Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1852-10-08
Woodward Nailed.

The recent attempt of Judge Woodward to
discredit the official record of the proceedings
of the Reform Convention, is likely to sink
him deeper in the political mire than may be
agreeable to the offcehunter. If he delivered
no such speech as that from which we iateiy
gave some extracts, how comes it that Mr.
Cummin, member of that convention from
Juniata county, and an Irishman, rose and
DESoUNcED THE SPEECH as containing Z" most
ercl,sire and aristocratic arguments" as cast
ing "reproach apon foreigners, and as a
oross insult upon the Irish and the other for
eign population Of THIS State" Cummin's
speech is found in the 9Th Volume Of the De-
bates, pages 4tt88, 449 and $50. Wemake the
following quotations from it:
Mr.. Cummin, of Juniata county, rose,
and said it was a very hard case that a
member of this Convention, should introduce
a proposition like that brought forward by the
gentleman from Luzerne, Mr. Woodward J.
that he should support 1t Jy strong orglt-
ment against al foreigners, and that be should
then withdraw it, and thus cut off all oppor-
tunity of replying to his elaborate address.
Such had been the course of the gentleman
from Luzerne county. He had offered his
amendment--he had made a speech in Its ia
yor-and he denied to other members the
privilege of showing that he was entirely mis-
taken in his aristocratic argument.
Sir, tsaid Mr.. c., the gentleman from
Luzerne is the last man from whom | should
have expected an action of this kind. /
would have been glad that the gentleman
would have left the way open, for short
time at least that we might examine the sub
iect in relation to the foreigners Of this coun-
try from the time of the revolution down to
this day, and that we might demonstrate even
to his satisfaction, that his Speech contains one
of the most exclusive and aristocratic argu-
ments ever submitted to republican assem-
/ bly,.
1.-THE aczole tenor Of the gentleman's argu-
ment went to cast reproach upon foreigners,
and to show that they were not worthy to be
trusted.
"The gentleman reasons rather out Of the
book in one point, when he says that the
time is now come, when the United States can
do without foreigners-that there Is no neces-
sity for them--that the people Of the United
States are now able to fight their own battles,
and that they can live safe and free without
theirprescncc. lie is mistaken if he supposes
that he can find a justification, in such rea-
soning as this, for the argument which he has
offered There is no ground on which it can
/ be justified. | hope, therefore, that he will
withdraw his amendment, and that he will
make an apology for what regard as gross
insult upon the Irish and the other fureign
population of this State"
Nowwhen it is borne in mind that Mr., Cnm-
min uttered these denunciations immediate
ly after Woodward's remarks and were then
fresh in his memory, and that he hen, aPoa
the floor Of tie Concenti0a, and III the presence
Of Judge Woodrard, said Woodward's senti-
ments were disgraceful and insulting, the
proof that Woodward did make the speech
reported in the debates is beyond contradic-
ton, and he but exposes his dishonesty and
insults the intelligence of the people, when
he undertakes to deny the fact.