who had turned them out of their confidence as well as out of office, had still a longing after "the flesh pots of Egypt," and stood ready to avail themselves of any excitement which might bring them into notice. Billy Morgan's book, and the allegation of his abduction and murder, furnished them with a fitting occasion, and they made the most of it, by alarming the fears and exciting the prejudices of the ignorant, and to a certain extent, succeeded in the object.

A fellow from Berks county, who had been educated for a German clergyman, but whose lack of moral principle being discovered in time, preserved the ministry of the gospel from being disgraced by his admission into it, then turned his attention to store-keeping, and having purchased large quantities of goods from Philadelphia merchants, whom he defrauded out of the amount of their debts, he absconded from his creditors to the neighborhood of the Niagara river, either in Canada or in the state of New York. He there thought it would be a good speculation to translate Morgan's book into German, and accordingly did so, and had it printed in the western part of New York, but for lack of German characters, he was obliged to use Roman letters in printing it. He loaded up a pedler's wagon, and posted off to enlighten the Germans of Pennsylvania with them.

The first lodgment he made was in Lehigh county, near the Lehigh gap. There, having enlisted a certain justice of the peace into his views, he began to vend his books and the infection spread among the Heidle. bergers to a considerable extent. They have not got entirely clear of it yet. It spread thence to other parts of the county of Lehigh, and for a time changed its political character. Other persons finding the book speculation succeeding, reprinted the work in veritable German letter, and the country was inundated with them and with anti masonic almanacs, and for aught I know, primers and spelling books also.

Some yankee pedler also took up the trade, and landing at New Holland in Lancaster county, he interested a wealthy old gentleman in the subject, who furnished him with the means to set up a printing press, and thus quit the business of vending threshing machines, wooden nutmegs, and the like. There, too, the soil suiting, the noxious weed took root in the natural way, and spread to a considerable extent.

It is very well known that we have had two great parties dividing our citizens, the democrats and the federalists. When anti-masonry took root it had proselytes from both these great parties, although in the onset, it did not number many of the leading or very respectable men of either, and they soon arrayed themselves against the leading measures of the democratic party.

About the time that anti-masonry began to assume something like political importance in our state, there had been a very respectable party known by the name of national republicans, composed of moderate, and for the most part, disinterested men, taken from the ranks of both the leading parties of the state, to which party the gentleman from Lancas

ter, as well as myself, had the honor to belong; and I well remember the honest horror, which he in common with myself then entertained, of the idea of a party based on no principle, as we believed anti-masonry to be, should be made the stalking horse for knaves to ride into power on the ignorance and prejudices of the weak and uninformed. But considerations of interest have some times, nay, too generally, an influence on human actions; and it was so in relation to my national republican friends. Instead of adhering to and maintaining their principles, for temporary and local considerations, they became hewers of wood and drawers of water, for that thing called anti-masonry, and they and I bid adieu, and I rather think forever. I warned and cautioned them of the consequences of their dereliction of principle, and of the unholy union they were about forming; but they were deaf, as well to entreaty as to the prophetic voice of warning addressed to them, and verily they have reaped their reward in their utter prostration and annihilation. There was no one whose conversion to anti-masonry more astonished me than the delegate from Lancaster, and when he was gone, I could only say, "Ephraim is joined to his idols, let him alone!" But enough of this.

It is claimed for anti-masonry that it is not only not proscriptive, but that it is pure. Sir, it is not only relentlessly proscriptive, but it is rotten as corruptton itself. It has entered the temples of religion, there to instil its baleful and malign influence. It has entered the sanctuary of justice, and polluted its fountain at the source. It, has contaminated the

jury box by interfering with and packing the whole of the jurors provided for grand inquests, as well as for traversing issues. I speak in perfect confidence on this subject, for I can at any moment produce the proof in support of what I assert. A few indubitable and well authenticated cases need only now be named, for the accuracy of which in every essential particular, I pledge myself.

