Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-10-02
GOV. JOHNSTON'S SPEECH.
AtIhe iate Whig Meeting i'm Pail.
:eReagENEat.S


Fellow citizens, desire to return to you nv
thanks for the kind and enthusiastic manner
in which you have received me upon my pres
ent visit to Philadelphia. | thank you, as
republican citizen, for your presence on this
occasion; for | think have observed in these
assembages OF the people, a security for our
political institutions. | thank you also, as an
Executive Magistrate, for your presence here
tonight, because it assures me that the pub
lie are determined to examine the acts of their
servants, and to pass upon these acts with the
voice ofapprobation or dsapprobation, as their
honest judgments may satisfy them is right. |
also thank you for your attendance, as candi-
date for Office, because it affords me an oppor.
tunity ofexpressing to the people, my views sup
on public measures that in this government,
constituted of the people, and under their
control, all may know the opinion of the man
for whom they are called upon to vote at the
next election.
(Here the Governor was interrupted by the
arrival ofnumerous delegations from Kensing
ton, Spring Garden and Northern Liberties,
preceded by bands of music. Our reporter
did not distinctly hear the passages of the
speech that Immediately folowed)
When the government belongs to the peo-
pie, it is for them to be vigilant, in reference
to the conduct of their agents. | have too
much regard, myself for the republican insti-
tutions Of this land to desire TO be the repre-
sentative of any men whose opinions upon
public policyi could not conscientiously car
ry out. The next election, in my judgment, in
wolves the settlement Of important questions
to the people of this State. if it were but
mere effort to elevate a. or B. to Office, who
would discharge the duties of the Executive
under the Constitution and the laws with fl
delitv, would be matter of small moment
whether a or b should be the successful can
didate. But, if can satisfy the citizens of
this portion of Pennsylvania that important
questions-importan to their interests, are in
volved in the coming contest, and to be set
tied by the result, am confident there will
be no backwardness upon their part to do
what thev believe TO be just and right to the
institutions under which they live.
Permit me to occupy moment of your
time. while make few remarks in reference
t. osome charges which have been made against
him who now addresses you. In the first
place, it has been charged that the present
Executive has been unfaithfnl TO his pledges
in one or more particulars. 1t has been in
reference to the exercise of that high power
vested in me by the consututlon-the power
of granting pardons and renting fines and
forfeitures-that have failed to discharge
the duties which | owed to the citizen. /
mention this for the purpose of asking your
attention for one moment to a matter about
which | cannot, on this occasion, enter into
detail The exercise of the pardoning power
vested in the supreme Executive of the State,
may he, and doubtless, in many instances is
abused. 1t may be abused by the one who
exerc ises the power, and it may be abused by
those from whom he derives his information.
can say here that in the exercise of that
power, upon no single occasion was | ever
influenced to grant or withhold a pardon, by
political partallties or prejudices. (Crles Of,
good-good," and appause.) have uniform
" endelvorel from the lights | could obtain to
guide my judgment, to make such decisions
upon all questions of the kind that were pres
ented TO ne. as Justice and truth required.
That / have granted pardons that mighthave
better not been granted. have no doubt; but
in all cases of the kind the public records will
shoW,that had the most conclusive testimony
before me OF the worth of the object to whom
that cIemency had been given before the act
was done. In no single instance have lever
failed to make every eXertlon | could TO
obtain information from such souces as my
judgement told me were reliable. may fur
ther say to you that, notwithstanding the large
increase of our population, and the consequent
larme increase of crime, and Of the number of
convictions for crime within this common
wealth, there have been fewer pardons granted
by the present Executive than by his predeces-
sors. Another charge has been made, and that
is, notwithstanding whether these pardons
were rightor not, that was pledged against the
exercise Of The pardoning power. This is un-
lust and untrue. | could not, at any time, o:
under any circumstances, have pledged my
self against the exercise Of power which
must necessarily be called into action in a
correct administration Of the government
CGreat applause has been stated that Ihave
been derelct in duty and faithless to pledges,
by having occasionally arrested the Legislation
of the State, by the exercise ofthe veto power,
which is vested in the Executive by the Con-
sttuton freeley say to you, that have been
opposed TO the too frequent use, and have Sc
declared to the people upon former occasiap.
of the veto power believe its exercise on
the part of one individual, SO very frequently
overriding the action OF the peoples represen-
tatives, is not a republican feature in his ad-
ministration. | said so before the last cleo
tion, and that assertion | repeat, for the pur-
pose of ylndicating myself TO the citizens o
this portion Of the Commonwealth, where the
charge has been more often made and insisted
upon, than in any other. | beg leave tC
refer to some facts taken from the records
Dnring the administration Of Gov Porter, the
number of bills vetoed for various causes, that
had passed the Legislature during his term o
six Years, was tiy-seven-maklng an aver
kage ofsnore than nine during each session o
theIegisature During the administration
of his immediate successor, and my Predeces
sor. the late Gov. Skunk, the number Of Fetoe'
in a period of little more than three years
three sessions of the Legislature OF our State
was sixty-six, making an average OF twenty
two peach year. Ibeiieved-because was IN the