Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-02-17
oANr1ELD 1. WARDS DEMOCRATIC PARTY
On Tuesday of the first week of Court q
handbill, of which the following is copy, was
posted up in several conspicuous places:-

posted up In several conspicuous places'-
DEMOCRATIC MEErISG-A meeting of the Democracy |
will be held at the Court House, this lTuesday) evening
elect Delegates to the next State Convention, and to
such other business may be deemed necessary
Towanda, February 6, 1856.
We regret to say, that we were unable to be
present at the organization of the meeting. We
understand, however, that T. SMITH, Esq, was
appointed President, and other officers elected,
and the meeting adjourned to the Grand Jury
room.
When we entered the Grand Jury room we
found some twelve or fifteen solemn looking
gentlemen seated around the room, which was
dimly lighted by single tallow candle and We
took our seat, awe-struck by the sepulclirai
character of the scene AS We looked around
upon the aSsembage, we thought of the hard
case" who was arragned before justice in
the morning for drunkenness, after having been
fined for the same offence the night before
As the Justice proceeded to infict the fine pro-
vided by the statute, the victim of intemperancc
stopped him. No you don't, Squire said he,
"This is the same old drunk 1t was SO with
this meeting Itwas the same old Pro-Savery,
Nebraska, National y Democratic concern,
composed of those, who for years have been in
an attitude of opposition to the sentiment Of
the Democracy of the County and have either
openly or secretly endeavored to destroy its
organization and to defeat its candidates. We
saw but new phase to that persistent and fac
i.l bac acio
sought to give shape and consistency to all the
discordant elements in the party of the Coun-
ty, and whose efforts have heretofore been dis
regarded by the Democracy and so impotent
in its malignancy.
Presently the deep and painful silence was
broken by the entrance of c. l.. WARD, Esq.
and W. II. PECK, Esq, who, we suppose, were
Committee on Resolutions, because the latter
proceeded to read portion of the resolutions
recently adopted at Democratic meeting in
SuSquehanna county. Our Susquehanna friends,
to "head off" the Republican party in that
County, went the entire animal" free-soil, and
al-but the Committee struck out the pith Of
the resolutions, and left only an unmeaning as
semblage of words, very prcttily put together,
to be sure, but signifying nothing.
The resolutions being before the meeting,
several gentlemen proceeded to deliver them
selves of speeches, in which there appeared no
thing remarkable, the burthen of each speech
being the failure on the part of the Standing
Committee to call a Convention at February
Court, Each speaker predicted the most as
tonishing results from the small meeting there
convened
Large oaks from little acorns grow
that democratic party was there Inaugural
ted, pure and undefiled, which was to annihi-
late all other parties. Finally, each one en-
deavorcd satisfactorily to account for the small
ness of the meeting, and sat down, apparently
much relieved
Mr.. WARD, in the course of his remarks, as
serted that the majority of the party in this
county, had been subservient to the behests of
one man, and that the present Standing Com
mttee had placed their consciences in his keep
ing, (meaning, as near as we could infer from
his insinuations, Judge WILMor (Which re-
mark struck us as particularly cool, coming
from such a source, and led us to congratulate
ourselves, as member of that Committee, that
we had conscience to place in anybody's keep
ing.
Mr.. CANFIELD offered a preamble and reso-
lutions which developed the whole object of the
10 tbo offa hat hot fbon
party of the County was disorganized and that
in order to re-organize a new Democratic party
in conjunction with the Democracy of the State
and Nation, Standing Committee be appoin-
ted with the usual powers. This gave rise to
considerable debate-in fact, the discussion
was allowed a very wide latitude 1t was urg-
ed, firstly, that the fact that the Standing Com
mittee had not called February Convention,
was virtual disorganizaton of the party; and
secondly, that as most, if not all, $50 says Mr..
CANFIELD) of that committee opposed Gov.
BIGLER's reelection, by that deed they become
incompetent to act SO it became the duty of
the immaculate gentlemen present to re-organ-
ize the Democratic party, to purge it of all i'm
purities.
1t puzzled the debaterS to get their prcam-
bic in the right shape. Some of them seemed
to realize the ludicrous position they were in,
and feared that possibly the Standing Commit
tee though defunct, might not stay dead, but
would still call Convention, and particularly
at September and claim that they were 'regu-
lar" after all. But finally, the resolutions were
passed as offered.
Col. JOHN +. MEANS and T. SMITH were
elected delegates to the Fonrth Of July State
Convention