The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-10-17 00:00:00, page 2

to be elected an officer of any kind by the Assembly, Shall
BRIBE any elector among the people, or any Mem er of the
Assembly, by directly giving money, &c. for bis vote,
such person Shall be .THEREBY rendered incapable —now,
Peter, what dost thou think this prattifer of direct bribery and
corruption, in the choice of the very persons with whom the
sovereignty of the fate is to be veiled, is to be inca
pable of ?
Peter. Why, to be fare, he is to be incapable of holding
any office civil or military in the Rate, during his whole life
time, besides paying a very heavy fine, and loitering a long
imprisonment.
Orat. Oh, thru hard hearted man, who haft no pity for a
fellow creature hurried along by the Strong and noble pallion
ot ambition^—No Our leaders are not such dragons —The
perlon who thus directly bribes an ELECTOR among the
people, er a Member of Assembly, “ Ihali be thereby
rendered incapable - to jerve for the ending year ;"
Thole are the very words of the rrame.
Peter. That is no punishment at all on the villain who gave
the BRIBE : It is only keeping him out of an office he had
no right to, and which peih ps he would not have had votes
enough to obtain, even if his briber, had not been discovered.
Oiat. Ab ! It Jeems so: Bur, Peter, when we ate governed
by such bright men as our leaders in Convention, and have
such proofs of their ability and disinterestedness, it is net To be ex
pected that common men can dive into all their political mys
teries. No doubt they have good reasons for this extraordinary
fe&ion, that fecms so plainly to encourage briber, and corrup
tion. I am fare they have very good reasons, because they
had before their eyes the examples of other States on this con
tinent, and the very expreflions used by thole Rates on this
identical fubjeft ; and as our leaders have made this feftiun
totally different from those examples and expressions, they
mutt have discovered feme inconvenience which they appre
hended from following these precedents. lam confirmed in
my opinion, that this Section was cempofed, as it i ,voith de
fen, by observing the extreme gentleneis and humanity of
the 28th feftion, which is plainly and carefully intended.for
the relief of rogues, provided they are so cunring as to
take care that the " presumption” of their r guery is not
" frong."
Peter. Why, art thou fetious, neighbour Rff?" And dost
thou think so solemn and grand a work as a Frame of Govern
ment for so great and celebrated a Rate as Pennsylvania,
a frame intended to last as long as the fun Shine's and th: ri
vers ran, Should be so ver, attentive to procure advantages for
such offenders !
Qrat. Yes, Peter, I am serious ; and I will maintain, that
the ample privileges and exemptions granted and se
cured to several kinds of offenders by this Frame of Govern
ment, do as much honor to our great leaders in Convention as
an, other parts of it. In the firft place, consider the met cyof it,
To whom can mercy be Shewn but to offenders? Surely, th u
wouldst not have a Frame of Government without mercy in it ?
Oh, what mild Spirits lodge in the tender bofems of our lead
ers !
Peter. Neighbour. Ptf, there is another point to be
cOnfidered as well as mercy, and that is justice. By
the twenty-eighth Sedion, debtors, who have wafed effafs
which they have obtained from their creditors in the most
Shameful manner, or have greatly misbehaved themselves, can
not be conrinuelin prison after delivering up their estates to
their creditors, “ where there is not a strong,pref^mption
of intended fraud." This is giving unworthy men advantage
over the boneft, indujiricus, and fwg#/ inhabitants of Penx,f
518
''f"' 0 ; and this provision Was unnecessary, because our laws,
" '"'"'vent debtors, are exceeding mild. A^ain
neighbour, pacing over the twenty ninth fedion, which'pro?
V 1 es that“ ALL fines Shall be moderate," it is afterwards
ordained that “ the penal laws Shall be reformed, and
meats made, in some cases less Sanguinary, and in general more
proportionate to the crimes." What can be the meaning of such
afrequentand refpe&ml notice, in >ur very F r ameof Govern
ment, of fume of the worlt people among us; especially as
there are so many ocher very important points fettled in the
Constitutions of other fates, lately published, and of which
ou. Frame does not make the least mention?
Oiat. Peter, lam not surprised to hear thee talk so. I
have he , d a hundred people fay the fame tilings; and Ido
not doubt thou halt taken thy notions from what thou halt
°" e '" Y fe "° w faidp ic w& a Charter for Knaves
and felons, for that 'here was more care taken to Secure ad
vantages co them thin co any claf^ " denomination or profeffi
on, of people among us. He had tue impudence 'OO to aifert,
that the 43d section was not intended for the benefit of free
holders and other reputable inhabitants, but merely to gra
tify idle and broiling folks who are fonder than they ought:
'°" '""'lb fowling, and hunting." Poor hard heart
ed, Short Sighted mortals ! As to the benevolence of this Con
ftituti n, I have already spoken. Now as to its policy..
Pe.er, in order t understand the drift of these Several Sections,
they mutt be taken altogether, and linked to the Sixth Section,
I hen there willoe Something fvltematic in them.
(so be continued, ]
HEFFERNAN'S grammatic-Engliffi, and mathema^
ucal oCHoOL, is now removed to Lattitia-court,
Poitadelphia ; Where the Symbols of speech are foil fucceff
fuly inculcated on infant minds, by familiar toys ; and their
powers communicated, by particular contacts. <The very
minufc of English grammar, reading, writing, repeating
memoliter, arithmetic, and accompts, all carefully taught
those of riper years. Many curious contractions, and new
improvemen t, never before extant, in mercantile arithmetic
decimals, exclusions, algebra, Surveying, navigation, and
the other practical branches, demonib atiyely familiarized :—
While , mensuration, with the federal proportions of the circle,
and eih r sb, are, far the Take of young artificers and others,
all now performed, independant of decimals, by the ordinary
Pence-daule only. Soon as half, a dozen night Students
engage their attendance, he will then open his Lucubration-
Seminary, or Night-School : When the industrious tyro may
speedily impr< vr, the estranged foreigner happily afiimilate,
and youth in gene; al fit themfrlve^ for bufinefe, with all pos
sible explain a and certainty. N. B. With the utmost
deference to all thole his more liberal encouragers, a few day
and night, pupils will be immediately admitted, to the com
pletion ot bod Heffernan's intended small number only, at the
prices now current in this metropolis.
Philadelphia, Oftebej 17, 17.76.
H E curious in ancient literary works on the ART of
I HEALING, are informed they may now purchase va
riety of Latin auth ,rs ; also a few modern English writers on
medicinal and surgical Subjects, at BELL's book-Store, next
doH to St. Paul's church, in Third-Street, Philadelphia.
N.B. All the military authors lately published may be had
at said BELL's. Likewise numbers cf miscellaneous, ih
ftrpftive, and entertaining works, in various brandies of fc
(erasure.