Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1850-08-09
The Losoro,o Delegate Election.

scenes enacted i'll and around the Court
House by our locofoco brethren, not one
in thousand but would have exclaimed
i" Can such things be, and not create our
/ special wonder!'' Ii was in truth an ex-
hibition without parallel at primary cleo
| ton, and if it has heretofore been equalled,
| the memory of the oldest inhabitant'
cannot recall it, TO understand the matter
properly, il may be necessary to state that
there are two factions among the locofocos,
| the one striving to gain, the other to retain,
political ascendancy. The stronger por-
ton is Cameronian-the other is anti
The caucuslng for weeks past at street
corners and in offices, the anxiety displayed
by those more Immediately interested, had
prepared us for spirited" contest, but
the scene as it actually occurred almost
beggars description. 1t opened with war
of words and an anxious desire on the part
of the captains 10 make 4" their marks" on
each others phizzes, and the example
having thus been set, the rank and file soon
exhibited disposition to do likewise, and
in several cases fell to work in earnest, and
but for the interference of some who
seemed 10 feel that the democracy had got
on more than an ordinary "spree," more
blood would have flowed than has fattened
the streets of Lewistown at any election
within ten years. As It was, the boiling
/ waters did not subside until a late hour in
the night, at which time Captain Whiskey
succeeded in flooring the more uproarious.
No one could well help laughing at the
antics cut up in this menagerie exhibition,
as correspondent calls it, yet the feeling
of disgust was certainly uppermost, not
only among the wings, but the more orderly
disposed among the locolocos. Taken al
| together, it was a memorable day, and
will long be remembered by participants
and spectators.
On Monday the convention met IN the
Town Hall, and the first act it performed
was deeapitating Mr.. Gibboney, by nomi-
mating JOHN Ross, formerly Supervisor on
the Upper Division, for the Assembly.
This move created no little surprise among
the uninitiated, as great many did not
even know that Mr.. Ross was a candidate
for that station. The guillotine having
thus been set in operation, Mr.. Rittenhouse,
the present Prothonotary, certainly most
worthy, competent, and obliging officer,
| had his head taken off under the plea of
one term, Capt. #. f. M'Coy, Of M'Vey-
/ town, having been named in his place.
This one term affair seems to be quite q
convenient hobby for disPosing of an Office
holder when no other plea can be made.
But few years ago the principle was ap-
/ Piled 10 a member of the Assembly from
! the Valley, and he was accordingly choked
/ off, and yet the very man who succeeded
! him obtained two terms Now 1t is again
revived, and It's application gives M'Vey-
town and Oliver no less than three offices,
while the entire Valley has but two!, 1t
was curious, very curious, 10 watch the
programme as it developed itself. Had
any one witnessed the zeal with which the
dominant faction apparently supported
Messrs. Gibboney and Rittenhouse, he
would not have deemed it possible that
they could be defeated, especially after it
was understood that Capt. M'Coy had not
succeeded in obtaining the delegates in his
own district, comprising M'Feytown and
Oliver township But Presto-change,
A delegation OF plenipoteniiaries having
visited the different parties concerned up
the river, the thing was fixed, and 10 :
when the convention met, il nominated
candidate for Assembly who, had he ap-
peared before the people in opposition to
/ Mr.. Gibboney, would most certainly have
been defeated, and put up for Prothon-
otary the very one who was thought to
! have had the least number of votes We
could not before, but we can very easily
now, understand the management which
brought about this Cameronian triumph.
The contest for delegates OStensidiy rested
on the petty office of Prosecuting Attorney,
and while the masses were thinking of no
one but Alexander and Jacobs, they were
nnconsciously working for Ross for As
sembly, and M'Coy for Prothonotary :;
thus many Of them who were personally
IN favor of Gibboney and Riuenhouse,
were made the instruments for the defeat
OF those gentlemen. 1t was undoubtedly