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constitution. And we are is favor of confining lb* general government, in all its branches and depart* ment*, to ihe exercise of such powers as are clearly and beyond all question delegated to it. By these principles we stand, and by them we are willing lo be judged by the American people. In respect to the affairs ot the Union, it re mains only to speak of th8 individuals, who were chosen by the Democratic Convention held at Baltimore, in May last, as candidates for the offices of President and Vice-President of the United States. It was the earnest desire, and the confident expectation, (hat Mr. Van Bureu would have been put in nomination for the first of those offices. His unblemished private char acter, his faithful adherance from youth to age to the sternest principles of democracy, his un shaken firmness, and his disregard ofall person al considerations at a season of general adversi ty brought on by public and private extrava gance, which had received no encouragement from his example or counsels, jus?ified the con fidence entertained by the democracy of this State and ofthe Union, that the violation ol great principles, in the defence of which he had immolated himself, would be rebuked in his own person. This expectation was disappoint ed. The delegates from this stale, and from ma ny other states in the Union fulfilled with scru pulous fidelity the trust, with which they were charged by their constituents; and when it be came apparent that the individual, who was their first choice, could not be nominated, they cast their votes for another distinguished citizen whom they believed eminently qualified by his public and private character, and by his well- known ability, to concentrate the democratic strength o f tbe Union in the approaching impor tant contest. To the choice of the Convention, under the circumstances in which the majority were placed, we yield a hearty, sincere and a r dent support. W e have unbounded confidence in the purity of J a n e s K. P o l k , in his infiexi ble integrity of purpose, his firmness, and his talents. His whole life has been devoted, like that of General Jackson and Mr. Van Buren. to tbe vindication of democratic principles. U n der no ciicumstances should New-York, wield ing as she does a preponderating power in the democra ic scale, allow her strength to be frit tered away by division or by the disappointment of an ardently cherished hope. T h e Democracy of the Union should find her contending with them, firmly and unitedly, in the defence of their principles aud measures She assures them now that whreever she may be placed, by the common judgment - of her fel lows, in the national battle-field, be it in the rear or the van, her blows shall be given with un failing vigor. In tbe coming contest, under the leader, whom she ne.self had so large a share in selecting, she will euter not only with cordi ality, but with enthusiasm. In his hands she feels that the great interests to be committed to his care will be cherished with devotedness, jus lice, and impartiality. In the vote this state is to give him, she desires that the majority shall be so decisive as lo assure h er democratic sisteis tiiat her first object is to maintain the principles on which the government is founded, and that in the accomplishment of this object there is no personal sacrifice which she is not ready to make. In the support of Mr. D a l l a s , she unites with the same cordial feeling, with which she sustains the nomination ot his dis inguished as sociate. He is known among us as a gemleman of high integrity, eminent abilities, and unques tionable democracy, qualified both by his pub lic and private character to fill the conspicuous post for which he has been selected She will support him with more pleasure from the fact that he is the representative of her poweiful and patriotic neighbor, Pennsylvania, whose fidelity to the cause of democratic principles, under the most trying circumstances, gives her the stron gest claim on her republican coadjutors. Be tween her citizens anil o ur own there are num erous bonds of association, arising out of near neighborhood and sympathy of political feeling and she may rest assured that on our side ofthe common boundary, which separates us from each other, she shall find the name of her dis tinguished son borne into the contest with the same enthusiasm as on her own. T h e condition of things in our own State calls for the serious and careful consideration of eve ry citizen. T h e public credit has been used in constructing canals, and’ for the support ofthe government, and in aid of railroad companies, until a debt of twenty eight and a half millions of dollars has been created. Including inter est and principal, the amount to be paid on ac count of the existing debt, exceeds forty millions of dollars; and thirty-six millions of dollars of this sum is to be provided by tolls and taxatiou during the next eighteen years. T h e rapid accumulation of this debt, by loans (o railroads, and for the enlargement of the E- rie canal, destroyed the confidence of capitalists and depressed the State credit to such a degree as to produce a suspension of the public works, and render a direct tax necessary to resuscitate the credit oi the State. These consequences have awakened the pub lic attention to the evils of a great debt, and our political opponents, who, in