Franklin Repository

The Locofoco Slaughter House.

The Locofoco County Convention met in this place on Tuesday of last week, and, in obedience to the dictates of the chief managers in Chambersburg, nominated the following ticket:

Senator--J. Wyeth Douglas, of Chambersb'g;
Sheriff--Jacob Sellers, of Chambersburg;
District Att'y., G. W. Welsh, of Chambersburg;
Treasurer--Jacob C. Snider, of Guilford;
Assembly--R. W. McAllen, of Metal;
Commissioner--Jonathan Jacoby, of Antrim;
Surveyor--George Stinger, of Peters;
Director of the Poor--Wm. McClure, of Green;
Auditor--Josiah Allen, of Hamilton, (3 yr's)
and Jacob Elliott, of Montgomery, (2 yr's.)
Coroner--Dr. Max. Kennedy, of Orrstown.

Mr. Douglas received the nomination for Senator by acclamation, as no one else would accept it. Nill was earnestly urged to take the field, but he thought discretion the better part of valor, and peremptorily declined by a letter written to the Convention.

The bloody feat of the day performed by the wire-pullers, was in the nomination for Sheriff. They had united on Sellers as their favorite, and resolved to put him through at all hazards. The masses of the party rebelled in almost every section of the county.--They carried the Delegates over the slaughter-house heroes in both Wards here; in Hamilton; in Guilford, and other localities for Braud [sic] ; and in Waynesboro, Quincy, Fayetteville, and a portion of the Antrim Delegates for Seacrist: but all would not avail. The leaders had resolved that Brand and Seacrist must be sacrificed, and after a most desperate struggle it was done. Sellers had been the candidate for Prothonotary in 1854; was Clerk to the Commissioners in 1855; was a candidate for Register and Recorder in 1857, and was re-appointed Clerk to the Commissioners in the same year; and the party revolted at his persistent efforts to monopolize the honors of the party. This result had to be counteracted. It could not be done by fair means, and it had to be done otherwise. Quincy had voted independently on one or two occasions, and although she has time and again saved portions of the ticket, and stands now as the banner township of the county, a systematic effort was made to prejudice the party against the township and Mr. Seacrist, her candidate. It was circulated in every section of the county that Seacrist must not be nominated--he had voted for McClure, in 1857. And this system of assassination was practised day after day by men who had voted against men on the ticket, five times for Seacrist's ore. But no matter, it was the only way to defeat him, and he had to go down; but he made a fight before he yielded that struck terror to the managers of the slaughter-house. Brand was thrown over with less ceremony. The leaders took possession of his Delegates as they came to town, and took some eight or ten of his avowed friends from him before the Convention met. He had bearded the wire-pullers in their strong-hold, and beaten them two to one; but they laughed at him in his triumph, and bid him to beware of Convention day. True to their threats, they slaughtered him, with even indecent haste, and finally gained their point--the nomination of Sellers--on the 4th ballot. But the victims did not bow to the block as meekly as was supposed. They and their friends revolted, and fully one-third of the Delegates declared publicly before they left town, that Sellers and the slaughter-house managers must be beaten. Let them look out for "Hail Columbia" from Chambersburg, Quincy and Washington about the second Tuesday of October.

Snider was nominated for Treasurer over Fisher by a decided vote on first ballot, to the surprise of everybody. It was the work of revenge. Fisher was suspected of having been into the slaughter-house arrangement, by which Seacrist and Brand were beheaded; and the guillotine feel upon him fatally. Seacrist's friends especially came to the rescue of Snider--a man they didn't want--and gave him 14 majority. So the slaughter was not confined to the victims marked for destruction.

The District Attorneyship was warmly contested by Orr, Welsh and Everett. But Everett was headed off as per arrangement.--The convenient argument that he was new in the party--that he had even dared to split his ticket--was applied to him, and down he had to go. Orr and Welsh were left; and although Orr had been checked and ticketed through by the managers, his car switched off and Welsh made the landing. The party are willing to stand the Orrs all the time in office, if they will consent to work in single harness; but when it was proposed by the leaders to drive them into office double the team broke down. The managers had overlooked this fact--had over-estimated the docility of the party, and thus missed the head of Welsh.

Gen. R. W. McAllen was nominated for Assembly, and is a creditable nominee. He too was in the slaughter-house programme, but we will do him the justice to say, that we believe it was without his knowledge or consent. He is an independent man--disavows fidelity to all parties--never voted a full Locofoco ticket in his life--never will, unless it just happens to please him in detail. And he was taken as the candidate by the very wire-pullers who slaughtered Secrist [sic], Brand, Everett, Fisher and others, because they had not always voted the ticket blind! Gen. McAllen could vote just as he pleased--could stand aloof from the party, and receive a two-thirds vote for one of the most responsible and honorable positions to be filled; but when Sellers was to be forced on the ticket over the wishes of the party, his competitors were slaughtered without ceremony for every deviation from strict party rules, however trivial! Consistency! what a jewel thou art!

The ballance [sic] of the ticket is fair, and will share the fate of the party. If the Locofocos ever had a chance to make a fight for a portion of their ticket they threw the opportuity [sic] from them on Convention day. The slaughter-house managers will find when they go to the people that they will spurn their dictation, and tell them to elect their ticket themselves. The Locofoco leaders have slaughtered their party by their shameless inconsistency and arrogant dictation; and the People will slaughter their nominees in October next by the most decisive vote every given in the "Green Spot!"