The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-05-23
To the Democratic Republican Citizens of
PENNSYLVANIA.


To the Democratic Republican Citizens of
PENNSYLViNA.
The Legislature Of Pennsylvania being
about to adjourn, the undersigned cannot
separate without addressing few words
TO the Democracy of the State, upon the
state of things which has existed at the
seat OF government, since the 1st day of
January last.
When the elections closed on the Sec
ond Tuesday of October last. the Democ-
racy rightfully claimed to have elected
seUe1,teeaa out Of the Mirty-three Senators,
and .Hty- nine out of the one hundred rep
resentatives. 1t is true that we had
whig Governor. known TO be a shrewd
politician, and notover scrupulous in the
means 10 which he would resort, 10 ac-
compish his ends. We, however, trusted
that there was stern fidelity enough in our
Senators and Representatives 10 carry out
Democratic principles in our legislation,
and thus leave 10 the Executive, when he
sought 10 thwart the enactmenls of the le-
gislalure, the alternative OF falsiiying all
his assertions, in regard TO the propriety
oil exercising the veto power, or exercising
that power, not on Constitu ionaI grounds,
but upon mere party considerations.
In these just expectations we have been
disappointed. We have found that one
OF the Senators, elected bv the Democrat
ic party, who had been loud in his pro-
iesslons of devotion TO the cause of the
people. driving bargain wilh our polili-
cal opponents, whereby, by the votes of
the whg Senators, aided by has oUn
vote he was placed in the Speakers chair
of t.Hat Senate for which, as experience
has shown, he had but few qualifications.
save thai of subserviency TO the whig
party. What price, if any, was paid be-
yond this, for deserving from, and betray-
ing his own party, we know not, but this
we do know, that thenceforth, with one or
two exceptions Of minor matters. to suit
his own purposes, he has acted and voted
with the whig parry, the members of
which, whilst they mig ht love the treason
could not but despise the traitor.
The utter shamelessness of this whole
ought to place upon the whig
party load of obloquy, from which they
should never be relieved, in the estimation
Of all honorable and honest men.
In the course of our legislation, we
passed bill distrcting the State for Sen
ators and Representatives, which met the
appreciation of both Senate and House of
representatives, but was vetoed by The
Governor for alleged reasons, which were
BY no means satisfactory to large por-
ton OF our fellow citizens. and which, in
a report made to the House of Represen-
latlves, by the Apportionment Committee.
were shown to be unsustained by the facts
of the case.
Another bill was then prepared and
passed through the House of Representa-
Ilves. 1t also passed two readings in SEN
ate, and was defeated by tie vote on
third reading, the Speaker refusing to
vote. This bill, it will be remembered,
passed the House of Representatives by
vote of ~ TO 25, which shows that it was
not based or passed upon mere political
considerations.
A third bill was then presented to and
passed by the House of Representatives
and sent TO the Senate where ii was essen
TALLY altered, and the districts changed
without due regard either TO proximity of
counties or ratio of Representation, and
sent back to the House OF Representatives.
These alterations were nearly all made to
the prejudice of the Democratic party,
and carried by the casting vote of the
Speaker of the Senate. On being trans
milted TO the House of Representatives.,
that body refused to concur in the amend
ments. The Senate insisted; the House
refused TO recede from their nor-concur
renee, and Committees of Conference
were appointed on the points in dispute
between the two Houses in relation to the
bill.
In that committee the Whig members
from the Senate were found unwilling TO
yield any essential change in the bill, as
it had passed that body, except the change
of one county in district, most probably
affecting its political character by making
/ necessary change in the adjoining dis
rict, which effected no political ch ange
whatever in it. But they also claimed
The right to take the election of Senator
in the year 1850, from the 10Th district
of Carbon, Monroe, Wayne,
and Pike counties, (Which has been fixed
oy all three of the apportionment bills,
and was SO agreed to by both houses in
he billy and give it TO Whig district