davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28

We have received printed copy Of an address
to the citizens Of the 10th Congressional District,
Pa, by the Free Soil Convention Of Esston,
signed by J. E. siegert, President, and Charles
Geoff, Secretary Appealing to the Wings ana
Democrats, and referring to their policy at the
last election, they say
"Could the naked question then have been
scented, will you have your free ierritory hep'
free, or will you have it overrun with siaVenolu-
ers and slaves 2, the friends Of freedom need not
have feared for your reply. But commences IN
your accredited leaders was not easily snsken'
Democrats hoped, with their chosen cinuiua'e,
that concession would be met by counter cohces-
sion and Wings believe that he VINO oeiofe his
election was so reluctant to interfere with the
sphere of legislation would be equally abstemious
afterwards.
"You placed confidence in your advisers, ana
they have had ample room to show themselves de-
serving of il. The executive offices are IN tue
hands of one party. the legislative bodies uhoer
the control of the other Scarce dozen men OF
that dangerous set of fanatical ncendiaries who
were held up to your so earnest adherence, have
found their way to public station NOT voice
has been heard in either wing OF the Capitol, Id
vindication of the principle to which our nation
owes its being. The men whom you trusted have
of policy and if that policy were capable of bring
ing about the desired consummstion it must have
done 80 long ere this Yet eight weeks of discus
sion have but raised new doubts and fresh per-
plexities The counsels of your chosen servants
are found unequal to the emergency"
All too true With few exceptions, Pennsyl-
vanis is more poorly represented in Congress
than she has been since the commencement OF the
Free Soil agitation.
The Free Soil Central Committee Of Ohio,
urged BY the Free Democrats Of all parts Of the
State. have issued call for a State Convention
They say they deem it their duty 10 call upon
the friends Of Freedom throughout the State TO
meet IN Convention st the Seats Of Justice of
their respective counties st the earliest convent
ent day, and then and there choose delegates 10 a
State Convention. One delegate TO be chosen
for each county, and one for every two hundred
votes, and every fractional number over one
hundred, taking the vote for Van Buren, in ls4s
as basis. Said delegates to meet in Convention
at Columbus or the ID day Of May next for the
purpose of nominating a Free Democratic can
dids.e for Governor, and transacting such other
business as sid Convention, when assembled
may think proper"
!. yayienscsnaidates for the o97ee Of Governor
are mentioned among them Samuel Lewis, Reu-
ben Hitchcock, n S. TOwnshend, John Hutchins
MIR. Randall, and Mr.. Brewer.
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28

OF the rest of the occupations, few furnish
more than three or four convicts, each.
We regret that, among the statistics, no nfor
nation is given respecting the amount of educa-
ton among the prisoners.
The report read before the Philadelphia So
ciety for alternating the miseries Of Public Pris-
ons in ls49, prepared by Doctors Parrish, Pat
terson, Townsend, and Gibbons contains many
important facts in relation to the comparative
mortality among the white and colored convcts
in the Eastern Penitentiary of Pennsylvani
OF the whole number Of white prisoners, ,63l,
admitted from 1929 to 1879, ~ have died. or Is
per cent During the same time, 100 colored
prisoners have been admitted, and of these al
have died, or nearly IS per cent The dis
proportion Of mortality in the county prison is
about the same.
In the community at large, it is admitted that
there are more deaths in proportion among the
tables of DR.. Emerson, the annual average NOR
tally among the whites of Philadelphia, from
1890 to 1910, was in 43; among the colored,
10 81 la other words, the white mortality was
237 per cent, the. cOlored IA per cent. This,
by the way, shows an improvement in the condi-
ton of the colored people in that city, as from
1920 to 1880, the mortality among them was as
in2l)
This disproportion, however, in the community
at large, is not near 80 great as among the two
classes in prison, so that other causes must be
sought for The Committee states three, which,
taken together, account for the result named.
They are
ist The greater intolerance, the less power of
endurance Of confinement, among the blacks than
the whites.
Cd The greater length in their terms Of i'm
prisonment.
81 The comparative unfrequency Of their
pardons.
Taking the general average Of the length Of
sentences Of the two classes, during the period of
10 years, it is found that years, 8 months and
days, is the average duration Of the whites, and
3 years, months, and IA days, that Of the COL
ored
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
Mr.. WEBSTER'S FORGETFULNESS.

