warning, longer neglect
to take measures for the preservation of their
property and their lives, by continuing to
[talk, talk, upon a subject which they should
! not even for one moment hesitate to act! If
! not, let them do something immediately.—
JYov: is the time for energetic, vigorous ac
t ion.
More Indian Outrages. —We have ao
counts that, on the November, a band
I of Indians burnt the house, fences, &.c. of a
! Mr. Larwrence Smith ; on the 23d, four men
from Lowndes county passing to Tradersville,
i were attacked by some 30 or 40 Indians, whir
j lay concealed behind a fence, killed one man
and his horse on the spot, wounded two of
the others, one mortally, (Boyd Hill,) the oth
er escaped. The intention of the Indians,
j was, it is supposed, to attack a wagon train*
I which was just behind the persons attacked,
;on their way to Fort Lloyd. Captains Miller,
and Sweat, with their commands, were order
ed by General Floyd, in pursuit, and he and
his whole force were immediately to follow,
and to scour the swamp. We look with anx
| iety for the result of Geri. Floyd’s pursuit,
ami anticipate with confidence, all that can
| he accomplished, will be done, by this ener
! getic officer.— Southern Recorder.
More Murders. —The Tallahassee Flori
dian of the Ist inst. says— ‘ We learn from a
gentleman direct from the east, that more
depredations have been committed by the
Indians quartered on the Okefenokee Swamp.
Week before last the dwelling ©f Mr. Toppin
i was attacked, himself and wife killed, and
two or three children left for dead, one of
! whom has since recovered. Two days after
the family of Mr. Greene was attacked and
two of his inmates killed. These families
resided in Columbia County, on the St. Ma
j ry’s liiver.’
A letter of the I6;h Oct. from Algiers
makes mention of the violation of the French
; territory by upwards of 200 Hadjoutes, who
j hnd made an unsuccessful attempt to carry
j off several inhabitants from their farms at
J Beni Mouca.
i The armaments in the South of Russia are
! ctil! continued; upwards of 100,000 men are
ready to march at the first signal, and a much
: more considerable force will shortly be pre
■ pared for service.
Speculators appear to be cutting up the
i whole surface ol’ creaffon with canals and
jrairoads. We expect that in ten years all
I Europe will be laid out in building lots.—A*.
i Y. Ilerald .