The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1863-04-17

~SAN ~AvA6As3 SS0sy <fFsfts y
In, the Bedford 1nqIrer Of the Sd inst, an
article over the signature of Geo. Sigafoos, con-
tains some statements to which we desire to de-
votela few words in reply.
You, say, Mr.. Sigafoos, that when we asssrt
that you were elected County Superintendent
"by Democratic .votss, with the understanding
that you were ga Democrat," we say what we
know to be. false, Now, sir, we do say that it
was the general understanding" from your
conversation upon political subjects with Dem
ocrats and from the assurances Of your person.
al friends, that you then professed to belong to
the Democratic party. True, the whole tenor
of your political existence had been so uncer.
tain and hypocritical that many persons doubt
ed your Democracy, and some regarded you as
a kind of hermaphrodite politician, whom.
Smiths Grammar would put in the common gen
der and whom Dickens would place by tho side
of Micawber as one "waiting for something to
turn up" AS to your being elected by Demo-
cratic votes, you know very well that if the
Democratic Directors had united against you,
your defeat would have been newt able. But
they very properly discarded political consider
ations, and, regarding only your great merit,
they selected you as the County Superinten-
dent. And, in passing, we would just say here,
that whilst we did not admire their peculiar ap-
probation of merit, we approve Of their course
in shutting out ipolitics from their minds when
they came to vote for County Superintendent.
We are too good friend of the schools to de-
sire them to be dragged into the political arena;
and our complaint against you, Mr.. Sigafoos,
is, that you, as County Superintendent, stepped
down from the dignity of 20 ur position and
draggled your official robes in the filth of party
trickery. Sir, you have attempted, in address,
ing public meetings, to fix the responsibility for
this present unhappy war upon the Democrats.
You have assumed the right publicly to draw
theline of division between the 'sloyal and 'dis-
loyal" portions of the people. You have as
sisted in forming political club in this bor-
ough, before which you deliver your semi-month.
ly harangues against the Democratic party
And, to your everlasting shame be it said, you
have opposed, with zeal worthy of the witch
burners of Salem, men of your own religious
persuasion, because, forsooth, they would not
permit you and few other hare Drained bigots
to keep their political conscience. Sir, we
want no more political County Superintendents;
neither have we any peculiar desire that man
shall again fill that Office who can neither spell
words nor construct sentences correctly We
want no such butcher of the Kings English as
will tell us, ''But sir, the drift of your false
charges and dinsnuations, are clearly understood" :"
or who cannot give correctly the photography
of the word Silly, a word, by the way, which
you, Mr.. Sigafoos, ought to be able to spell,
but which in your communications to the Ga
sette, prior to your election as County Superin-
tendent, was invariably written ''S-i-l-l-a."-
Nor do we want man for the Office in ques-
tion, who cannot, or will not, at all times have
respect enough for the dignity Of his Office, if
not for himself, to refrain from downright lying;
man, who after having asked Directors to
vote for him, as you did, and as we can prove
you did, will coolly turn abont subsequent to his
election, and declare, as you do now, that he
did not solicit the Office, with the intention to
create the, impression, as you ore trying to do,
that the office was given him only on account of
his splendid 'smeritW No, sir; we want q
scholar and q man to fill that Office. SO much,
Mr.. Sigafoos, for your connection with the
County SUPPLEMENTARY, AS a politician you
exhibit 80 little consistency, and, to be frank
with you, are of SO little account, that it is
hardly worth our while to speak of you in that
regard. But when you put on the mantle of
such mousing political owls as Wright Of Indi-
ana, johnson of Tennessee, Tod of Ohio, Bra
dy of New York, etc., we would refer you to
the record of Stephen A. Douglas, who charg-
ed the Republican" Senators to their faces
with refusing to prevent when in their power
to do SOY the calamities that have fallen upon
our country, and who declared in the last speech
he ever made in the Senate that sWar is Dis
union, certain and inevitable, final and irrevoca-
ble;n we would direct you to the position of
Judge Curtis oftMassachusetts, lntely a Re
publican, who recently published letter strong
ly animadverting upon the course of the Presi-
dent and vindicating in the most powerful man
ner the rights Of the people so wantonly assail-
ed by the present foul and corrupt administra-
ton; we would point you to Judge Thomas,
lately Republican" representative In Congress
from Massa chusctts, who declared in his place
that "who talks Of q war of determination is
simply mad" and then, we would ask you, Mr..
Sigafoos, whether Stephen A. Douglas, Judge
Curtis and the Hon. Mr.. Thomas, were .'dis-
loyal" when they uttered such sentiments, and,