Some years since, when anti-masonry had the entire sway in Lancaster county, the cominissioners and sheriff were drawing a jury. The law has thrown wise safeguards round the selection and drawing of jurors, so that if the sheriff and commissioners are governed by any thing like moral principle, or have any regard for the sanctity of an oath, there is a reasonable prospect of having honest and impartial men for jurors. They are required to swear before the heart-seeing God "to use their best endeavors to make an impartial selection of competent persons for jurors, and not to suffer partiality, favor, affection, hatred, malice or ill-will, in any case or respect whatever, to influence them in selecting, drawing, or returning jurors," &c. Yet, sir, in the face of this oath, and in the teeth of duty and honesty, the anti-masonic commissioners of Lancaster county were on one occasion drawing jurors from the wheel, when one of them was observed to be tearing up three of the ballots drawn, and when they had left the office, the pieces were picked up from the floor, and on them were written the names of "Joel Lightner," "Henry D. Overholzer,' and, I think, "Israel Carpenter," three gentlemen who happened to be members of the masonic order. The sheriff (Mr. Miller) was no party to this villainy, and as far as in him lay endeavored faithfully to select the persons to be put in the wheel; and the anti-masons of Lancastert county

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then, in order to control him in this respect, elected the former sheriff a commissioner, whose practice on this subject was well known and could be relied on. This, sir, was done to prevent an honest selection of jurors, and in order to place the administration of justice in the hands of that vile thing, anti-masonry; and the complexion of the jurors in Lancaster county shews that the same thing is persisted in at this day.

Here, sir, is a high handed attempt successfully made to invade, to destroy the sacred and invaluable right of trial by jury. Show me that free masonry ever committed so foul an act-ever perpetrated so glaring an outrage on the administration of justice, and I will strip myself of the insignia of the order, and abandon it. I call upon the delegate from Lancaster to point out, if he can, conduct of masons to compare with that of his anti-masonic politicians of his own county.

Upon what authority has that delegate undertaken to revile our order? Why, he refers to Barnard's Lights of Masonry. If Barnard did take the oaths he mentions and publishes to the world as having been taken by him, he makes himself out a precious and perjured scoundrel. As to him, however, as well as Colonel Stone, he is a perfect gull-trap—making up books to sell, with little regard to the subject matter contained in them, if they only sell. It was quite natural for the man who was credulous enough to believe in animal-magnetism, to have full faith in anti-masonry also.

Another sample of anti-masonic interference with the administration of justice, had occurred in Lehigh county, and in the infected district of Heidelberg. A man named Rex committed the crime of forgery, by putting his neighbor's name to a note for the payment of money. The thing being discovered, he was arrested and brought before an anti-ma. sonic justice of the peace, there being none of any other sort in the town. ship. There was a terrible fluttering in the camp. The anti-masonic fraternity of the neighborhood were convoked, and they had the matter arranged, and the anti-masonic justice permitted it to be settled, and never returned the recognizance to court.

These things were truths as clear as the sun at noon day, and could be proved to the letter; and this very Rex himself has since been commissioned by your anti-masonic governor, Joseph Ritner, to be a justice of the peace. Had free masons done the like of this, every anti-masonic paper in the state would have proclaimed the outrage of the fraternity to the world.

Anti-masonry is not proscriptive! says the delegate from Lancaster. What, I would ask, was the character of that tribunal at Harrisburg in the winter of 1835-6, before which my friend from the city (Mr. Chandler) and others were arraigned? and the object of which was to further their political schemes. That tribunal compelled the attendance of highly res pectable citizens from different parts of the state, required them to come before it, and imprisoned them. The anti-masons behaved, on that occasion, worse than any inquisition could have done at this enlightened day. They undertook to do by day what inquisitors would not do by night. They departed from the legitimate purposes of the assembly. They were sent there to make laws, and they converted themselves into a political inquisition.

But, thank God, the people were soon aroused to a sense of their danger, and that party have been properly marked from that day to this, and they have given such proofs of their utter recklessness, that the people will never trust them again. They shewed the cloven foot of anti-masonry-they shewed the tyranny of which they were capable-and they shewed what they would do if they possessed the power. And to such an extent did they show it, that his (Mr. P.'s) word for it, they never would have another opportunity of practising upon the feelings of the people again. They were rebuked by the voice of the public, and told in language not to be misunderstood, that their days were numbered, and their power at an end.

Why, to such an extent was this humbug of anti-masonry carried, that in some places the clergy were prohibited from baptising the children of free masons. And, they were told it was necessary, in order to put down this vile thing called masonry! He who undertakes (said Mr. Porter) to purify any sect, or institution, should come with clean hands to the work. He (Mr. P.) had already said, that he did not expect after what had taken place the other day, that we should have had this subject brought up again.

