USA > Pennsylvania > Lives of the governors of Pennsylvania : with the incidental history of the state, from 1609 to 1873 > Part 30
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373
JOSEPH RITNER.
At this stage of the contest a new element came into the arena. A daring lobby, collected from Philadelphia and neighboring cities, appeared in the capitol, and when the Senate, after duly organizing, attempted to proceed to busi- ness, interrupted the course of legislation and threatened the lives of its members. Proceedings in the other branch of the Legislature were in like manner disturbed, and finally, both houses being compelled to disperse by this lawless de- monstration, the crowd took possession of the chambers, the leaders indulging in noisy harangues. From the capitol, the lobby proceeded to the Court-House, where impassioned speeches were made and a "Committee of Safety" was ap- pointed. So determined a front did this body present that for several days the Senate was prevented from meeting, and when one of the parties of the House attempted to assemble, the person who had been deputed to act as speaker was vio- lently ejected from the hall. All business was at an end, and the Executive and State Departments were closed.
Seeing no other alternative, and as was his plain duty to do, Governor Ritner promptly ordered out the militia; and lest this should be insufficient, - for the lobby was constantly receiv- ing accessions of strength, - he called on the United States authorities for help. The militia under Major-Generals Pat- terson and Alexander came promptly in response; but the United States authorities refused to send troops, though the storekeeper at the Frankford arsenal in Philadelphia turned over an ample supply of fixed ammunition for all arms, and an especially liberal supply of ball and BUCKSHOT cartridges, though, as it subsequently appeared, the ammunition was de- livered without orders from the War Department. Seeing troops arrive at the call of the Governor, the lobby made preparations to resist them, and were by their leaders drilled in military evolutions. By the efforts of the militia authori- ties, order was, however, restored, and the two Houses of the Legislature were again permitted to meet. A majority of the Senate finally voted to recognize the section of the House presided over by Mr. Hopkins, which virtually ended the con-
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test, the other branch of the House returning to their places, and the Governor elect being inaugurated at the proper time without opposition.
For several days during this contest the danger of a colli- sion was imminent, and it seemed impossible to avert blood- shed. Great interest was felt in the result of the struggle throughout the entire Union, and especially by the national administration. It was even viewed with serious apprehen- sions in Europe. Lewis Cass, who was at the time Minister to France, relates a conversation which he had with Louis Philippe, in which that monarch, mindful of similar compli- cations in Paris, expressed the belief that Pennsylvania would become the scene of a protracted and bloody partisan or revo- lutionary conflict. Fortunately, wiser counsels prevailed, and what seemed on the point of being left to the arbitrament of the sword, was finally settled by an appeal to reason.
At the expiration of his term of office Governor Ritner returned to private life, taking up his residence near Mount Rock, in the County of Cumberland. Possessed of a strong constitution and a powerful frame, he rarely complained of sickness, his system seeming to be proof against the ordinary inroads of disease. In 1840, however, he was attacked by cataract in both eyes, from the effect of which he was for some time entirely blind. By an operation performed upon the right eye, sight was completely restored so that he was able to read with ease the finest print. So painful was the operation that no consideration could induce him to submit to one upon the left, and that remained sightless to the day of his death.
He continued to take a lively interest in politics, and rarely failed to deposit his vote in the ballot-box in every important election. In 1848, he was nominated by President Taylor, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, in which capacity he served for a short time; but before his nomination was acted on by the Senate, President Taylor died, and he retired, to make room for the favorites of President Fillmore. He was a delegate from Pennsylvania to the National Convention
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which nominated John C. Fremont for President, and to the close of his life continued an active and ardent Repub- lican.
