Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1841-09-25
From the Sats Capitol Gasetfe.
SrNATtt DEBIT,

he State Debt published in our last paper but one,
we advertcd TO the fact that Governor Porter had
not incurred az ONE DOLLAR OF DEBT
FOR OR ON ACCOUNT OF ANY NEW
PUBLIC WORK % commenced during his Adj
minisira,ion This fact remains uncon'radiCted.
for The simple reason that it is STRICTLY TRUE
We intend in continuation of our former re
marks, TO prove, by the best of all evidence to wit
an extract from the 9th section Of the Act of 9Th
February, 1895, rechartering the Bank of the Uni
ted States, that the amount of the State Debt could
not at this time have exceeded the total that it was
when Governor Wolf retired from office, but for
the folly and madness Of Joseph Ritner The 9th
Section Of tha! Act contains the following words
ut shall be'the duty of the Canal Commissioners
TO put under contract, not less than twenty miles
more than forty miles Of the North Branch d.
vision of the Pcnnsy ylvania Canal duriug the ensu-
ing year, commencing at or near the New York
State line, towards which the sum of one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars is hereby specifically sp-
tropriated. And the said Canal Commissioners,
are hereby directed to put under contract not less
than ihirty.six than sixty miles of the
Pennsylvania canal, extending the same by canal
nr slack water, towards the harbor of Erie, from
sech point points will best advance the inter-
ests of the State, having due regard to distance.
lockage, cost, and commercial interest. Provided
That no part of said distance is on the Ohio or Ale
sheny rivers; towards the completion of which,
the of two hundred thousand dollars is hereby
specifically appropriated. And the said Canal
Commissioners are hereby further authorized and
required, without delay, to survey and locate the
most advantageous line for railroad from the bor-
oegh Of Gettysburg, to the route of the Bati-
more and Ohio railroad, and connect with the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at some point in the
state of Maryland, at or West of Williamsport, and
10 put under contract, not less than twenty
'han thirty miles thereof, towards which two hun
lied thousand dollars is hereby specifically appro
Itiated. Provided That no such contract shall be
cnered into, unless the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
company shall have consented TO a satisfactory con-
uexon of their road with that hereby authorized,
and the said Canal Commissioners are hereby re-
quircd to cause TO be surveyed by q competent en-.
yineer, the route Of canal and slack water navga.
lion, from the head of the West Branch Division
70 the Allegheny river.'
Here, then, was the first appropriation made to-
wmjs the commencement of the Erie Extension,
the North Branch and West Branch Canals, (the
latter suspended the first session after Governor
Porter came into office,) and the Gettysburg Rail.
road, alias Tapeworm. Governor Porter placed
hls veto OH the Gettysburg railolsd, and stopped
waste of public money in that quarter. The
Wisconisco feeder placed under contract by
'ntue Of an act Of Assembly passed l4th April,
s36, approved by Joseph Ritner.
The only public works now unber contract, or
hat have been in progress Of completion since
Gov. Por,ers time, are the North Branch Exten-
:ion, Erie Extension, and Wiconisco Feeder, all OF
'yhlch were put under contract by Rner and his
Canal Commissioners long before they rejec.
led by the people and expelled from office by
Gathering of the patriotic freemen of this common
wealth in defiance of "Buckshot and Ball."
Farmers DO you now understand tho "sstoundine
acts" with regard to the why and wherefore Of th,
increase Of the public debt!
Do you not now understand that but for tn
passage of the act rechartering the Bank of tn
United States no public work, of any kind wou,
have been commenced, whereby the State has bee
in debt some millions Of dollars :
Do you not now understand that Governor 20
tr had no hand, lot, or part in creating causin
be created one dollar of the immense State del
incurred over and above what it was when Cove
Wolf retired from office but on the contrar
al ,c ,ba k,s
iuced the amount of debt incurred by Rilner al
stevens upwards of ten millions
Do you not understand the gross deceptic
attempted TO be praciiscd upon you by the stat
ment published in a number Of the federal paper
ehargiug to Governor Porier's account the debt i
cured Ivy Rilner under the authority of the
iquous Uui;ed States Bark act
We know you do and we know further, y
understand that, notwithstanding Governor Ritz
ieceived upwards ofsix millions one hundred the
sand dollars in cash, on account Of surplus rcven
md for bank charters, instead Of diminishing
State debt to tha, amount thus reducing il to
millions, he increased it upwards of five millio
and bid farewell to the Office he proved him
20 incompetent to manage, hy announcing TO
Legislature tina, "it had come to pass notwithsi
ding succession Of circumstances the MO
FORTUNATE, and of RECEIPTS THE Mo
AMPLE, and unexpected, the commonwealth
lci, without means TO CONTINUE HER ON
WORKS, and REDEEM HER Ol
FAITH -"
UNDERSTANDING all this, we ask you wha, de
ol credit can you, or will you, attach to the s.