Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1857-02-18
The Bedford County Meeting.


Bedford, on Monday, the 9th inst. Ine res.
olutions adopted at the meeting, are prefaced
with an address as long as the moral Law
The first part of the address, is mere reca-
pitulation of the questions which were decided
in tho late Presidential campaign, and to all
of which we heartily subscribe The author
of the address. next proceeds to speak of the
recent U. S. Senatorial election, and denoun-
cos in unmeasured but richly merited terms,
the three traitors. Lebo, Wagonscl!er and
Manear. Referring to the course pursued by
Henry d. Foster and his friends, in connec-
tion with the election of Senator, the following
paragraph occurs:
The conduct of these men is in no way
palliated by the fact that their candidate was
a man of talent or one qualified to fill the
place-nor by the fact that he had twice re-
eeived our votes for seat in Congrcss-nor
by tho fact that only last year both our mem
bers supported him in caucus for the same po-
sition-nor by the fact that he and his friends
entertained the vain hope that their adverse
ries would eventually unite upon him to de-
feat the Democratic nominee"
The last sentence of the foregoing para
graph, contains false and malicious imputa-
tion against Henry D. Foster. Every one
who knows Gen. Foster. will acquit him of
so grave and serious charge, no matter by
whom it may be preferred Such is not his
character, nor is such the stuff of which he is
made. High minded and honorable as be is
universally known to be, he scorns anything
like deception or trickery, and would be the
very last man in Pennsylvania, to lend him.
self to such base and disreputable purpose.
as is attributed to him in the foregoing cx-
tract. The very reverse of the unfounded ac-
cusation is the truth. The idea was sugges-
ted by certain members of the opposition, that
they might eventually cast their votes for
Gen. Foster and that they, together with
Gen. Fosters friends, would elect him. The
very moment that such contingency came
to Gen. Fosters ears, true to the noble in
stincts of his nature, and ever mindful of his
devotion to his glorious constituency, as we'll
as to his party, he emphatically and openly
declared, that neither he nor his friends, would
ever cast their votes for an Anti Buchanan
candidate, and that if he were elected by
Union of the Republicans and the Western
Democratic members, who had stood by him,
be would resign The Office the very moment
the Speaker of the Convention announced the
result. This is what Henry D. Foster did
say; it is just what he would be expected to
say, by those who know the man. To impute
to him, therefore, the base and unmanly mo-
tive of attempting to form, or even permitting
to be formed with his knowledge and consent,
a coalition with the Republican party. for the
purpose of securing his own election, and thus
defeating the democratic nominee, is foul
slander upon his fair reputation. both as
man and politician. If the author of the
address, who was in Harrisburg at the time,
can sustain the charge, which he has seen
proper 10 prefer against Gen Foster, we call
upon him to do so-if he cannot, let him like
a gentleman retract it, SO that the baue and
the nntidote, may go before the people to-
gether.
Amongst the resolutions adopted by the
meeting, were the two following:
AsSSoA'Cu, ihae We leei partlcuiariy con-
strained to condemn the course of G. MEL
SON SMITH. His conduct in regard to the
election was sufficiently offensive to his con-
stitucnts-his Protest was more so, and his
letters and editorials villifying Gen. Bowman
and other good Democrats arc adding insult
to injury, and proves that he feels the neces-
sify OF avoiding the true question and with
drawing the attention of the people from the
true issue by 9 vain effort to raise false ones.
Resolved. That We will not hold the De-
mocracy OF Cambria county responsible fol
the insane resolutions adopted BY Know Moth
ings, Black Republicans, and a few disap-
pointed and reckless Democrats at Johnstown
and Ebensburg
1t is false that G.. Nelson Smith. ever at
tackled George w. Bowman, until he was
compelled to do SO in self defence. Bowman
denounced Smith as a g traitor" with 'pol-
iuted feet" and applied to him many other
opprobrious epithets. Was it to be supposed
that Mr.. Smith would remain passive under
such vile aud unmerited abuse, and that the
ferce denunciations. of even SO redoubtable a
General. as George w. Bowman, should be
scattered broad east over the State, unrebuked
and unanswered? Mr.. Smith acted on the
defensive, as he was bound to do, and his
constituents in Cambria county, with one
voice, have endorsed and sustained him.
The allegation contained in the second re-