former years re proached the democratic administration for ris tardiness in going on with works of internal improvement, and ior its fears of contracting a debt, are naw endeavoring to escape from a pol icy wbich.they promulgated in 1828, and which they iheri claimed as antagonist to the policy oi the democratic party. T h e late W h ig governor and Comptroller having taking the field in the present campaign to defend their own policy while administering the government, and to assail that of their sue cessors, it may not be considered out of place in this address, to review the policy and the posi tion of each party, now and heretofore, in regard totbese important issues. T h e late W h ig Comptroller, in a recent speech a t Cherry Valley, gives the State debt at twenty-three millions of dollars, and of this a- mount he alleges that twenty-two millions are ehargeable to the action of the democratic party leaving only one million to be accounted for by by the Whigs. T h e enlargement o f the E rie canal was com menced in 1835, and it was not until 1838 that tbe whigs obtained the ascendancy in the As sembly ; and hence in the speech referred to the thirteen millions of dollars expended on the en largement fs charged as so much debt created’ by the democrats* But it should be recollected that the law of 1835 appropriated only tbe sur plus canal revenues to the enlargement, and did not authourize any increase of the debt for that object. And in the report o f the Canal Board in 1836, (Assembly Doc. No. 334, p. 7,) it is eta'ed that “the Canal Board desire to have it distinctly understood that tbey do not recom mend such an expenditure of money upon this work as will interfere, 1st W ith the arrange ment now in progress for accumulating a sum sufficient to pay lha E rie and Champlain Canal debt: and 2d, F o r restoring the auction and •alt duties to the General Fund.” T h e report then statee.that after these objects are accom plished, ‘tb s nett proceeds o f tbe csnal tolls will be sufficient to o»©*t the disbursements neceeta- xy for im p roving aw lenlarging tbe canal, with- c«pt%nving recourse Jo jotew loans for that, pur- If the policy established in 1835 had been adhered to, no debt would h a f t been contracted on account of the enlargement o fthe E r ie canal and the expenditures would have been limited to the surplus .earnings of the canal itself T h e debt created for tbe enlargement, including in terest already paid, amounts tc about ten millions of dolls s. There was this marked difference in tbe poli cy of ihie two parties, in regard to the enlarge rneut— the W h igs were in favor of completing the woik in five years, and creating a debt for the purpose; while the democratic policy was to make use o f 'h e surplus revenues, a n a not create any new debt for this object T h e entire debt created on account of the enlargement is therefore fairly chargeable to the whig policy marked out in Mr. Kuggles1 report in 1838, and endorsed by Gov. Seward in his message in 1839. Although five ofthe laternal canals had been constructed in the twelve years preceding 1838, the state debt was not more than two hundred thousand dollars greater a t tbe commencement of 1838 than at the commencement of the year 18*26; the progress of internal improvements was not permitted to interfere with the paying policy, and the affairs o f the State bad been con ducted with so much frugality for the period referred to, that the whig executive, when be took charge of the government in 1839, was constrained to declare, “that the canals are a property subs’antially unincumbered.” At tbe close of Gov. Seward’s second term, four years alter this declaration was made, the canals were incumbered with a debt of more than twenty-one millions ol dollars, saying nothing ofthe railroad debts o f fi ve millions more. The loan of three millions of dollars lo the Erie Railroad Company, is charged by the whig orators and organs to the policy'of the Democratic party, for the reason that an act was passed in 1836, making the appropriation on certain conditions, one of which was, that tbe company, u ith its own means, should complete the road from Hudson and Delaware canal to the Chenango canal, a distance of one hundred and forty-five miles, before a single dollar ol stock was to be loaned to the company. The company did not obtain any stock under this act; and if its salutary provisions had been ad hered to, every dollar o fthe loan to that compa ny would have been saved to the Stale. At the election in November, 1837, the W higs carried a hundred members of Assembly, and this result was regarded by them as an ex preesion of the people in favor of an enlarged system of internal improvements by railroads and canals. This is abundantly shown by the report of the committee of ways and means, as well as those presented to the Assembly by the committee on railroads. T h e restrictions in the act of 1836, which the Legislature of that year deemed necessary to secure the payment of the loan, were regarded by the W h ig majority as altogether too rigorous. T b e committee, in Doc. 171. p. 2, refer to the act of 1836, and say, “by the conditions of this act, the company were required to make large preliminary disburse ments, before any part of the loan could be us ed ; and before these disbursements could be made the untoward events which produced the present unfortunate condition ofthe currency of the