Governor Ritner was endowed with a mind of great native strength. The faculty of memory was almost miraculous, for he seemed never to forget a name, an event, a date, or a fact. The impressions of his early and active life were retained with remarkable clearness, and he could recall occurrences in his official life, and repeat debates with surprising accuracy. He was remarkably temperate in all his habits, never using in any form tobacco or spirituous liquors. He was a man of strong convictions, and his opinions when once formed were rarely changed. His conscientiousness naturally inclined him to caution, and every subject requiring his decision re- ceived mature deliberation. He fortunately lived long enough to see many of the cardinal principles which he had advocated become the fundamental law of the land, and time, which " at last sets all things even," vindicated the soundness of his judgment. He died on the 16th day of October, 1869, in the ninetieth year of his age. His life was prolonged be- yond that of any other Governor of Pennsylvania, though associated in this office with men wonderfully long-lived.
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PART V. GOVERNORS UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF 1838.
877
DAVID RITTENHOUSE PORTER,
GOVERNOR UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF 1838. January 15, 1839, to January 21, 1845.
D AVID RITTENHOUSE PORTER was born near Nor- ristown, Montgomery County, Pa., on the 31st of October, 1788. His grandfather, Robert Porter, emigrated, early in the last century, from the north of Ireland. The farm where he lived is situated about nine miles north-west of London- derry, near the sea-coast. The land, together with several ad- joining farms, is yet owned, after the lapse of more than a century and a half, by those of his own name and blood. One of their number, the Rev. J. L. Porter, D. D., LL. D., Pro- fessor of Sacred Literature in the College at Belfast, has at- tained a high position as a preacher, an author, and a man of letters, especially in the Department of Oriental Literature. Andrew Porter, the father of David R., was born at the homestead in Montgomery County, in 1743, and attained dis- tinction as a Revolutionary soldier. In boyhood he mani- fested much fondness for mathematics, and early attracted the notice of that profound scholar Dr. David Rittenhouse, under whose advice he opened an English and mathematical school in Philadelphia. The Institution had attained a wide- spread reputation for excellence when the Revolutionary War broke out, and its principal, obedient to the calls of pa- triotism, laid aside the robes of the master for the garb of the soldier. He was at first commissioned a Captain of Marines, but at his own request was soon afterwards transferred to the artillery. He subsequently became Colonel of the Fourth Regiment of Artillery, and was engaged in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown. At Ger-
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380 GOVERNORS UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1838.
mantown nearly his entire command was cut down at his side. He received on the field the thanks of Washington for his soldierly conduct at Princeton ; and when Lafayette was wounded at Brandywine, Captain Porter was near him. At the special request of Washington, though reluctant to be withdrawn from active service, he was sent to Philadelphia to prepare the material for the siege of Yorktown. At the con- clusion of the war he was offered the chair of Mathematics in the University of Pennsylvania, but declined it, humorously remarking to the committee who called on him, that, having so long commanded men, he could not go back to flogging boys. From 1784 to 1787, he was engaged by appointment of the Supreme Executive Council of the State, in conjunc- tion with Dr. Rittenhouse, Dr. Ewing, Mr. Madison, and others, in determining the lines between Pennsylvania and the States of Virginia, Ohio, and New York. Some of the most difficult parts of this useful work were performed by him. In 1809, he was appointed, by Governor Snyder, Sur- veyor-General, an office which he held up to the day of his death in 1813, having in the meantime declined two appoint- ments tendered him by President Madison, that of Brigadier General in the Army, and that of Secretary of War.
Several of the sons of Andrew Porter attained to emi- nence. Robert served in the Revolutionary War, practised law in Philadelphia, and became President Judge of the Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton District. William and Andrew, twin-brothers, became reputable merchants, one in Baltimore, and the other in New Orleans. John E. was a brilliant advocate, but resigned the law for medicine, which he practised with much success in North Carolina. George B. was a graduate of the Law School at Litchfield, and became the rival of James Buchanan and Judge Moulton C. Rogers at the Lancaster Bar. IIe was appointed by General Jackson Governor of the Territory of Michigan. James M. settled at Easton, and became an eminent lawyer; was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1838, over which he presided during a part of its sittings, became
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DAVID RITTENHOUSE PORTER.
