The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-08-20


agreeable for us to speak with pride of
our own State and OF all its constituted
authorities it would be much more
pleasant for us TO say that the govern
ment of our State was pure and upright,
that it was able and wise, that in all
respects the people might expect here
after to enjoy, as they formerly enjoyed
from its action, the peaceable fruits of
good government and of honest rule.
But this is not possible. Would that
we could do as the sons OF Noah did.
When that old navigator, somewhat
overcome by the produce of his new
vineyard, required, for the sake of de,
cency that portions of his person should
be hidden from observation, his sons
took Il garment and went backward and
covered his nakedness,s 80 that his shame
should not be known. Oh, that we
could cover the shame of this great State
of ours of three millions of people from
public notice and observation, so that
we should not read in all the broadcast
newspapers of our country, from one
end of it to the other, that corruption Is
seated at Harrisburg; that it enters the
halls of legislation that it dominates
the Executive; that it carries from the
place where political power is entrusted
to our agents the shameful results OF its
anu It's buSclltS0y anu NiIob
made rich and infamous at the same
time, stand forward rs the exponents
of great party amongst us, and with
brazen effrOntery ask the support of the
honest people OF Pennsylvania for their
cause and their men.
Look at the IIertlc act-I shall not go
through the history of 1.-THE Governor
| sitting up until the hour of midnight
waiting for the iniquity to rush through
the two Houses by falsehood and man
agemcnt, and only prevented from af-
fixing his signature at once because the
enrolment could not be made in time
and then, when it came to him next
day, signing it before he could even
show it to his own Attorney General and
| elicit from him an opinion upon its con-
stitutional validity, the authority of the
legislature to enact it, and before any
member in either House of the legisla-
ture could submit u motion to recon-
| slider it. And what then? When the
fraud was exposed and the Senate
unanimously passed bill repeating the
act, Geary or his people arrested 1T in
the House, and 1t stuck there ; 1T could
not go through that branch, of which
the Governor Is the instrument. 1t re-
quired the interposition of the Supreme
Court of the State. The judges of that
| court took that infamous act, and by
judicial power they tore il to shreds and
stamped upon it. There it lies, despised
of all men but along with its condem-
nation goes the condemnation of the
men who passed it, and the condcmna-
tion of the man who signed IL.
Take the CovOde election case. There
is an act of Congress with regard to the
election of members of Congress requir-
| tptr fha,,, ~, a al, hx,S ri lot risf
and then there are laws in the several
States regulating the manner in which
votes shall be given, and returns
shall be made. In all cases, how
ever, the Governors of the States are
selected as the channels through which
these returns shall eventually reach the
House of Representatives at Washing
ton, and by express statute it Is made
the duty of our Governor, upon receiv-
ing those returns from the several dis.
tricts, to issue Il proclamation annOunc-
ing to the whole people of the State the
result of the election. That is the
authority upon which representatives
so chosen are admitted to their seats in
the first instance.
In the representative district in which
General Foster and Mr.. Covode were
candidates, the return judges met, and
peared that General Foster had majo ori-
ty OF the votes in the district. a return
corresponding with this state of facts
was made up, signed by a majority OF
the return judges, and transmitted in
accordance with law to Harrisburg. A
minority return judge made up, at the
instigation it is understood of Mr..
Covode, statement excluding certain
election districts in one of the cOun'
ties from the return, and thus show.
ing an apparent majority for Mr.. Co
vode.
Now, what was the duty of the Gov
ernOr under the law? Nobody can
question it, 1t was to accept the re-
turn of the majority of those judges, tC
issue his proclamation accordingly, and
to confer, by virtue of that proceeding,
upon General Foster the right to take
his seat in Congress as the apparent or
prin,0 .fdcia member from the district.
What was done by the Governor? Was
the law executed? No; it was openly
violated. He issued proclamation set
ting forth that no one, 50 far rs the pa.
pers before him showed, was elected
, from the Congressional district in ques
tion, and he precipitated upon the House
, of Representative at Washington Il dis.
puted question under conditions and in
II manner not contemplated by the law
but in utter violation of its proviS
ions.
There are sundry other subjects thai
| might mention for instance, the con
, version of our five per cent. loans into
six per cent, by which the rate of in
tereSt was increased one per cent upon
largo portion of our public debt. Thai
J subject demands debate. 1t demands
, from the administration which is res
, ponsible for it, statement of the grounds
! upon which it was proposed and imposed
upon the people.
There is another question which re
quireS attentiOn-the expenditures q
f our State government. They have beel
increased several times over what they
were in former years not very remot
from our present times, and there i
good reason why the people in all part
, ofOur Commonwealth should demand o
their State government II rctrenchmen
of the public expenditures now tina
war has long ceased, that we should re
I turn again tu the rates of expenditure
. which prevailed before the war, that is
that in times of peace our rates OF eX
; penditure should be peace rates instead
l of war rates.
There is still another important ques
\ | tiou worthy vi consiuSiaeioh, nn" 'h.'
! is, the management and use of the pub
lie funds of the State. In order to NEE
h the interest upon our public indebted
n ness, it is necessary to raise every yea
S a vast sum by public taxation; il is nee
= essary to use all the means and source
G Ofrevenue open to the public authorl
n ties to their utmost capacity; but pend
h ing their application to the ordinar.
c demands OF public outlay, including tn
! payment of interest upon the publ
y debt, they are under the control of til
i State Treasurer, and very large sums G
g money are thus constantly in his hands
o or subject to his direction; and it is we
understood that these funds ara mad
d the subject of private profit, that the
l. are deposited in such institutions and
n such manner as to yield II reward
n the public officer who so deposits then
n and ii X alleged that from this sour,
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