country, put it entirely beyond Ihe power ol '.he company to avail itself ol the provisions of the law.” The commute, under a state of facts which would have prevented any prudent man from loaning a thousand dollars of his own money, were “unanimously of opinion that t h t aid of the State ought in some mode to be extcndedl to this company,” and they therefore recommend ed “Such a modification o fthe law of 1836, as shall render the loan therein provided for effec tual towards aiding in the construction of the work.” “ Independently of the disasters alluded to,” say the committee, page 4, “ which render ed this law unavailable,' its provisions are evi dently so rigorous, requiring each portion of the road and those very large and expensive, to be completed before, the several amounts of stock should be actually used, that even in ordinary times, private or corporate capital would be ve ry likely to prove unequal to the exigency.”— T h e committee, therefore, introduced a bill a u thorizing one dollar of State stock to be loaned to the company for each dollar expended on the road by the company. This bill passed the Senate by the vote of twelve democrats and ten whigs, nine democrats voting against ill.— Only $300,000 were issued under this modified law. In 1840, when the whigs had the ascenden cy in the three branches of the government, an. other law was passed, authorizing two dollars oi Siate stock to be issued to tbe Company, on proof that one dollar had been expended. Un der the liberal provisions of this law, there was issued to the director* of this Company, from the 22d of July, 1840, to tbe 29th January, 18* 42. a period of 19 months, two millions seven hundred thousand dollars of State stock, being at an average rate ot $142,000 per month for the w hole period; and within forty-five days af ter the last hundred thousand dollars was given to the directors, information was communicated to the Governor by the Pteshlent of the compa ny, that the interest oi tbe State stock thus issu ed and loaned to the company, would not be paid in April following; and the whole of the three millions was lhas cast on the treasury, at a time of great pecuniary embarrassment. T h e whigs have already put forth a second edition of their promises of. extensive improve ments. and the dissemination o f universal bene fit to the whole people, without any. burdens. At a recent Stole Convention the declaration was made that if the coming election results in the restoration of the whig party, “a new era will dawn upon the State, and that “they will pro- ‘secute internal improvements and yet not tax the people a single dollar.” But if tbey do not tax the people they will borrow money on their credit until it is exhausted, and then taxation will be the only remedy. * * • It is fair to hold the democratic party respon sible for tbe policy adopted in 1832, and contin ued until 1838, and it is equally fair to boldltbe whig paity responsible for the policy commen ced when they gained the ascendency in tbe Assembly in 1838, and which policy' waa en dorsed by Gov. Seward, in 1839, and acted up on until it was repudiated by the people in Nov. 1841. It has already been shown that tbe debt for the enlargement of the E r ie Canal, and tbe debt on account of the Railroads, could not have been created if the democratic policy bad been adhered to; and that these debts, amounting in the aggregate, including interest paid, to nearly fifteen millions of dollars, resulted directly from the whig policy and from “an impulse quicken ed and invigorated,” by the report of tbe coal, nsittee of ways and means in 1838. T h is it tbe report which Gov. Seward tefers to in bis first message, as showing that the productiveness of the canals, ‘would warrant tbu Slate in expen ding in internal improvements four millions of dollars annually d uring a period of ten years.” And to make tho endorsment o f the prrtpnUrl new debt o f forty millione tbe more cenchuira, the message adds as follows: “T h e boochMisos of this report, although of east interest la t h e State, ana I trust n x c m vb o r t r s r o u c r , not been qaestioced.” . T b e fo ti rad o h to f tbcStato, inclodhtf loans ta Railroads, was leas than eight a illw u s of dol lars on iha 30th l apfombai, 1337, and the food* oh hand, principally applicable ta tba-faymcnt of the debt, amounted to three miUhmt tb d * half o f ( h l l i n , leaving a balance unprovided for of about four millions and a half of dollars.— (See Assembly Doe. No. 61, of 184S, statement F ) T h is was the result of the democratic pol icy for the preceding twelve ydiTs.. Tho present debt o f the State, direct and con tingent, amounts to morel than twenty eight mil lions of dollars-r-bfing an .increase of twenty millions since 1837. T b e most o f tbit increase is chargeable to the new impulse given to bor rowing and spending by the ascendancy of whig principles in 1838, and onward: and this immense debt o f twenty, millions .was created in about four years—from 1838 to 1842. T h e public works were suspended at tbe latter period at which time the whole of the present debt bad been incurred, and the stock since issued mere ly takes the place of an actual debt, which exist ed against the State in 1842, in another form, as a balance due contractors or for land dams ges. T b e annual reports of the whig State officers in January, 1842, instead of presenting the then existing evils and