The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1860-03-29


dorsing its nominee, referred, in most
touching terms, to the happy memories of
the sunny days when they were boys to-
gether in the good old Milton Academy.
After getting well imbued with as much
Latin, Greek and mathematics as any one
of our colleges afford, the young Curtin
of Judge Reed, of Carlisle. This school
was one of the departments of Dickinson
College, and as long as its professors lived
it flOurished and sent forth some of the
best lawyers and public men of Pennsyl
vania. Judge Reed was well known for
his ''Pennsylvania Blackstone" one of the
first attempts ever made to adopt the I'M
mortal ''Commentaries" to our modern
law. He was a frst-rate lawyer, and an
adept in teaching legal principles.
Andrew C. Curtin was admitted to the
bar in 1889, and began the practice Of
law in his native town. He Immediately
entered upon ID large and varied practice,
and has ever since been constantly and
actively employed in the courts of the
| counties of Centre, Clearfeld, Mifflin and
Clinton. His great information, his Wig
orous mind, and candor, recommended
him to the courts his winning style made
him powerful with juries. He rapidly
| became one of the best known and most
| rising young man in central Pennsylvania.
\ man with the gift and temperament
| of Andrew g. Curtin could not fail to be
largely interested and concerned in public
affairs. Strikingly amiable, genial, and
warm-hearted, Of luminous, quick and ex-
| tensive intelligence, of the most engaging
address, endowed with a fluent, facetious
and captivating eloquence, and instinct
| with old Pennsylvania traditions Of policy
| and patriotism, he threw himself at once
into those political controversies, which,
| as Burke tells us, are the noblest employ
| ments of the cultivated man.
He was an ardent and thorough going
whig, and in 1910, he took an active part
in the campaign which made General
| Harrison President of the United States.
| In 1S44, he was a feryent adherent of the
illustrious candidate of the wings, and he
stumped all central Pennsylvania for
Henry Clay and protection to American
industry. In that struggle, Mr.. Curtin
first acquired his widespread reputation
for effective and resistless popular elo-
quence. There is not a county from the
Susquehanna to the Alleghcnies, in which
the name of Andrew O.. Curtin ever fails
TO attract the largest crowds, who eagerly
gather to enjoy the feasts Of wisdom, and
wit, and humor and pathos, of poetry, sta
tistics, story, argument and imagery,
which spread out in his glowing and me
lodious periods.
In 1913, he was placed on the whig
electoral ticket, and again traversed many
q IL, St.t III, 4 = 4
Zachary Taylor. He was an original
supporter of the nomination of General
Winfield Scott, and in 1852, he was again
placed on the electoral ticket, and worked
with his usual zeal to carry the State for
the hero of the valley of Mexico. Indeed
Mr.. Curtin was at all times a thorough
and inbred Pennsylvania Whig, devoted
to all those conservative and humane ideas
which distinguished that party which now
sleeps in the graves of Clay and Webster
He is, by training and mature conviction,
a believer in systematic and efficient pro-
lection, in liberal internal improvements
in the policy of encouraging well-paid and
wide-diffused free American labor. Such
whig could not fail to be a leader and q
counsellor of the party, and accordingly
Mr. Curtin was an influential member OF
nearly every whig State Convention which
met during the last ten years of the whi2
party's existence.
No man was ever more popular at home
He is endowed with much of that rare
magnetism which neutralizes social and
political differences, and makes the man
stronger than his party. AS an lllustra-
ton of this, in the year 1919, Centre
county composed part of the Senatoria
district in which Gen. VIM. Z. Packer
now Governor, was the democratic candl
date for State Senator. The whig candl
date withdrew from the canvass on The
, Friday before the election. At the ear
nest and general solicitation of the party
Colonel Curtin took the field There re
mained only three days to canvass yer.
large district. Yet, while Centre count,
gave majority of eleven hundred for th'
rest of the democratic ticket, she gave
Gen. Packer majority Of only three hun
: dred. Three days sufiiced Curtin, agains
as strong candidate as Packer, to seattle
two-thirds of the Democratic majority.
In the year 1854, Col. Curtin was strong
, " urged by the counties of central Penn
, sylvania for the Governorship; and whel
Hon. James Pollock, of Northumberland
received the nomination, Curtin was mad
chairman of the State Central Committee
Upop the election of Gov. Pollock, he ap