Mr. Webster was singularly forgetful in his
late elaborate speech. He forgot to say anything
about California, although the subject on which
he spoke was the PresideAts message in relation
to its admisson-and not until this act Of forget
fulness was generally noticed, did he think OF
stating his views concerning it. One week after
his speech, he obtained leave to make a short sup
Elementary speech, in which he avowed himself,
for the first time in favor Of the admission of Cal
iforna with her present boundaries.
So too he forgot to say one word about the I'M
constitutional aggressions of South Carolina and
other Southern States on the rights of citizens of
Massachusetts,, although he commented with much
indignation on the alleged aggressions OF the
North in the matter of fugitive slaves, But he
did not forget to supply this singular omission
subsequently, in revised speeches, which would
be published after the first reported had been Cir
cuated The Nep York Tribune says:
at seems, however that the absence of allusion
TO these grievances was accidental in the copy of
the peech published by the Boston Courier, we
find the following passage on the subject. we
must say however, that il reads quite too tamely
"'There is more tangible and irritating cause
of grievance at the North. Free blacks are con-
stantly employed in the vessels of the North gen
orally as cooks or stewards When the vessel
arrives these free colored men are taken on shore
by the police or municipal authority, imprisoned,
and kept in prison till the vessel is again ready to
sail This is not only irritating, but exceedingly
inconvenient in practice, and seems altogether
impractcable and oppressive Mr.. Hoars mis-
sion some time ago to South Carolina was we'll
intended effort TO this cause of complaint.
The North thinks such imprisonments illegal and
unconstitutional; as the cases occur constantly
and frequently, they think it great griev-
anoc'
1t is rather singular that in revising his speech
forthe Washington Union and National Imeh'geneer
Mr.. WEBSTER should have forgotten to insert this
paragraph, and then have remembered 1t for the
Boston Courier and home consumption. We trust
that this incongruity may receive satisfactory
explanation
The National hteiiigeacer explains as follows:
We are authorized to say that Mr.. WEBSTER
did not revise the speech for the National Intel
hgeneer or the Union nor did he read word of
the report Of it before IL was published in both
those papers We are further authorized to say,
that in all the reports of the speech revised by
Mr., WEBSTER, whether intended for the North
or the South, the above paragraph was contained !;
and that all reports seen or examined by him
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
2.092 975 664 9


One cannot but be struck with the great num-
Der of convcts pardoned, amounting to ga, or
nearly one third of the whole number committed
in sixteen years.
According to the theory of some, it might be
supposed that this fact, by holding out so many
chances Of escape to the criminal, would tend to
the increase of crime. But the table refutes this
supposition. Dividing the time from 1884 to 1919
into three periods of five years each, we find that
the number of committals has steadily diminished,
and the inference is that crime has decreased
The committals amounted
From 1895 to 1890, to 735
From 1910 to 1914, to 67S
From 1915 to $780, to 667
This result is the more surprising viewed in
connection with the vast increase of population
In 1888, the population was near 1000 in
ts4O, 1890 goo in lsA9, it must have been at
| least . 900, 900
The average number of commitments, yearly
for the five years ending 1889 was l47, the popu-
lation the last year being near 100000; while
the average number yearly for the five years end
ing ls49, when the population was 100000, was
only SO
We are gratifed also with the indications af-
forded by the vital statistics Of the Institution
Dividing the time from 1885, into the same three
periods, we find that in the LIST period, the num-
Der of deaths was 6S; in the I'd, So and, in the
Sd, had it not been for the visitation Of the chole
ra the number would have been still less, there
having been only 81 deaths in the four years end
ing 1913. Adding the deaths from ordinary
diseases in 1s49 and the number for the FIVE
years would have been only 43.
The proportion of deaths of the 2,O92 commit
ted since 1884 is about 10 per cent.
There is another table giving the occupations
before conviction of the 1896 conviots now in the
Penitentary. Ofthe IS occupations named, the
following furnished 2l3, or two-thirds of the
whole number of the convicts. The proportion
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
uTNKgRISM IN CONNECTICUT,

