Franklin Repository

The following startling facts from the Doylestown Intelligencer are worthy of the candid consideration of every loyal man:

One of the public questions which comes nearest home to the minds of the people is that of equalizing the basis of Congressional representation. The Reconstruction Committee of Congress, in their report, which has just been adopted by an immense majority in the House, makes this a precedent to the admission of the Rebel communities as States into the Union. It should be constantly kept in mind that the demand of these recent Rebels, and of their Northern allies, is that they shall come back into the Union, not as equals, but as superiors; not wielding the same power as that wielded by the same number of voters in the loyal States, but a vastly greater power, so that, man for man, each late rebel shall count for nearly twice as much in influence upon all national questions as a loyal man, so that in the House of Representatives and in the election of a President he shall have two votes to the loyal man's one. How monstrous this demand is will be apparent from the consideration of a few figures, which we herewith present:--The total vote cast in 1860 in the eleven Rebel States was only 867,024. They could not poll as many now within a hundred thousand. The two States of New York and Pennsylvania cast at the last Presidential election 1,303,428 votes, or 406,404 more votes than the eleven Rebel States combined. New York and Pennsylvania have four Senators; the Rebel States have twenty-two! But even this does not fully show the glaring injustice of the case. Each Rebel Congressman will represent only 14,000 voters; each Pennsylvania or New York Congressman represents 25,000 voters. At the rate upon which the Rebels will be represented, Pennsylvania and New York ought to have ninety-three Congressmen instead of only fifty-five. But after the apportionment of 1870, unless the basis of representation shall have been equalized, the Rebel States will have a still more unjust advantage, for they will have added to their basis of representation two-fifths of all the colored population of the South. This will give them from twenty to thirty more Representatives than they could claim under the old system, before emancipation. The power of one voter in the South will be greater than that of two voters in the Northern States. This is the desirable entertainment to which, under the names of justice and mercy and magnanimity, the people of Pennsylvania are invited. Hiester Clymer is the champion of this scheme for robbing the people of Pennsylvania of their just rights, that superior power may be given to the Rebels.

MR. SHARPE has burst upon the circle of Democratic aspirants for Congressional honors in this district like a star shooting from its sphere, and his flight to the front has been so brilliant that his competitors seem to be utterly obscured in the conflict. Gen. Coffroth has been manipulating for himself with untiring industry, and has on all occasions proclaimed that none but himself can be elected, while Judge Kimmell has been regarded as willing to be overwhelmed with the nomination. But in a most unexpected moment, Sharpe darts out upon the political horizon, and takes his rivals as thunder did the toad. They may have vitality enough to recover and make a fight; but if so, it will be because Sharpe surrenders the vantage ground he has so suddenly and so completely attained.

This thunder-clap comes from the cool breezes of the glades--from the frosty sons of the Alleghenies, and it comes rugged as their native hills. A letter signed by the Bears, Gaither, Hugus and others, embodying the brains and leadership of the Democracy of Somerset, appears in the last Democrat, recommending Mr. Sharpe for Congress, and the paper sanctions the appeal editorially in a series of telling blows directed against the other aspirants, especially Gen. Coffroth. It will have no one as a standard-bearer who has ever betrayed the party, of which Gen. Coffroth will take notice, and it insists that nothing but Sharpe's immaculate purity and transcendent ability will save the Democracy from defeat in the coming contest,--a compliment Mr. Sharpe will please prepare himself to vindicate. It's no odds, as Toots would say, how the thing works when the practical solution of the nomination is to be arrived at, as the Union men mean to elect the Congressman, whether Sharpe, Kimmell, Coffroth, "or any other man," takes the blurred and blotted banner of the Democracy. If Sharpe means to avail himself of the advantage gained by the exquisite coup de etat of his friends, we do him the kind office to remind him that when he gets the nomination, like the young bear, his chief troubles will be ahead of him still. Always sympathising with the hindmost and unfortunate, we beg to present our profoundest condolence to Gen. Coffroth. We have a reasonable share of first class sympathy reserved also for Judge Kimmell if he desires the commodity, and we are not unmindful that Mr. Sharpe will need an unusual quantity after the gales of October.

My sole is 2 full for utterenz. I hev had a refreshun sezin; I hev herd 2 sound gospil surmens, and nary nigger menshuned in em wunst. Only sinners wuz askt 2 repent and go to glori, and ime bound for the promist land. Halleluger! I left mi charge at Confedirit X Rodes, Ky., with mi old female friend Garret Davis, whilst I sought to reQperate my failing helth by a voyage 2 the see shoar. I was desirous also 2 see what those traitors Bucher and his agitant Gen. Howard was about at the Mary-Anniversarys. Greeved am I 2 say that they hev not shown a proper distress at the calamnity which has overtakin our beloved bretheren and sisters of the Sunny South, resulting from the tyranicle corse of Mr. Anna Dickinson and Miss Wendell Philips.