pointing out a remedy, exhib ited a labored effort to show that tome, of their political opponents bad voted for tbe measures out of which the financial embarrassments had arisen, and were therefore chargeable with a share o f the blame. This effort o fthe authors ol the new impulse, to shift the responsibility of the debt from their own shoulders, was less ob jectionable than their refusal to aid in tbe adop tion of measures to revive the sinking credit of the State and pay its debts. T h e real question at that time, to a friend of the honor and char acter of the State, should have been, not who is most in fault in regard to the debt, but who is Teady to give the most efficient aid (o measures which are necessary to pay the debt, however improvidentlycontracted, and preserve tbe cre dit and good faith ofthe State t Tbis should have been the test in 1842. And how did the whig members, the friends of the policy which bad pushed the State to the very brink of bank ruptcy, stand this test t They vo*ed almost to a man against the act which was designed to re store tbe credit o f the State, and which, although it had to encounter tha opposition of those, who had been mainly instrumental in producing tbe evils which it was intended to remedy, has ful ly answered the expectations of his friends and placed the credit of tbe State on a firm founda tion. Our political opponents insist that the tax was “not needed to meet the wants o f the govern ment.” In order to form a correct judgment as to the propriety and necessity of the system of finance embodied in the act of 1842, it is proper to recur to the embarrassments which surroun ded the financial ope'ations of the State at the time these stringent measures were adopted. W hen the representatives of the people assem bled in January, 1842, the credit o f the State was at a ruinous discount, 6 per cent, stock be ing at 22 per e e n t below p er—the contractors bad betn without pay, in some cases for six months, nod having exhausted their own nreans. the public works were literally suspended for want of funds; in many cases expensive jobs had been carried on for months by the private means and credit o f contractors, ana hundreds of these men surrounded thecapitol and were calling upon their representatives for some efficient aid to save them from ruin and enable thfofe to pay the laborers on tbe.public woiks- T h e . whig State officers had ample authority to borrow a million a a h alf more than they did borrow, but were unable to obtain any relief forth* contrac- tor^ow ingtothe uiter prostration o f S tse credit. T h e authority lb borrow a million and a half dollars remained a dead letter b a the statue book, at a time when the contractors were knocking at the doors of the publie offices, demanding tbe sums actually due them, and which were indis pensable to save themselves from ruin b o d their laborers from starvation. Temporary loans foul been made, which were due in the month of March, to the amount of sixteen.• hundred thousand dollars, and not a dollar had been pro • a a e .1 . * _/ '!• t __ f * vided for the payment of this large suntj; the en I surolu provision made for the interest, due in A p ril, on tire canal surplus had been expended, and no the Suite debt; and no meant had been reserved to pay the expense of repairing the canals for navigation. This was the condition of the finances in the canal department. Tbe Treasuiy was empty, with half a mill ion of immediate liabilities pressing upon i t ; and toaddto its embarrassment^ tbe New-York and E rie Railroad loan of three millions o f dol lars was east upon the State on the 14th of March, requiring provision to be made for the payment of forty-one thousand dollars of interest on tbe 1st of A p ril. T o surmount such formidable embarrassments and tu arrest the downward tendency of every thing based on public credit, strong and deci ded measures were necessary. Even the cur rency of the state was in peril Irom the large amount of State stocks held by the banks.— Those who were unable fo stem the torrent wbich overwhelmed them in 1841, may look around complacently upon iba present state of things, and give their opinions that, tbe strong measures adopted in 1842, were not demanded by the crisis. T h e whole amount o f the mill tax assessed in ’42 was appropriated to the genera! fund, it is now demonstrated by the operations o f the treasury for the fiscal y ear ending 30th of Sept 1843, that the tax was needed for the ordinary support o f government This is shown at p. 5 of tbe Comptroller’s report ot 1844. T h e to tal sum paid from the Treasury, for the support of government, in tbe report referred to was $1,0*27,249 83 T h e total sum received into the Treasury, 496 611 41 Deficit, 530,638 42 W ithout tha aid of tbe mill tax, there would have been a deficiency in tbe revenues to pay the ordinary expenses o f the y e ar ending, on the 30th Sept 1843 o f more than baif a million of dollars, as before staled. W ith what propriety then, can R be said that the tax waa not needed? It will be conceded by a v e rr sound business man in the State, whether democrat or whig, that the ordinary annual charges for the support of the government ought to be met by the rev enues ot thaaamo year; and when these reven ues t i e insufficient, the expenditures should be brought down to the revenue, o r a tax levied to make up tbu diflitreoer. But there were other demands on