President Judge of the Dauphin, Lebanon, and Schuylkill District, was Secretary of War under President Tyler, and was subsequently elected President Judge of the Wayne, Pike, Monroe, and Carbon District.
The subject of this sketch, David R., received his early training at an academy in Norristown, where the branches of a good English education, mathematics, and the elementary classical studies were successfully taught. With his brothers George and James, he was here pursuing a course prepar- atory to entering Princeton College, when the buildings of that institution were destroyed by fire, and the purpose of a collegiate course was abandoned. When the father was appointed Surveyor-General, he took his son David with him to the seat of government as his assistant. He was accom- panied by a young man from the same neighborhood, who likewise became Governor of the State, Francis R. Shunk. While thus employed, the son also studied law, with the intention of entering upon its practice at Harris- burg; but the labor and confinement of these double duties were too severe, and his health was so much impaired, as was thought, to preclude the possibility of his pursuing any sedentary employment. He decided, therefore, to seek more active occupation, and removed to the county of Huntingdon, where he engaged in the manufacture of iron.
The Messrs. Dorsey then owned that magnificent estate known as the Barree Forges, which yet remains in possession of their descendants, and has continued for nearly three- quarters of a century to be the seat of a large and generous hospitality. Mr. Porter was first employed by them for a year as a clerk, and during the following year was made manager of their works. Having thus acquired an acquaint- ance with the business, he embarked in it on his own ac- count, in partnership with Edward Patton, on Spruce Creek; but so great was the depression into which all branches of manufactures fell for some years succeeding the war of 1812, that their enterprise was not successful. He continued, how- ever, through life to take a deep interest in all that related to
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382 GOVERNORS UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1838.
the business, and, at the period of his death, it is doubtful whether any man in the State so thoroughly and practically understood the subject of ores, the location of their deposit, the mode of combining them, and the species of fuel best adapted to reducing them, as did he.
He was, in 1819, elected a member of the Assembly from Huntingdon County, and was returned for the following year, having as a colleague John Scott, father of the present Senator of the United States. He here formed the acquaint- ance of some of the most eminent citizens of the Common- wealth, many of whom remained his warm personal friends through life.
On retiring from the Legislature, he was appointed by the Governor Prothonotary and Clerk of the several courts of Huntingdon County, and to these were afterwards added the offices of Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills. There was then little business in these offices, and the pecuniary returns were meagre. He had in 1820 married Josephine, daughter of William McDermott, who had emigrated from Scotland for the purpose of manufacturing steel by a new process, and who was one of the pioneers in that art. Mrs. Porter for a few years acted as her husband's clerk, record- ing deeds and wills at home, while he transacted the busi- ness in public, and large volumes in her handwriting con- tinue to be shown to strangers and visitors to the town, written so clearly and beautifully, and with such perfect accuracy, as to excite admiration.
During his residence in Huntingdon, Mr. Porter devoted much of his time to the public interests. He gave some atten- tion to agriculture, and distributed among the farming classes such information as the best writers furnished. He intro- duced among his neighbors, without profit to himself, the once famous Durham cattle. From New York, Virginia, and Michigan, he brought the best horses which those States pro- duced. ITis chief efforts, however, were directed to the pub- lic improvements of the State. Having carefully studied the plans which Governor Clinton had proposed for New York,
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DAVID RITTENHOUSE PORTER.
bis pen was often employed in calling the attention of the people to the importance of executing similar works in Pennsylvania, in order to develop and carry to market its vast resources and preserve its relative importance in the Union.
In 1836 he was elected a member of the State Senate, from the district then composed of the counties of Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, and Union. The soundness of his judgment and the readiness of his understanding made him an acknowledged leader. Few subjects were broached on which he did not either report or speak. Legislation upon the subject of the public works bore largely the impress of his views. As a writer he was concise, forcible, and even ele- gant, and as a speaker, he was clear, pointed, and eminently practical. His speeches were usually very brief, and in de- fence of this habit he was accustomed to plead the practice of Jefferson and Franklin. His advice to young lawyers and debaters was especially to study brevity. In this respect, he differed widely from his brothers, Governor Porter of Michi- gan, and Judge Porter of Easton, both of whom were more diffuse, and, it must be added, acquired higher reputations for forensic ability.
