The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1849-03-03
MOnlOur County.

lower end Of our excellent lltte county, which
contrmpl,ies the dismemhermcm of Columbia
and the formation Of small patch around Dan.
vile, To be entitled "Moai0w county The
project is as novel rs the position ol lis movers IS
unenable, and will strike the great maiority Of
our citizens with wonder and surprise, as well at
the statements therein made as the spirit in which
its language is couched We insert below, the
long petition, tail and all, for the amusement Of
our rcaders-
TO the Honorable the Senate and House
of Representatives. Of the Common
toeaith Of Pennsylvania, az General
.Assemby met;
THE PETIrIoN of the undersigned, cit.
izens of the townships of Derry, Lime
stone, Liberty, Valley, Franklin, Maho-
ming, and the Borough of Danville, now
included within the boundary lines Of the
County of Columbia, and forming part OF
Columbia county
RESPECTFCLLT REPRE- SENTS:
That in consequence Of the long protracted
struggle between the inhabitants of the
townships above named and those of the
middle and upper townships of the County
of Columbia, which has ended by locating
the Seat of Justice the Town of Blooms
burg, in said County, state of feeling and
series OF acts aggressive and oppressive
in their nature have been induced and car
ried out to our injury, uncomfortable on our
part aud utterly incompatible with ourprcs-
ent and future prosperity and happiness.
There no longer exists between the upper
and lower townships those bonds of union,
sources of sympathy, community of inter-
ests, and common hopes or feelings, with
which there can be nothing to educe asso-
ciated effort for the accom- plshment of the
objects of county organization or even So
ciaI intercourse there is no common tie to
twine us together in any one object invoI-
wing the common good Of the citizens of
the County, as at present organized. TO
such an extent is this dissimllarity of views
and interests carried that no party to suit
has any confidence in the verdict OF our
juries or the proceedings in our courts in
cases in which one of the parties is from
the upper and one from lower end of the
County. Our county officers and jurors,
owing to the preponderence of numbers in
the middle and upper end of the county are
for the most part selected from that quarter,
and they euter upon the duties of their Off
ces with bias against the inhabitants Of
the lower end prrludical to our rights.
Although the greater portion OF the taxes
levied for county purposes are collected
from us, we have reason To complain that
by far the greater portion of the taxes OF
the county are expended for the conSlruc-
ton Of bridges, &C., in the upper end of
the County, irsomuch that we do not re.
ceiyc that fair and just distribution of ap,
propritiion and expenditure of the County
funds which Justice demands or our emer,
grnries require.
We further complain that the provisions
of the act for the removal Of the Seat of
Justice from Danviile to Bloomsbury, by
which it was made obligatory upon the Cit
liens of BIoomshurE to defyay the whole
expense of erecting aud constructing the
public buildings a, Bloomsbury, has been
evadad by their receiving an appropriation
Of S250O 90 Of the County funds towards
defrlying said expenses, and by continued
eXaclions from the same source, for purpO-
ses, the eiTacling of which they were piedg-
cd to pay out ofthcir own private funds.
We URGE moreover, as a further ground
of complaint, that in every instance where
in the citizens of the lower end Of the
County, in the exercise Of their Just rights,
petition for legislative aid, the upper and
middle townships being at all times able to
elect their Representative instruct him as
their too! and instrument to thwart all and
every ofour honest efforts to promote our
interests, withOutin any way wishing or
attempting to impair or infringe upon the
rights of the citizens Of the upper and mid
die townships. We have pateRtly endu
red all these annoyanccs and injuries Of
,whioh we complain, and others not here
enumerated, for a period of thrty-dve
wears. until forbearance is no longer a vir-
the. We have on many occasions remon.
srratad and reasoned with our felIow-cit.
zcns of the upper and middle portion Of
the county. butthev have turned deaf ear
70 ali our claims for justice and fair par
,cination in the common benefits which
ought to result from our County organiSa
non. until our situation has become intoler-
able. And inasmuch as we believe that this
unr-pndIv feeling on their part will endure
during the present and the neXtgeneration,
and we remain without remedy for thus
accumulation of evil, that we can neither
courroract nor patiently submit to. we ask
for a separation; and pray Yonr iionora'
bic Bodies to grant the prayers OF our re-
,i'ion. and erect INTO separate 'onniN'
the Townships Of Derry. Limestone LIB
rr,v. Valley. Mahoning aud franklin. and