Hunkerism, in obedience to instructions from
Washington, rejected the WilmOt Proviso IN the
late Democratic Convention of Connecticut; but
it is now trying to repair its blunders by giving
countenance to Free Soil in the selection OF cam
didates in the several districts, for the Legisia-
ture. The Free Soil men are managing wisely
concentrating their strength in different local.
ties so as to obtain the ascendency in the Legis-
,ature and we have little doubt that the Hunk
ers will find themselves in very pretty minority
in that body. We advise them hereafter to con-
suit the soothsayers at Washington less, and the
People at home more.
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
VOL. ".

r"But we have some small men in this country
who want to be President by slavery agitation
They say it is right to admit California as II il
but then they raise the question: lsit rpcdisnt p
These men are the agitators. ST. Peter was a
very good Christian, but he found il expediept
once TO deny his Lord and Master. These a0ita.
tors are great deal like ST. Peter, but more like
Judas, who found it expedient not only to deny
but 10 bs,rOy. The charity extended to St Peter
has thus far been extended to these men, but the
awful state into which our country is now thrown
by their agitation is provoking the curses of in
das. Indeed, many may be said already to have
hung themselves
IL not, we trust the people will hang them bv
the neck, until dead-politically, of course.
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
CRIMINAL STATISTICS.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ONO PRSIrRSTIARY 1913
HKALrH AND MORTALITY CoSvIcrs. Philadelphia
1919.
We are indebted to Mr.. Rice, Sergeant-at-
Arms of the Senate of Ohio, for copy OF the
Report above mentioned, and to friend In Phil
adelphia, for report on the comparative health
and mortality of white and colored convicts in the
Pennsylvania Penitentisry.
The Ohio Penitentiary is a self-supporting in
stitution. The expenses of il in ls49 amounted
to 500 6l607. The net earnings of the convicts
over and above the expenses were So, 1857 6s.
The number of prisoners in confinement on the
3Oth of November, 1s4s, was 425, and the number
received during the year from that time till No
vember 30, 1919, was l56-in all, $751;
Cholera made sad havoc among the unfortunate
oonvicts last year, carrying off some one hundred
and fifteen victims, or one-ffth of the whole
number, which was further reduced, as follows;
By expiration of sentence 5S
By pardon from Governor So
By pardon from President l
By death from other diseases than cholera 8
BY writ of error
By escapes during cholera 3
So that, on the 30th November, ls49 only 336
persons were left in confinement.
1t will be observed that the number pardoned
exactly equalled the number of those who served
out their times of punishment.
The following table is very interesting one
on many accounts
table exhibiting the number OF eonvics 10 prison.
itte1 harged pardoned died and escaped since the
= 1e.~r-SA " ,ss ns1 Sssas>, ~. IVA >3' ygt
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
THE NATIONAL ERA.
WASHINGTON, MARCH %, 1880.
ITEMS.

Mr. Seward is generally sustained by the Wing
press Of the North, while Mr.. Webster's speech
with some exceptions, is received with GOODNESS OF
condemnation.
The Wing press in the same quarter is casti-
eating the Washington Republic for its attack on
the Ex-Governor.
The House last week was occupied chiefly with
action on the Deficiency Bill, and the California
Question was not resumed till Monday last
Mr. Giddings's vigorous speech will be found
pr orr fourth page Tbs'scS Nr HIDE wiz aR-
pear next week and Mr.. Chase's will follow.
We have published the speeches Of Clay, Cal
houn, Wellborn, and Webster, on the Southern
side, and intend to give something more on the
same side
Our foreign correspondence did not arrive time
enough this week for insertion
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
TITlIY.
We find very pithy letter in the Chicago
Democrat, from which we take an extract.