the treasury for the year 1843, beside* those for the ordinary support «jf government, of nearly six hundred thousand dollars— money borrowed to make up previaoa defietunciea in the ordinary revenues, and thara were no aaunns to pay these demands •van w hh the aid o fthe whole o f the mill tax. < •And in looking a t the future operations of tbu Treasury, R w ill he found ihat the ordinary aro wholly inadequate to sspport the eotaod pay the debt o r abom ftvo mil- asid a hmHaf dolisra/vrhkh has hern erin- ’ hy^km aa.dl havu boeoaw inridvtnl. Tho imposition of a tax under these circum stances was not only in accordance with the soundest principles of finance, but was abso lutely necessary to extricate the government from its embarrassments and reinstate its Credit. T h e railroad loans which have already fall en on the treasury will require for the payment of principal and interest, when they become payable, seven millions and a quarter of dollars. As thedrdinnry revenues are scarcely sufficient for the ordinary expenses of the government, the means to pay these railroad loan! must be provided by direct taxation: hence that portion ol the mill-tax wbich is appropriated to the gen eral fund, may be required for many years, r ^ In regard to that portion of the tax which is appropriated for canal purposes, we a re gratifi ed to be able to state, that the tolls of the E rie canal promise to meet all requirements of the act of 1842 for the payment of the debt, and authorize the discontinuance of one half of the mill-tax at an early period. T h e tolls on the canals for the fiscal year ending the 30th of the present month will not be less than $2,360,000 T h e canal expenditures, including interest on the debt, for the same period, will be about 2.000,000 Leaving.a surplus of $360,000 This is only about twenty thousand dollars less than one third of the annual interest on the canal debt, theeum required by the act of 1842 to be set apart as a sinking fund for the extin guishment o f a debt. If there is a falling off in the tolls for the noxt fiscal year, the surplus will be fully equal to one third of the annual interest, and with this result one half ot the mill-tax would cease after the year 1845. T h e balance o f the original debt contracted for the construction of tbe E r ie and Champlain cana!s($1,700,000) is payable on the first day of July next. F o r the payment of this sum funds were provided and set apart in 1836, and although half a million of this sum was ren dered unavailing in 1841, by the failure o f cer tain banks to which it had been loaned, the fund has been made good and the holders of the stock have already been notified that the certificates will be redeemed on the first of July 1845, and tbnt no interest will be paid alter that dale. On the first day ot January 1846, two mill ions three hundrea and fifty thousand dollars of the deb: contracted on account of the Chenango canal is payable. A considerable portion of this stock is now under the control of tbe State, being, held for various trust funds, and deposited for the redemption of circulating notes of free banks. Although the actual revenues will not be sufficient to pay the whole of this debt when it falls due, it is supposed that there will be funds sufficient to pay the whole of this debt when it fallsdueto redeem all the certificates which will be presented by individual holders, and con sequently that the deficit will not occasion any serious embarrassment to the finances of the Stele. But the payment of so large an amount of debt within so short a period will require great prudence in the management of the fiscal operations of the State, and the maintenance of the pubiic credit in full vigor is indispensable in bringing these arrangements to a successful ter- mination. T h e assessment of the mill tax, and the sane-, tion of that measure bv the people, by inspiring confidence at home and abroad, tbat.the tax pay ers of this State were ready and willing to sub mit to taxation rather than have the public faith dishonored, has added facilites to all the monied operations of the State, beyond the amount.acm- ally paid into the Treasury on account of the tax. Y et with all these facilities, with the in’ ctease of revenue incident to the restoration of credit and the revival of business, and tbe annu al sum of nearly six hundred thousand dollars, derived from ihe tax, it is seen by the preceding statement, that both in the Treasury- and the Canal department, the means are inadequate to the full discharge of all demands against the State as they full due. W hat, then, would have been the condition of the finances of the State, at the present time, if the act. 1842 for paying the debt and preser ving the credit of the State, containing authori ty to issue the same amount of stock provided for in it. ($5,089,336 S3) had, passea without any provision for levying a mill tax 1 In reviewing a state o f things which existed in 1841— 2. <*an any fair minded man be,tuade to believe that money could have been obtained to pay arrearages to contractors, for land dama ges, to settle temporary loans,and to pay interest, amounting in the aggregate to six millions of dollars, if the act of 1842 had not provided for a tax, and given the strongest legislative assur ance that the State would adhere to a sound and solvent system of finance in its future opera tions? W as not the tax, then, a measure of sound