I should have been content that a silent vote should have been taken on this amendment, but the gentleman from Lancaster entered upon a crusade against free masonry, and if, in self-defence, I have carried the war into Africa, the fault is not with me. I have yet plenty of facts in store, and, if this debate should be continued, I may hereafter feel it my duty to produce them. For the present, however, I have given enough. When I see what the course of these gentleman will be, it will then be time enough for me, should it be necessary, to produce a few more proofs of the vileness of this sect of anti-masons. I do not speak personally, and I have no desire to give offence to any man; but I speak of the principles, if principles they can be called, which characterize this sect. I speak of the grounds upon which they have started-I speak of the means by which they have sustained themselves. If I have exhibited a picture, true to life as it is, such as ought to disgust the minds of men, I shall have answered every object which I had in view, and I shall at once feel sat isfied that this convention never will tolerate such a proposition as that which is contained in this amendment. What, I will ask, has this matter to do with the fundamental law of the land? It has nothing, it can have nothing to do with it. Your constitution is to contain principles of government. It is not designed to contain any thing like a criminal code. If this were a proper subject for legislative action, it should not enter into the fundamental law, but should become a subject only for legislative enactment. But it has nothing to do even with that. I am a Presbyterian. My neighbor is a Lutheran. Another man is a Roman Catholic, and another man is a Methodist. Each follows the bent of his own judgment, and each worships God according to the dictates of his own conscience; and you might as well proscribe any one of these denominations as proscribe free mason. I choose to belong to that order. You can not deprive me of that right. And this convention has already spoken in terms which no man can misunderstand, and has told you, by a vote of two to one, that it will tolerate no such idea as is contained in this proposition. I have finished.

Mr. DARLINGTON, of Chester, said. Mr. President; it is a source of some gratification to me, that I have obtained an opportunity to say a few words on this, which I regard as of much importance. I had scarcely hoped to be so fortunate as to get the floor, owing to the number of gentlemen about me who, as I perceive, have been anxious to obtain it.

I will here take occasion to say, that this immediate question to which so frequent a resort has lately been made, is becoming a nuisance. It tends to choke off proper and legitimate debate, and I trust that, in this instance at least, no gentleman will so far forget what is due to the members of this body as to call for it. We are not pressed for time; we have time enough to do and say, all we have to say and do, between this time and the day fixed upon for our final adjournment.

I trust, therefore, that no gentleman will seize upon the opportunity, when I have closed my remarks, of calling either for the pervious question or the immediate question. Let both parties be heard.

The simple question before us is, shall we make a constitutional provision which will have the effect to discountenance the further progress in the state of Pennsylvania, of societies bound together by secret oaths unknown to the constitution and the laws. This is the question which we are now called upon to decide.

I can not feel any surprise at the course which has been adopted by the gentleman from Northampton (Mr. Porter.) I expected nothing more and nothing less from him on the subject of masonry, than that instead of defending the order, he should have set himself to work to abuse and revile those who entertained opinions which might not be in accordance with his own. I had scarcely expected, however, from the gentleman from the city of Philadelphia, (Mr. Chandler) such a line of conduct as he has thought proper to pursue on this occasion. I say, I scarcely expected it from him; because it is known to me that he has been admonished by some of his masonic brethren, that so far as concerns his course in relation to masonry altogether, he has displayed more chivalry than prudence. I had hoped that he would have taken counsel from those who have heretofore acted with him in masonry-that he would have laid his chivalry aside, and would, on this occasion at least, have acted on prudential considerations. The gentleman said what I did not expect to hear from him. He attributed to the gentleman from Lancaster, (Mr. Reigart) who is undoubt edly able to answer for himself, quotations from Richard Rush. Aye, sir, and thus it is. Whenever the subject of masonry is broached, the same common, the regular, the stereotype language is applied in order to revile those who have ever thought differently on the subject.

And what of Richard Rush? Is it less true-is it an answer for gentlemen to say, that because a gentleman has held high and distinguished posts-however much he may differ from ourselves on political topicsis it an answer to say that that man has advocated a particular doctrine, and that, therefore, we must give our sanction to it. I deny the whole conclusion.

This principle of antimasonry-for a grave and important principle it is however much the gentleman from Northampton (Mr. Porter) may endeavor to throw contempt over it-has nothing to do with Richard Rush. I tell the gentleman that that principle is firmly fixed in the affections of this commonwealth. I tell him that there is an abiding sense in the