We find very pithy letter in the Chicago
Democrat, from which we take an extract
WASHINGTON, Fsbguary 20, 1850.
"What an awful responsibility rests upon the
heads of the slavery agitators in this country
Nearly six years ago, the Wilmot Proviso passed
the House of Representatives, the peoples branch
And it has passed that branch every session since,
and been killed in the conservative branch, where
almost every man, since the days of Harrison,
Tyler, Polk, and Taylor, can make some claim on
the Presidency. And all this from agitation and,
whilst this agitation has done immense injury,
what good has it produced Men have killed
themselves in trying to kill the Proviso The
principles Of Thomas Jefferson are ever dear to
the American people They will outlive sll ag-
tation.
Benton comedies the power. Clay comedies
the power. They are the great men OF the day.
Cass conceded the power generally in ls46, and
comedies 1t in State bill now. And Cas- Is no
small man in any respect. Taylor ccucedss the
power, and he is considerable muA word. All
these four men are for Californis ~ 1t is.
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28

Agsin-the pardoDs of the whites are in the
proportion Of IS to every 100 convicts of the cOl-
ored prisoners, 90 to every hundred.
These facts reflect little credit on either the
Judicial or Executive departments of the State of
Pennsylvania
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
STATISTICS OF TIE STATE OF MICHIGAN.

We are under obligations to a member of the
State Legislature of Michigan for Statistical
Report of that State by the Secretary of State.
1t contains great variety of interesting details,
some Of which we shall sum up briefly.
The State contains 30, O4O, 900 acres of land, of
which only 1,437, 45914 are improved. OF the
improved land, about one third, or 100000 acres
are sown in wheat
The following is comparative table of certain
statistical returns in 1910 and in lS49
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28

The increase of the free States, according to
this estimate, during the current ten years, end
ing with 1850, will be 80 per cent, and that of
the slave States 81 5 per cent.
The power of the South in the House Of Rep.
resentatves will be 36.43 per cent or little less
than three-eighths Of the whole,
IL is taken for granted, in all these calculations
that, before the next apportionment is made Del
aware will be added to the number Of free States
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
THE PROSPECT.

H" But we are Just at the close OF the sixth de-
csde and the commencement Of the seventh. The
census is to be taken this year, which must add
greatly to the decided preponderance of the North
in the House Of Representatives and in the cleo
torsl college. The prospect also, is that a great
increase will be added to ts present preponder-
ance during the period of the decade, by the addi-
ton Of new States. Two Territories-Oregon
and Minnesota-are already in progress, and
strenuous efforts are making to bring in three add
dtional States from the territory recently con-
quered from Mexico, which, if successful will add
three other States in short time to the North
ern section making five States, and increasing its
present number of States from Is to 90 and Of
its Senators from 30 to 40.
"On the contrary, there is not single Terri
tory in progress in the Southern section, and no
certainty that any additional State will be added
to it during the decade The prospect then is,
that the two sections in the Senate, should the
efforts now made to exclude the South from the
newly acquired Territories succeed, will stand,
before the end of the decade, twenty Northern
States to twelve Southern, (conceding Delaware
as neutral) and forty Northern Senators to twen-
ty -four Southern This great increase Of Sena-
tors, added to the great increase of members Of
the House Of Representatives and electoral COL
lege on the part of the North, which must take
place upon the next decade, will effectually and
/
when the Government commenced. "-Sqsech IF
| Mr. Calhoun
The prospect does not alarm us nor should it
excite the apprehensions of any true friend of
this Union.
As Mr.. Calhoun has said, the North has now
a majority of 40 in the House of Representatives.
Should the present ratio Of representation be
adopted for the decade commencing this year, the
free States in the next Congress will have ma
jorty of IS. The following table was compiled,
we think, by Joshua Leavitt, man whose calcu-
lations may be relied upon.
POPULATION TABLE,
Showuag the aggregate population ny States, accord
ing to the Census Of 1910; the number Of Repre-
sen,atipes mder The last opportonmem The eai-
natal population Of 1850, and the number Of Rep
reseaatiusS according TO the eristmg ratio-one for
every 70,6S0.
In making the estimate for the mem States of
the South and West, the principle has been fol-
lowed which is adopted in the annual reports of
the United States Patent Office 1t is believed
that the actual enumeration will be more favora-
8 BILE to the free States Of the West.
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
LOCAL ELECTIONS IN NEW YORK.

