Valley Spirit

The news from the election districts of this county is most glorious. Radicalism has been most severely rebuked. Our people have spoken against the military despotism established by Congress, and against negro suffrage. The tide of fanaticism has been stemmed. We have wiped out the Radical majority of last year, and run up a majority for the Democratic ticket of from two to three hundred. The Democracy have done nobly. They have fought the battle most gallantly. In this borough, the Radicals have but 113 majority against 193 last year. The "sober, second thought" has been awakened here in their stronghold. In Greenvillage, they have but 54 majoring against 103 last year. For the first time in many years "the unterrified" of Antrim have plucked victory from the grasp of their never-tiring opponents. And, so we might go on. The whole Democratic county ticket is elected. We have made a clean sweep.

From the State, the news is equally cheering. Almost every precinct heard from shows a Democratic gain. Our latest dispatches indicate that the city and county of Philadelphia have given the Democratic ticket 2,881 majority. This is a Democratic gain of 8,000. we feel satisfied that Hon. George Sharswood has been elected Supreme Judge by a handsome majority. To all appearances, Col. Winger and John Shively have been elected to the Assembly, although we have received no intelligence from Perry county. We feel assured, however, that even if it has been carried by the Radicals, it will not be by a sufficient majority of this county for the Democratic candidates. At last, we breathe freely. Franklin county has taken her stand with the friends of the Constitution and the Union. The "old Green Spot" has been redeemed. Thanks to the patient, working Democracy, victory has at last perched upon our banners.

The respectable gentlemen who compose the borough of Chambersburg are said to be seriously considering the propriety of bridging the Coucocheague at Queen street and the Falling Spring at King street. It is to be hoped that they will consider these projects very seriously before entering upon them. This is no time to engage in expensive works that the public necessities do not imperiously require. All of us know how deeply the citizens of this town are in debt. No one with intelligence enough to be fit to fill the least responsible position under the corporation, can be unaware that a large majority of our business men have a load on their shoulders which it will require all their strength to carry through. Taxes are already high, and any attempt to add to them unnecessarily should be sternly condemned.

It is not easy to see the necessity for a Bridge across the Factory Dam at Queen street, at the present time. The population immediately west of the Dam is very small, and is pretty well accommodated by the Market street and Factory Bridges, and the intervening Bridge in the alley at the Brewery. A Bridge over the Dam at the west end of Queen street would necessarily be expensive. It would have to be very long or else the low ground on the west side would have to be filled up at great expense. And to open out Queen street west-ward from the creek, which is said to be a part of the programme, would add to the expense. Grading would have to be done at the cost of the borough, and there would be damages to pay for private property taken for the use of the public. We don not say that a Bridge should never be built at the point indicated. What might be very proper five or ten years hence may be very improper now. An improvement which it would be very inexpedient and very censurable for our Council to undertake now, they might be commended for doing when our people get out of debt and better able to bear taxation.

But if it is not easy to see the necessity for a Bridge at the west end of Queen street, it is easy to see the worse than folly of building one for wagons across Falling Spring in King street. We cannot imagine what could have put such an insane project into anybody's head. It is a positive advantage to have no Bridge there except the Footbridge that is there already. The water is not much over a foot deep and the bed of the stream is solid. We have heard but one reason given in favor of a Bridge. This is, that the obstruction placed in the middle of the stream, to cause a certain quantity of water to go down the Mill-race, interferes with the free passage of wagons and carriages. To this we answer that the interference does not amount to much even as it stands at present , and it would be easy to remedy it altogether. We would not give a fig for the inventive genius of any kind of man who could not furnish a plan for dividing the water of the Spring at the King street crossing, so that the obstruction raised would present no obstacle worth mentioning to the free passage of the wheeled vehicles. And this improvement would not cost more than a couple of hundred dollars at the outside whilst a Bridge would run into thousands