From watchin the corners in New York, I visited the gory field of Gettysburg, where hecatomes of the noblest suns of the South was offered 2 appese the insasheate blood thurstiness of wolfish Aberlishunists; but alas! no Nashunal Mounerment is a rearin 2 mark the spot whure they ly. I call upon the democracy, headed by the God-like Andy Johnson, 2 rase a dime conterbushun a la Vallandigum 2 rear a mounerment which shill overtop the Aberlishunist 1, & proov 2 risin gennerashuns that the Democracy never forgits its friends--never! Halleluger! The conterbushuns may be cent to the undersined.

Notisin a brass band approachin as I arrove into Chambersburg on Saturday eve last, I thot my friends woz intendin to giv me the grand recepshun du my distinguished talents and serveces in the Democratic party, and after it had discoursed its music a spell, I stept forred, throwen back the curling lox from my massive brow, placed one hand serenely in my buzim and striking a classic attitood, was about 2 begin "Countrymen & Lovers," when the crowd called out "Curtain! Cutain! Curtain!" I looked around 2 see if any curtain or drapery was to be histed, and finding none, was about to procede 2 remark as much, when a lo Abberlishernist interrupted me by sain: "See here, you confounded ape! what you standin there in the Guvners way for! Get out o' here!" And with no reverence for the cloth which covered my manly form, he pushed me roodly aside between 2 niggers who hadn't been washed since before the war, and hed been sot there as a spescial boka for Gov. Curtin. Ah! What a curtain to be dropt twixt me and a triumphant resepshun! My feelins was hurt and I indignantly retired. I will just say here that that brass band is the poorest, meenest, contemptiblest brass band as ever tooted onto a horn. I wod rather heir a cord of tom cats onto a wood house roof at nite 1000 times.

And now I hev got back 2 the Press-by-tear-ien' church, where I started. As I remarked, the surmun was pew-er gospil, but what delited me most was the site of a niggers gal-lery wunst moar. What bizness has niggers on the same floar with white folks? Are they goin to the same hevin? or is there any hevin or hereafter for niggers? Ef I thot niggers was going to sit down with me in Abraham's bosom, I'd resine my charge in disgust. There is a bare possibility of thar going to the same hevin with white folks, but I don't believe it. Why how would a nigger look robed in white? It wouldn't be harmonious.

I was speshully pleased with the gloomy appearance of the aujience room, for tho hevin is brite and calculated 2 make a man cheerful it is well in this world of sin and sorrow to keep the spirits down by every artificul means, so's to enjoy hevin the moar--when we git thare. So make your rooms "dank and dreary"--its so impressive on the minds of children.

And now I must cloas with a delicate allushun 2 the quire. "When Music, Heavenly Maid, was young," (which is quotations) I suppose she looked eggactly like 1 of those beautiful gurls in the quire, leastways she ought 2. They was luvly and it did me good 2 see how lite harted they was! When one stoppd rite in the middle of a verse, sung to that morneful old tune Windham, and laffed at a sister singer who had made a mistake, and whispered acrost the melojium 2 another to tell her about it, and when another threw a comikle leer out of the N. E. corner of the right eye, because the melojiumist's right hand little finger struck D flat instead of D natural, and his left hand didn't come to time on the "Sownoress bass," and when another thought it didn't make any differens with the Lord whether she sat or stood to sing or sung at all or not, I thought "You are censible, you little 'festive cusses.'" No use in feeling bad when one can help it. It used ter be thought adviseable to feel the centiments we sung and show it in our axions and tones & mayhap tears, and I hev seen an aujience weep--yes, I hev seen old white headed christians, who orto hev known better, cry rite out because some unfashionable quire kept grindin out pathos insted of pew-er singin. But I did hev to laff at that base singer pumpin wind into the melojium. He was a fine lookin feller--looked like a dekin. To appearens he was the body of the quire--the lite house--the steeple. His was the "ORA-de-profundis (which is lattin for 2 lips round a kavern). Whera should we look for the movement but 2 him? Where should we look for the expresshun but to him? Where should we look for the--should we look for the--! Yes, sir, right there! Just see at him with his left hand onto the pump handle and his him book in his rite. "Right shoulder shift," Left shoulder down, head careens. "Right shoulder shift." Head floats again. Left shoulder rises. As you were! Right shoulder shift. Left shoulder down. Head bobs again. Right shoulder shift. Frons erectus (wich again is lattin). Left shoulder looms up agin from behind mulojium. How cood U expect expresshun outo such a man? Gabriel would have tried to stuff his pinyun inter his mouth to keep from laffin. Imagen the effect whilst this him was sung:

(Pump) Sinners turn (pump) why will ye die? (pump)
God your Ma (pump) ker asks you why? (pump)

Here, 2 compose myself, I went to studyin the gloomy walls, onto the which a black shadder had been cast from the nigger gal-lery. I must say that a church as wants pump music shood own a boy 2 run the pump. A nigger might do it, only he's no bizness onto the same floor with white folks. You might, however, run a handle up in 2 the nigger gal-lery 2 him.

I hope the Democracy won't forget 2 send me the monyermental fund, fur the erecshun of the Gettysburg toom stone. I need it.
Yours truly,
PETROLEUM V. NASBY,
Pastor of the Church of the New Dispensashun.