Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-02-18
PCKGNs COURT HOUSE, s. C. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY IS LEGO

stand to be the doctrine of all national Wings
in Illinois to-day. Thousands of these Wings
came to our rescue in Illinois, in the memo
rable contest of 1858, which was crowned
with the success of Senator Douglas; and
many very many, of them voted for me in
my late election; besides, in the present fierce
struggle for Speaker, Mr.. Smith has voted for
as many rs three Democrats Magnaninty
aud gratitude, therefore, IS we'll as public du
ty, require of me that [ should vote for MIR.
Smith; and with these explanations, made in
his presence and hearing, do so freely, not
simply as a Democrat, but as a patriot.
Il cross the line of my party for the first
time in my life, to vote for other than Dem
ocrat; but | do it because it is no time to hir.
gle about barron consistency, and because
would put patriotism before party; and may
] not appeal to my Democratic brethren from
the great North. west to do the same? feel
assured that they will. Mr.. Clerk, change
my vote from Mr.. Phelps, of Missouri, to MIR.
Smith, Of North Carolina"
Now we do contend that for such man it
would have been better for the Southern men
to vote. What was the result ?-thc election
of Pennington, the man against whom South
crn men should entertain special grudsc, for
his ungcntIcmanly department in the Sumner
affair and his active hostility to Col Brooks.
If the Illinois men had evinced dctcrmi-
nation to force one of their members upon the
Democratic party, there might even then have
been some prctcYt for refusing to vote for Mr..
McClernand. But as will be scon bv the
opening sentences in the above remarks, so
soon rs the assurance was positively given that
a conservative man could be elected they went
over and had actually elected Mr.. Smith
when the trcacherous membcrs from Pcnusvl-
wanna, caught in a net of their own weaving
abandoned him. This fact alone acQuits them
OF any such change. The vast majority OF the
! Southern men, in sustaining Mr.. McClernand
distinctly stated that they did so under pccu-
liar circumstances, and did not mean their
vote to be regarded as an endorsement of the
popular sovereignty views of Judge Douglas
With this disclaimer, we do not see WHY the
others could not have done the same thing
and thus have defeated Pennington On the
torty-third ballot III votes were necessary to
choice. MIR. McClernand received 81 while
26 Southern votes were thrown away, which
if concentrated upon him would have elected
Him
Again, if this concentration had been upon
some anti-Lccompton Democrat who had re-
fused to vote for Southern man, or for the
nominees of the Democratic party then still
Southern men would have been perfectly right
in not supporting him but such was not the
case with Mr.. McClcrnand. We doubt if any
single member from the South had the slight
est misgivings as to the satisfactory organi.a
ton of the House if Mr.. McClcrnand had
been elected. Under Mr.. Speaker Pcnning-
ton, Sherman, the IIclpcrtc, will probably be
chairman of Ways and Means while Burlin-
game, of Clifton House memory, will preside
over the Committee on Foreign Affairs
We Shall refer to this matter again. We
believe there is no difference of opinion in
this State on the squattcr sovereignty absurd.
ity. But we see that its practical evil results
are magnfed, the offence of those who main
tain it greatly exaggerated and all for political
purpose, under the exalted but too much
abused preteXt of Southern devotion. There
is evidently desire to produce schism in
the Democratic party-to break up the Char
lesion Convention, and through Southern
Convention to nominate an extreme man, who
it is hoped may be elected by some fortuity,
the election being carried into the iLuusc.-
Against this design, which began to develop
itself during the last session OF our Lcgsla-
ture, and more recently in the Alabama Con-
vcntion, it will be necessary to guard.
MASON AND DIXoN's LINE.-On the 4th
of August 1863, Thomas and Richard Penn
and Lord Baltimore being together in Lon
don, agreed with Charles Mason and Jeremiah
Dixon, two mathcmaticians or surveyors
to mark, nun out, settle, and fix the boundary
line between Maryland on the one hand, and
Dolcwlre and Pennsylvania on the other
Mason and Dixon landed in Philadelphia on
the 10Th OF November following, and began
their work at once. They adopted the Pen
nsular lines and the radius and tangent point
OF the circular of their predecessors They
next ascertaincd the northeastern coast of
Maryland, and proceeded to run the dividing
parallel of latitude. They pursued this par
allcl, distance of two hundred and thirty
miles, eighteen chains, and twenty-onc links,
from the place Of beginning at the northcas
tern corner of Maryland, to the bottom of
valley on Dunkard S creek, where an Indian
war-path crossed their route and here on the
9Th of November, 1767-ninety. years
ago-thcir Indian escort told them it was the
will of the Sioux nation that thcsurvcys should
ceGse; and they terminated accordingly lcay-
ing thirty-siX miles, six chains, and fifty links,
as the exact distance remaining to be run west
to the southwest angle of Pennsylvania, not
far from the Broad Tree Tunnel on the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad. Dixon died at Dur
ham, England, l777; Mason died in PcnnsyI-
vana, 1877.