The town elections in New York are In favor,
generally, Of the Democrats. The Mem York
Evenmg Post contains o table of the results in
twenty nine counties in 1850, as compared with
ls49 They foot up as follows;
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28

have been made to be exactly alike one to an
otherp
We wish the other lamentable omissions in the
speech could be supplied as easily.
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28

the election, reeohoing the same sentiments
They have both been rewarded snce) The
peoplC-thst Il, the Whigs-were dissatisfied
with General Taylor. They feared his position
on the Wilmot Proviso. But all this was answer
ed by assuring them that General Taylor would
sanction any law that Congress might pass, and
MIR Vnton being elected, your sentiments will
be exhibited in him. The Free Soil men, who
wanted a candidate of their own, we're told that
Mr. Vinton would never finch on that question /;
that he was ready to meet the whole force Of the
South on IT, &c &c We voted for Mr.. Vinton /;
we have been betrayed We think common
courtesy requires Of Mr.. Vinton an explanation.
We should like TO know what object he has in
view, and what he expects to gain by his present
course He was loud in denouncing the reckless
and extravagsnt demands of the South before
the last election, and we who voted for him. be-
lievipg him honest in his declarations, would
votes in Congress the same sentiments which he
preached at home. A VINO.
BLAKELY, Pa, March is, 1850.
DR. BAILEY: little thought, when | supported
Chester Butler for a Representative that he
would represent the South, and not the North
In lS4s, there was not a Wing to be found in this
county that did not avOw the "Proviso," TO my
knowedge but it seems that Taylor is now theil
idol Principle is sacrificed for Party the AID
ministration must be sustained, while Freedom'
cause is bleeding While our Representatives arr
proving traitors, the People are waking up. Their
never was so much anti-slavery feeling as at thi
moment. find the People more anti-slavery thar
their Representatives We will make them giv'
account of their stewardship at the polls short
ly, and say to every dOughface, Thou shalt be nj
longer steward. Yours,
NEWELL CAIlENpER.
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28

Very cunning is this msneuvre, but it will not
succeed While the subject was under discussion
in Committee of the Whole, Democrat who had
supported Mr. Cass as Presidential candidate,
moved a proviso, that nothing in the resolutions
should be construed into an approval of the
views either of Mr.. Clay or Mr.. Cass-iud this
motion ras carried. The Committee then rose
and the House adjourned.
The resolutions are now in "a fix The time
for browning the Great PacifcatOr" with glory
has not yet come.
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
GENERAL CASS AND THE LEGISLATURE OF
MICHIGAN,

A Mr. Roberts has introduced in the House Of
Representatives Michigan, series Of resolu-
tions in favor of the Union, and among them is
one praising Henry Clay in brief terms for his
championship of the Union, while another pro-
nounces an elaborate eulogy on General Cass, not
only for his patriotic forts to sustain the Union,
but for his statesmanlike course in the Senate.
The object of the resolutions is, as the instruc-
tions to vote for the Proviso cannot be repealed,
to secure such on approval Of the course Of
General Cass as will embolden him to continue
to disobey the spirit of the instructions-and in
the attainment of this object, the Union and Hen
ry Clay are eulogzed, for the purpose of secu-
ring the favor of the Wings and all lovers of the
-
The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28

Our foreign correspondence did not arrive time
nough this week for insertion