policy and urgent necessity? But while the law in question imposed a tax on the people, it provided ample guaranties to protect them in future from the course o f policy which had rendered necessary the severe mea' tu res referred to. And a proposition was adop ted at the last session of the legislature, the ob ject of which is to ratify the pledges and guar anties of that law by a constitutional amend ment. and also to provide against a debt beyond a million of dollar* without the previousxanc- tion ot tbe tax payers. It is provided by the first of these amend ments that “ T h e pledges and guarantees of the act entitled ‘An act to provide for paying the debt and preserving tbe credit of the State,’ pass ed March 29, 1842, are hereby confirmed, and the revenues specified therein,sha!l be applied to the purposes therein specified,” &c. T h e second amendment provides that the le gislature shall not create any liability of the State, exceeding in the aggregate a million * of dollars, (except in case ot invasion or insurrec- tion,)without submitting the law to Uie approval of the voters at a general election. An objection has been raised to, the first am endment, on the ground that it makes the whole ot the statute of 1842, a part o f the constitution. This is not so; it merely ratifies the “pledges and ga ran tees” of that law ; and these should be fulfilled in good faith, according to the words therein used, whether that constitutional amend ment was adopted or not. Those who are in terested in the fulfilment o f the provisions of the provisions o f this act, might object to any change ojf its language, and they have a right to insist that the ** pledges and guaranties” shall be adhered to, according to the words wbich are used in the law. Not only the public creditors, but the.tax payers, are interested in a strict ful filment of tbe guaranties referred to. T h e limit of expenditures to just repairs o f canals, the faithful application of all the jr.evenues to the specified objects, and a discontinuance of the tax when the Surplus reaches a specified amount, are guarantiee in which’every tax payer has a direct interest. T h e tax payerssmd the public creditor would probably be as welhprotecied by the pledges a n a guaranties in' the law, as they would be when re written in order to prepare theae for a cooetitutional amendment T h e pre sent conetitution refora to several acts for similar pnrpoee*, aod no tocooyco ieaces h asbeen expe- m s M thereby. > ■/ ■*/”. • ‘ Theseeond a m—dment fodrsighedthgnsrd th e people e g t im t r g r e a t debt herssfter, unless by their own consent T h e adoption of theae provisions would not prevent the. appropriation to the purposes of internal improvements of any surplus revenues of tbe canals; but R would lim it the expenditures for such purposes !o the actu al earnings of the canals, after paying all current expenses, unless loans were authorized by a vote ofthe people. T h e two amendments, when engrafted upon the constitution, will ensure the application of canal revenues to the pay ment of the existing debt, ahd will effectually guard against similar burdens and embarrassment in future. ■ W ith a wise husbandry of our resources, and a frugal management of every department ofthe government after the debts wich are immediate ly pressing upon ihe State are paid, we may anticipate a surplus of several hundred thousand dollars annually applicable to the purposes of internal improvements. If the democratic policy of 1835 in regard to the enlargement of the E rie canal, of spen ding only the surplus earnings had been adher ed to, that work would have been steadily pro gressing at this time, and fas', euough to accom modate the trade on this great thoroughfare, with about ten millions less of debt than we now have. As candidate for Governor we present for your suffrages the name ofSiL A s W r ig h t . It would haidly be correct to assume that he has been nominated by this convention. Before we assembled, he was distinctly and audibly de- signaled by the public voice for this elevated station with a unanimity and emphasis never before witnessed, on a like occasion, neither in this, nor, as we believe, in any other State.— And it has been our duty and our gratification to be tbe mere ins ruments of the public will, and to register the mandate of th^R e p u b lican parly. And why has the united will of the people thus spontaneously concentrated upon his name? Has he ever, on this or any other occasion, resorted to the arts of aspirants to of fice? Both his public and private career, as is known to the world, has been the very reverse of this. Firm in the opinions which his strong judg* ment has coolly matured, he is never tempted to resort lo the compromising fluctuations of expe diency. But although stable in his opinions in proportion to his consciousness of their sound ness, ar.d with an ability to maintain them by an uncommon perspicuity of statement and co gency of reasoning; yet be has never been known, in public debate, to treat with contume ly or disrespect the opinions of others. Always calm, collected, aod courteous, he has uniform ly won the good will, if not the admiration ol his opponents! Accustomed for years, in his youth, to rural occupations, his sympathies' are idem ified with the great mass'of his fellow men, because from early and continued associations he regards him self as one of them. His principles have been formed and hisefforts directed for the promotion of the greatest - good of the greatest number.