Sunbury American

[From the Public Ledger.]
From Harrisburg.

Election of Judges by the People—Amendment to the Constitution—Adjournment of the Legislature—Appointments—Post-office Stock—The Judicial Appointments.

Harrisburg, April 2.

Dear Sirs:—This afternoon was signalized by an action of the Legislature certainly the most important that has transpired during this most dull, stale, flat, and unprofitable session. This was the passage, by an overwhelming vote, of the resolutions sometime since passed by the Senate, for an amendment to our State Constitution, providing for the election of all Judges in the Commonwealth by the people. To this point, it has been for some time evident, we were rapidly tending. It was rapidly growing in popular favor, as indicated by the resolutions of the public meetings of both parties, by toasts and sentiments at public dinners, and by the expression of the public press. The success of the elective system in Ohio, during many years past, with the evident facts that there justice is as sure; that there the Judges are as able; that there the Judiciary is as pure and equitable in their decisions as our own one-man power system can claim to have been, even in its palmiest days, has doubtless had considerable influence in creating the desire for a similar system in Pennsylvania. The more recent adoption of the same plan of selecting Judges by the great State of New York, and its entire success there in securing Judges infinitely superior as a body to the old set, has given additional food to the desire for a change. The resolutions just passed had slept, after passing the Senate early in the session, very quietly on the tables of the House, and were not expected to awaken to life during the session. But this afternoon, Mr. Swartzwelder, by a legislative manoeuvre, obtained the floor and called them up, within barely two hours of the adjournment. After some short speeches in favor of the measure by him and Mr. Ball of Erie, and by Messrs. Little of Wyoming, and Cornyn of Huntingdon, the resolutions were forced through three readings, by two-third votes, under the repeated power of the previous question, and passed finally without amendment, just as they came from the Senate.

The following is the vote on final passage, recorded in pursuance of the imperative direction of the present Constitution:

Yeas—Messrs. Ball, Bent, Biddle, Bloom, Bole, Bull, Cort, Diehl, Elliott, Emery, Wm. Evans, Fausold, Fegely, Fisher, Fuller, Grove, Hampson, Henszey, Herring, Higgins, Hortz, Hower, Laird, Lewis, Long, McCartney, McCulloch, McKee, McLaughlin, Marx, Myers, Pearce, Pratt, Robb, Rupley, Ryman, Schnoonover, Seibert, Sharp, Snively, Steel, Stubbs, Stutzman, Swartzwelder, Taggart, Geo. T. Thorn, Nicholas Thorn, Wattles, Weirick, Wilcox, Zerbey, Packer, Speaker—52.

Nays—Messrs. Cornyn, Courtney, David Evans, Henry S. Evans, Fenion, George, Gillespie, Gordon, Henry, Kirk, Laubach, McCalmont, McKee, McSherry, Miller, Morrison, Quo, Roberts, Roseberry, Rutherford, Smith, Smyth, Souder, Walters, Williams—25.
According to the Constitution, the amendments will be advertised in one or more newspapers in each county, for three months previous to the next election in October. Next winter the Legislature meet again to pass upon it. If the amendment is again agreed to by that body, it will be once more advertised previous to the election in the fall of 1850; at which time the people will vote for or against its adoption, as part of the fundamental Constitution of the State. Their verdict will unquestionably be in the affirmative.

Some attempts are being made to try and extend the period of final adjournment by the Legislature, a week or two longer. It is urged that there is a mass of unfinished important business which cannot be got through with by the 10th. No matter, an extension of the time is entirely improbable. The members are very anxious to get home, and seem more than usually tired of the session. Certainly it has been a most dull one.

No Judgeship appointment by the Governor yet. There is a prospect of Judge Eldred exchanging this district for one in the Northern part of the State—especially if the bill creating four new judicial districts should pass, as appears likely. The Judge is removing his family back to his old residence, Wayne county, any rate.

Dauphin.