In 1838, Mr. Porter was elected Governor of Pennsylvania, and in 1841 was re-elected by a majority almost four times as great as that given at his first election. His inauguration as Governor occurred on the 15th of January, 1839. The open- ing paragraphs of his inaugural address present in an admi- rable manner the views by which he proposed to be guided, and the changed relations that the Executive was made to hold by the new Constitution then about to go into effect. "Deeply . impressed," he says, "with a sense of gratitude to my fellow- citizens, for the distinguished mark of confidence reposed in me, I enter upon the arduous and responsible duties of Gov- ernor of Pennsylvania, with a full determination, according to the abilities given me, to do my duty faithfully.
" A compliance with custom would seem to require of me, when assuming the duties of the Executive, in pursuance of
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384 GOVERNORS UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1838.
the choice of the people, to lay before them some of the lead- ing principles upon which the administration of the Govern- ment will be conducted. I do this the more willingly, be- cause, in a republic, the intercourse between the people and their public functionaries should be candid, frank, and unre- served.
"Educated with the highest veneration and greatest affec- tion for the men and principles of the American Revolution, it will always give me pleasure to refer to the one as exam- ples, and to the other as guides in the performance of duty. Admitting to its fullest extent the importance of preserving unsullied the inestimable and inalienable right of the people to govern themselves, I shall ever give my best efforts to pre- vent encroachments upon that right. So long as man con- tinues the being he is, error must be expected both in his individual and collective conduct. He may be expected to err upon sudden impulses; but an intelligent community will rarely fall deliberately into error. Hence the deliberate ex- pression of the people's will should always furnish the rule of conduct to those who represent them in public stations.
" A new era has arrived in our Commonwealth. Our first Constitution, formed amidst the storms and troubles of the revolutionary conflict, was found in practice not to answer the expectations under which it was framed. In fourteen years thereafter it was entirely new modelled by the Consti- tution of 1790, an instrument framed by men of great talents and eminent worth; but the plan of government was always considered by no small portion of he people as not suffi- ciently democratic in its details. After repeated attempts to procure revision, a majority of our citizens who voted on the question, in 1835, decided that a convention should be called, to revise, alter and amend the Constitution of the Common- wealth. In pursuance of this determination of the people, a convention assembled, and after a long and arduous session, closed their labors on the 22d of February last, and the amendments agreed upon by that body have been ratified and adopted by the people. It is under this amended Constitu-
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DAVID RITTENHOUSE PORTER.
tion that it has been my lot to be called upon to administer the duties of the Executive. This instrument gives to popu- lar suffrage the decision of many appointments heretofore vested in the Executive, and changes the duration of the judicial tenure from that of good behavior to a term of years. It shortens the period of eligibility to the Executive chair, and reduces the senatorial term; enlarges the right of suffrage, and changes other provisions, all of which are impor- tant in the conduct of the government of the State. Approv- ing as I did of the amendments in the aggregate, and having sanctioned them by my vote at the late election, it will afford me great pleasure to assist in carrying them out in practice by a strict adherence to their principles."