— Such are the principles of liis head and qualities of his heart, which have attracted upon him the public regard. Modest and unassum ing in bis life ahd de portment and exempt from aspiration* to official power, he will be the last individual in the state to recognize the estimation in u b ictr he-is held. Had he known the potency of his character and the influence of his name, we are persuaded that he would neither have felt nor expressed a re pugnance to be thus presented to tbe community for the highest office in its gift~ . He is, however, called upon by a voice which he has always respected and obeyed; and in whose -mandate we trust and believe he will now acquiesce. - . ■ Silas VVright, fellow .citizens, has been nomi nated by you, and to.your safe keeping we cheer fully commit him. . , As the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, this Convention has, wiih entire una nimity, presented' for your suffrages t he name o i. A ddison G. a r d n k r , of Monroe. H e will be recognized by the electors of . this State, as an unwavering:republican nnda citizen of probity, and ability. H e held for many years the office of Circuit Judge, of this State, in the discharge of. which he exhibited an integrity, firmness, & ability*, which won the confidence and esteem of his fello.v citizens. He resigned that station for the retirement of private life, which he has adorned and illustrated by commanding talents and high'personal worth.' W e commend him' '.othe.suffragcs ofthe republican electors of this State, as one whose past life'ha* furnished, the best assurance of his possession of that legisla tive and administrative talent, and that judicial experience, capacity and integrity,'tvhieh are requisite in the discharge of the duties of Lieu tenant Governor of the State. Under a law passed at the last session of the legislature, it became our duty to select four Ca nal Commissioners. In the discharge ol this duty, the State was divided into four districts, and a candidate for Commissioner was allotted to each'. In arranging the districts for the choice of Commissioners, the lrst district was composed of the 1st and 2d Senate Districts; the 2d, ofthe 3J and 4th ; the 3d, of the 5th and 6 t h ; the 4th, of the 7th aud 8ih Senate Dis triots. T h e delegations Irom the respective dis tricts referred to, presented tbe names of their several candidates, and from the great numbers of-highly respectable names thus presented, the Convention selected by ballot the four persons whose nemes are offered for your sufliages, v iz: for the First Commissioner District, N A T H A N I E L JO N E S , of O range; for the 2d, S T E P H E N C L A R K , of Schoharie: for tbe 3 1, D A N I E L P. B ISSEL, o f Livingston : for the 4th, J O N A S E A R L L , Jr. of Onondaga. T b e candidates for Presidential Electors are Democrats of tried character, who will faithful ly carry into effect the w ill of the Democratic party by giving the thirty-six votes ot N. Y o rk to J am es K. P olk for President, and G eorge M. D allas for Vice President, of the United States. Let us, then, Democrats of New-York, pre pare for the contest with an activity and vigor commensurate w ith the itnportance o f the is<»ues involved in it. Let nothing be lost for want o f timely and efficient organization. O u r oppo nents are already in the field, laboring secretly but with almost unprecedented energy. Equal them in your attention to the usual preparation, and tbe result cannot be doubtful. Let us re member that on the event depends the perma nent prosperity of tbe country, and the perpetu- ation of o ur public liberty. N o npprehension we could indulge, would over calculate the evils wbich the three great measures avowed by our opponents.would bring in their train. W ith a great Bank to destroy the productive energies of the country byAlternate expansions and curtail* ments of its pecuniary foci lilies, end to corrupt the fountains of legislation; with a high Pro tective Tariff shquing out the bounteous pro ducts of other countries, apd lavishing its favors on privileged classes at hom e ; and with a dis- tribotion of money from tbe Centre of the poli tical system to its extrereRies, io streams a t poi sonous as th a fobled Upue, with what coofi dence could we hope that any effort to retrieve and restore the follsn ataodard of Democracy euuld, M t b f midct of a ll tbeM a ieaaatauf cor- rpptioo,be mode wKh success ? N o r are the peculiar evils Which will be brought oo o a r own State % the restoration of the extravagant anil reckless policy of the W h igs of less magnitude or more anxiously to be avoided than those which impend over the Union. Let us, then, go into theoootest, determined to avert what we could not hope to remedy. Let us go into it with harmony, e n ergy arid unslnmbering vigi lance, trusting in the justice-of our cause, and sustaining it-with- the -ardor and constancy of freemen, and a triumphant vicjory will crown our exertions. T H E B 1 M H A M T 0 N C O U M E l f THURSDAY, SEPTEM B ER 19, 1844. tanoeratie Republican Nominations. F O R PR E S ID E N T , JAMES K. POLK, OF TENNESSEE. F O R V IC E -PR E S ID E N T , GEORGE M, DALLAS, OF PENNSYLVANIA. FOR GOVERNOR, SILAS WRIGHT. FOR LIEUT. GOVERNOR, A D D IS O N G A R D IN E R . FOR CANAL COMMISSIONERS, N A T H A N I E L JO N E S , S