Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1867-07-31
Address of the Union Republican State Cen
tral Committee.

To THE PEOPLE OF PENNSYLVANIA =
FetiOU Citizens The official term of Geo
". Woodward, chief Justice of the Su-
preme Court OF the State, is about to ex-
pire and under the Constitution bis sue
cessor will be elected on the second Tuesday
of October next This election Is every
way important, aud the more SO, because of
the great principles and issues inNlred, and
OF the fact that the term Is for fifteen years.
All the powers OF our Governments, both
National and State, are divided into three
classes the Legislative Executive, and Ju-
dicial. The people are the source OF all
power; and our Constitutions provide the
manner In which all offices shall be filled,
and the terms for which they shall be held.
The National Judiciary being for life and
the State Judiciary for fifteen years, changes
in these tribunals are wrought more slowly
than in the other branches of the Govern
ment; and hence should be made with great
er caution and wisdom for nothing is of
greater public importance than wise and
patriotic Judiciary. Our past history shows
a constant tendency III these several depart
ments to enlarge their respective jurisdic-
tions, and occasionally to encroach on each
dietary. 1t is but recently the Supreme
of slavery, gravely undertook to overturn
the foundations of the Government on that
question, ard to nullify and destroy acts of
Congress enacted by the men who made
the Constitution. The Dred Scott decision
virtually legaliZed and extended slavery over
all the Territories of the Union, in defiance
Of Congress and the people, and laid down
principles, which, but for subsequent events,
would have eXtened slavery and made it
lawful in all the States. And after the re-
cent civil war was inaugurated, our State
Judiciary, by denial Of the constitutional
powers of Congress and of our State Legis-
lature, IN measures absolutely necessary to
carry on the war and save the nation, so im-
perlled our cause as to make intelligent
patriots everywhere tremble for the issue Of
the contest, True, these false theories did
not prevail. But it is equally true the con-
tlnued assertion Of them paralyzed the arms
OF both the National and State Govern
ments, distracted and disheartened our peo-
pie, gave aid and comfort to the enemy,
prolonged the war, and added immeasura-
bly, to our sacrifices of blood and treasure.
Hence it is, THAT warned by past misfor-
tunes. we ask that the Supreme Court Of
the State be placed in harmony with the
political opinions Of the majority Of the
people, to the end that the Court may new
er again, by unjust decisions, seek to set
aside laws vital to the nation y
Who, then, are Henry w. Williams and
George Sharswood, the candidates for this
vacant seat upon the Supreme Bench
What are their past records, and where do
they stand, in these eventful times, and on
these momentous issues? The veal or woe
of the Commonwealth, and perhaps of the
nation, is involved in these questions; and
1t behooves every patriotic voter in the State
10 examine them with care.
OF Judge Williams, the UDiCn Republi-
can candidate, we here propose to give no
extended biography. He is a high-toned,
Christian gentleman, about forty-sx years
of age, a ripe scholar, and learned and
eminent lawyer, with fifteen years judicial
experience, on the bench of the District
Court of Allegheny county. He was first
elected judge in 1851, when he ran over one
thousand votes ahead Of his ticket, and was
re- elected In 1861, by the unanimous vote
of all parties. The following extract from
an editorial in the Pittsburg Post, (the rrin-
cipal Democratic paper of the Vest shows
the estimation in which he is held by polit-
ical adversaries:
The nomination of Hon. Henry w.
Williams, as candidate for Judge of the
Supreme Court is a good one He acns the
IlCjJNDIICCtH
UeatiOa, and possesses legal and moral
qualifications for the responsible position to
which he has been nominated -
He is of the Webster and Clay school of
politics, and during the recent civil war,
from the beginning TO the end, did every
thing IN his power, through his means, his
voice, and ms votes, to strengthen the hands
and encourage the hearts Of the loyal peo-
pie in the struggle to maintain the Union.
Who, and what Judge Sharswood is, as a
public man, will appear from what follows
Early in the history of this nation politi-
cal sentiment became divided on the powers
of the National and State governments, and
their true relations to each other On these
divisions two great parties were subsequent
ly founded. The one, known as the State
Rights party, had John G. Calhoun for its
champion, and the other, for its recognized
leader, had the great expounder of the Con-
stitution, Daniel Webster. The former
held free trade, and the right of nullifca-
ton and secession, as cardinal doctrines,
denying the constitutional power of Con-
gress to impose duties for protection, and
claiming notification and secession as inbe-
rent rights Of State. The latter denied
these assumptions, and between these con-
ficting principles and parties there has been
perpetual warfare. In the main, the old
Whig party ranged itself under the banner
of Webster, and the Democratic party un-
der that of Calhoun. One of the legitimate
fruits of the States rights doctrine was the
rebellion of 1888, in South Carolina 4; the
avowed object of which was to nullify the
protective tariff law OF Congress, enacted in
1928. The country at that time was saved
from disastrous civil war by the frmness
of President Jackson, the wisdom of Con
gress, and the patriotism of General Scott.
That effort at rebellion and civil war failed
and the principle on which it was based was