The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-01-13
HARRISBURG, Jan. 6, 1870,

To the Editor of the Columbian:
The organization of the Senate came
to happy close, every Democrat being
in his seat. WILLIAM A. WALLACE
was, of course, elected Speaker, and
that worthy old soldier, JOHN A. Cool.
IHAN, received the appointment of Ser
geant Mt arms. In fact, all the officers
elected by the Democratic majority in
the Senate, are remarkable for efiicien-
cy and respectability; but / have sim
gled out Mr.. CooLIHAN, the Democrat
ic Sergeant at arms, as a very appropri-
ate comparison to Mr.. w. j. OVENS of
Philadelphia, who has acquired wide
spread celebrity for the homicide of the
late Colonel RIDDLE.
The two men may be considered as
true exponents of the morality aud re.
spectability of the two political parties
to which they respectively belong.
Their choice, by either House, is the
index of the unerring instincts which
invariably govern each political party.
While the Democrats chose an honest
private of the 137th Regiment, who
was content to fight the battles of his
country in the ranks, according to the
true Democratic style Of unselfsh pa
triotism ; the Republicans of the House
sought and found their candidate for
the same office among the most notori-
Gus downtown roughs of Philadelphia.
Murderers, as they are, of the Constitu-
tiOn and the first principles of right and
justice, the Republicans naturally chose
man of blood, indicating the violence
which marks the character of their po.
litical course and the unblushing effront-
cry with which they have cast off ev-
cry vestige of the virtue and decency
which whilom they claimed as the sole
inheritance of the immaculate party of
great moral ideas!
The speech of Speaker WALLACE, in
expose of sound Democratic doctrine,
well calculated to encourage the people
in the belief that new era of honesty
and patriotism will return with Demo
cratic majority in the Senate. Let that
majority never forget that the fame and
the honor of their party is in their
hands; and that one foul act, accom-.
plished through their aid, would reduce
them down to the level of their politi-
cal oppon ents and blast the rising hopes
of all honest men of whatever party.
The Governors Message came down
upon the Republicans like thousand of
bricks. The Governors ideas are sound
ON the financial question and much
more practical than Secretary BOUT
WELLS. He proposes to pay off some
eight millions of the State debt, which
will become due by the 1st of July, 1872,
with the assets of the Sinking Fund,
which will reduce the debt down to the
very manageable amount of S21 800, 900.
The Legislature is now directly and
pointedly called upon to apply the
Sinking Fund to its Constitutional use.
The people will now see if any of their
Representative will dare to join in any
scheme of spoliation similar to the
one of last session which was arrested
by the Governors veto. That the at
tempt will be made, grieve to say, l
have little doubt. Those members who
join in this nefariouS transaction, can
only appear before the public in the
charatter of bribed conspirators. After
they shall have robbed by their act, the
Treasury of the millions Immediately re.
quired TO pay The matured debts of the
CommonWe aHh, they may still find an
insuperable obstacle where they least
expect to find one. At any rate, as sure
as there is an memorable retributive
justice which, sooher or later, overtakes
every evil doer, the time will come
when these conspirators shall appear
before the stern tribunal of their own
conscience, which they foolishly believe
to be dead in their wicked hearts
In the recommendation of Conven-
tion to amend the present Constitution,
the Governor evidently favors the in
PRODUCTION of the free vote or minority
representation as new clause in the
Constitution. 1t is also cheering to find
that both as regards the representation
in the Constitutional Reform Conven-
tion, and the apportionment of the
State and National representation, the
Governor earnestly recommends fair