The subject of State interest, which at this period over- shadowed every other, was the prosecution of the public works. Vast sums had been expended, and strong anxiety was felt to have the main lines completed at the earliest prac- ticable moment. A considerable part of his first Annual Message to the Legislature was devoted to this subject. The concluding sentiments of that paper, considering the period at which they were written, are remarkable, and illustrate the comprehensiveness of his views. "I cannot," he says, "close this brief reference to our system of public improvements without inviting the attention of the Legislature to two sub- jects, which, though not immediately connected with the leading object of this communication, are yet so essentially necessary to the full fruition of the benefits to be derived from our main lines of canals and railroads between the eastern and western sections of the Commonwealth, as to awaken the earnest solicitude of every true Pennsylvanian. I allude to the removal of the obstructions to steamboat navigation in the Alleghany, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers from Pittsburg to the Gulf of Mexico, and from Pittsburg up the Alleghany as far as the same may be found practicable by the survey authorized under direction of the general Government, and to the construction of a continuous railroad from the city of Pittsburg through or near the capitals of Ohio, Indiana,
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and Illinois to some point on the Mississippi River at or near St. Louis."
The sentiment of the words in italics was made, at the time of its delivery, the subject of wide-spread comment and no little ridicule; but the writer of it lived long enough to be able to travel in a railroad-car, without change, from the sea- board to the banks of the Mississippi.
The messages and other public documents of Governor Porter were generally written by an amanuensis. His habit was to pronounce the words aloud, slowly and deliberately, as he paced his apartment, and when thus taken down, they were ready for the press with scarcely a correction.
One of his apprehensions in regard to the working of our State Constitution arose from the frequent encroachments made by the Legislative power on the other branches of the Government. The Judiciary has frequently experienced this in Acts of Assembly granting new trials, or giving a con- struction to written documents, or changing the effect of liens of record; and there are few better specimens of judicial writing than that in which it was rebuked in the case of De Chastellux vs. Fairchild .* Governor Porter resisted with a firm hand the encroachments made on his own prerogatives, and the reader will not go far for evidence of this in turning over the pages of any of the Legislative journals from 1839 to 1845. As an example, the following reply to the Senate, which had made an inquiry into his motives for certain official conduct, may be adduced :
"In reply to your resolution of the 6th instant, I have to inform the Senate, that, in compliance with the 'resolution to suspend the work on the Gettysburg Railroad,' prompt measures were taken to ascertain 'the whole amount of claims on the line, on estimates, or for retained percentage; also for salaries of officers and agents, for labor, or for any other purpose;' and that during the present week the reports of the officers charged with that duty have been received.
* 3 Harris's Reports, page 18.
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DAVID RITTENHOUSE PORTER.
"These are all the material facts touching the subject of your inquiry, which it is within the power of the Executive to communicate to the Senate. They fully answer the call made on me by the resolution, unless in requiring me to state ' why the delay in procuring the money and paying the contractors has taken place,' the Senate intended to require me to communicate the reasons or motives by which I have been governed in relation to this business. If such was the design of the Senate, I must decline to comply with its requisition. Being an independent and co-ordinate branch of the Government, I do not recognize its right to make such a demand, and also because the time and manner of adver- tising for, and procuring loans are duties belonging ex- clusively to the Executive, in which the two Houses of the Legislature have neither responsibility nor share. Claiming to understand and respect the rights of the Senate, I shall studiously avoid any infringement upon them; and claiming also to understand the rights and duties of the Executive, under the Constitution, I shall take especial care that they shall not be invaded, and will maintain them to the utmost of my abilities. Independence and harmony of action only can be preserved by strictly observing the rights of all depart- ments of the Government. This course I shall pursue, at all times, without deviation."
The courage, energy, and strong will thus displayed gave great vigor to his administration, and compelled respect even from his opponents. In his appointment of judges, then one of the most responsible duties of the Executive, he exhibited much discrimination, as the reader will discover, who reflects on the names of Burnside, Rogers, King, Bell, Lewis, Thomp- son, Black, Woodward, Campbell, Conyngham, Parsons, El- dred, Church, and others,- many of whom were little known to the public when they received commissions at his hands, and some of whom have since exerted strong influence in our national affairs.
Governor Porter took much interest in the success of the system of Common Schools, then in its infancy, and having
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appointed Francis R. Shunk superintendent, devoted with him much time in resolving the numerous and difficult ques- tions which then came up from the County officers for de- cision.
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