The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1846-01-17

ton of the Legislature to make provision /
satisfy the public wants
The present period is in truth, the crisi
Of our affairs, Prompt and affective msa
sures now TO make moderate addition Il
our revenue, will restore 10 Pennsylvania
for all future time, that proud position from
which she has temporarily been mado II
sIoop, by course Of policy that never mel
The approval of her people. But the adti
tion must be made at once. Unless The es
Inmates that have been presented shall prove
essentially erroneous, the BALANCE in the
Treasury; on the first of December lS4f
will not exceed one hundred thousand dol
lars. II is therefore obvious that if tbs re-
ceipis at the treasury during the Gonihs Of
December 1916 and January, l6l7 do no
greatly exceed the receipts of the cores
ponding months of any preceding year
when The amount of outstanding lakes wa:
greater than i! will be then a deficit mus
occur in the means Of the Treasury; 10 pay
The interest, which will become due on She
LIST of February lS47. The necessity OF
adoPlln g immediate and efficient measures
10 guard against result which would be
50 fatal 10 the renewed faith and honor OF
The State cannot be TOO strongly enforce
npon the alle nllon OF The Legislature.
Intimately connected with The subiec
OF our finances, is that of the Banking sys
tenn OF the State. The evils that have re
suited from the manner in which il has
been administered, and some OF those more
essentially connected with its organization
and tendencies, have been felt by all. Ye.
it may well be doubted, whether the Who'll,
of the misChiefs which ii has in9iigatcd, have
been traced back to their lruitful and PERM,
cious cause. Not only has it stimulated
joA'";huals To ruin hut Slaias hava heep|
led by lis seductive and cOrrupung innu-
ences, into course Of wild extravaganza
and con'equen, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. debts
have been contracted even the interests OF
which could scarcely be met by the mos
1nerous taxation; while in other cases lhr
faith OF the gove!n nenl which ought al
ways TO be held sacred has been violate,
TN time of profound peace.
The history Of Pennsylvania since th,
hTsinning Of the year 1885 is painful il,
IuslraiiOn of this truth. In December 1881
when Governor Wolf retired from Office,
'~o months before the Incorporation Of the
Bank Ct the United States, tic State debt oil
Pennsylvania was &?4580,7l3 SO 1t il,
now exclusive OF the amount received as al
deposit from the General Governmeni,S40,- i
96G, 1893 % making an increase of the State
debt in ten years OF 1886 Gl9 90 not,
outstanding the receipt in the mean time OF
, ,S67,5l4 7s Of surplus revenue OF tho u
States and Of 3,4l6,78O 20 as premiums
for Bank charters.
Ia contemplating this startling fact
we naturally look ronnd for the meriro
rIous objects Of State policy, for which
ihIs vast aggregate of twenty-five and
three quarlermlIoos o( dollars, has been
expended.
We iiud none Of any magnitude. TN,
main Ilne Of Canal and Railway 6etweer
Philadelphia and PIusburg, had been
completed, and was in successful opera
ion. The Delaware division, the Sus
luehana and North Branch division, t.
he mouth Of the Lackawana, The Yves
Branch division to Queens Run, rh
Beaver division to New C1silc, tn,
line, and the French Greek ,
Feeder, were all substantially Gu9hea
when Governor Wolf le(, the Exccu.
i've Chair;4nd the sum of $34I,6lS O9.
vas all that remalued ~ be paid tur
them.
The Stale had reached a point in hep
Improvement system, at which she
could have suspended operations with.
'ut loss. The scheme of direct taxation
O pay The interest, on the State loans,
which had been introduced under Gov. !
,rnor VOLTS administration, was ad-
nonIShIog the people OF the inconveni-
,nce of a public debt. Every thing in
iicaied that the further progress Of our
State improvements was 10 be deferred
i'll time had tested the productiveness
If the finished works, and The increas-
nS development of o1r resources had
invited and justified their further exen-
sion.