T E P H E N C L A R K , D A N I E L P. B1SSELL, JO N A S E A R L L . J u n . SENATORIAL CONVENTION. A Convention of Democratic Delegates from tho severs! counties composing the 6th Senate District will be held at BATH, on Thursday the 26th day of September, 1844, for the purpose of nominating a suitable candidate for the.office of State Senator, to supply the vacancy which will accrue by theexpira. tion of the term of service of Neheiniah Platt on the last day of September next. REUBEN S. SM IT H , } Secretaries of AMOS PATTERSON, \ last Conven. August 15, 1844. CONGRESSIONAL CONVENTION. A Democratic Congressional Convention will be held for the 22d Congressional District at the Phenix Hotel in the village of Binghamton, on the 3d day of October next at 12 o’clock M., for the purpose of nominating a candidate for Congress, and such other matter as may be brought before the Convention. JO H N J. TAYLOR, > Secretaries of last . B. N. LOOMIS, ) Convention. - August 28, 1844. BROOME COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CONVEN TION. The County Convention for the purpose of nomi nating a candidate for Member o' Assembly, See. will.be held at-ihe Democratic Committee Room, in Binghamton on Monday the 7 th day of October next at 1 o’clock P M. The several towns in the coun ty, are requested to send the usual number of dele gates.— Sept. IB, 1844. J. R DICKINSON, B. N. LOOMIS, R. S, BARTLETT, i N. S. DAVIS, A, BIRDSALL, County Corresponding Committee. DEMOCRATS OF CHENANGO. You are requested1 to'meet at the Democratic Com mittee Room, in Binghamton, on Saturday the 5th day of October next, at 2 o’clock P. M. to appoint delegates .-to represent yotrin the county conventions for the canting year.—Sept. 19, 1844. C .J. ORTON, : - J. 11. DICKINSON, E. D~ ROBINSON, 1 . . Town Committee. ■. ... ^ r , ,y. , .,,, -J D* TUESDAY is the great MASS MEETING in Binghamton. We positively have not time nor room tossy one word more about it, we have been so occupied with printing bills, banners and speeches, nor is it neoessary. All the world will be here, and the democratic ball will roll through Broome with a majesty and power which will crush all opposition, and cover us'wit h a halo of splendor io November, Jj* The Democratic State Address occupies our co lumns mainly this week. It is simple and plain in it* statements, nnd define* very clearly the vital differ ences between the principles and jxdicy of our oppo nents and ourselves. The Resolutions we shall give in our next. IjT Wright’s admirable Speech on the Tariff, in pam phlet form, wili be furnished at this Office, for distribu tion in the several Towns of the County, at &'2 per hundred. F IR E . On Wednesday night, between 12 and 1 o'clock, the long range of stores on the north side of Court-street, in this village, was discovered fo be on tire, aud before the flames could be got under two three-story brick stores were entirety consumed, and several of the ad joining ones more or less damaged. The principal suf ferers are Mr. Benjamin Jones, hat and shoe dealer, in whose store'be fire was discovered, aod Myron Merritt, the owner and occupant of the adjoining store, which was also destroyed. Mr. Jones lost all of his goods, in value, he informs us, $40G0 or over, on which there was an insurance of $2000, in the Fireman’s Company of New-York. The goods of Mr. Merritt, with theex- eeption of unfinished hats arid other property, grain, See. in the cellar and upper stories, were saved, toge ther with most of his books and valuable papers. H e was insured $8C0 on his store and $700 on his goods, in the Saratoga Mutual. . H e was also half owner of the store occupied by Mr. Jones— the other half was the property of the Rev/Peter Lockwood, and on that there was an insurance, also in the Saratoga Company, of $1000. Mr. Jones, after the fire, found his books in his safe entirely uninjared. The origin of the fire h unknown. The adjoining roofs were dry as tinder, and were frequently on fire, but tbe night was perfectly still, ahd tbe engines conducted with efficiency, else the loss of properly would have been immense. In tbe midst ofthe danger and distress, we were sorry to per ceive hn apathy on the part of some of our citizens in rendering aid. This should not be so. Whatever dif ference* of opinion might have existed, with respect to appropriations to the fire department of our village, or on any other questions, they should all be forgotten in a moment like that. No one can fail to appreciate the value of welt organized fire companies, with the expe rience of the last few years, and especially of last night, before him. They saved us then an amount of proper ty which it would be vain to undertake to estimate. TH E “ M A IN E ” RESULT. The eleetioh in the State o f Maine has been looked for with Intense, interest by the two great belligerent parties, each claiming that “ as goes Maine, so goes the Union.” In 1840 Maine went for Harrison; and the W h ip ciaiiatbat avery thing that went for Harrison is now going for Clay. . But the die is cast, the returns are in, and Maine has gone Democratic by a n byer- wheliaisf vete. She has rolled up a majority over the Whigs a f lO^dbl, and over Wbigs and Abolitionists of SoNOch foV4he-\'Staffin'th$ East.” -Her war , Ballad and Victory! ’ ’* . ^ hM gone Wbig, but the rMolt , since 1840, of over 12,000 vote*.—- T h s i foe US* on aU baad* is seUing agaim* our;opp^-. i -1 i I
