The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1851-08-28

the honor of paying the interest, and that it wa.
! not till his elevation to the Chief Mapistracy
that it was paid. more perfectly absurd and
unfoundcd claim was never set up for any pub
lie man. The honor of redeeming the credit of
the State belongs to the Legislature of IS44.-
| That body, by passing an act authorizing the
leyying Of tax Of three mills on the dollar for
State purposes, provided tho ways and means Of
! Of paying the interest. The first paymet after
| the suspension in 1912, was made on the first
day of February, 1S45, n few weeks after Cover
nor Skunk was inauguratcd and it has been
regularly continued up to the present period
For this Governor Johnston is entitled to no
moro credit, than any other gentleman who was
in private life at the time that important mes
sage was adopted. Certainly he is not entitled
to as much credit as Col. Biglcr, who was then
| Speaker of the Senate, and who, as the Journals
of that body viii show, sustained the provision
for the three mill tax, upon every vote that was
taken upon it.
brief history Of the passage of this provision
may not be unintercstng at this time Whilst
the bill for the sale of the public works, was be-
fore the House, an amendment was incorporated,
| providing for the assessment Of tax of three
mills on the dollar upon certain property enume-
rated, and the bill in that shape finally passed
The word 90 three" in this amendment was
stricken out in the Senate, and the word .two"
inserted, thus making ID read two mills,-Col
Blgler voting against striking out and inserting
Upon the question of the final passage of the
bill thus amended, Col. Bigler and other Sena-
I pf bn tI,,no mil
voting in the Negative and the bill was lost
This vote was reconsidered, the House provision
restored, and the bill finally passed by vote of
10 to 10. Col. Bigler's name is to be found in
the affirmative. Senate Journal 1914, page
o29-) 1t would not, perhaps, be unreasonable
to claim for Col. Biglcr the honor of passing
this great measure as being the last member
who voted, it was in his power to decide the
question, either in the affirmative or the mega
tive The Bill was afterwards referred to a
committee of conference upon disagrccing votes
Of the two houses upon ether provisions. The
report Of the committee was adopted in the
Senate, by a vote Of 20 to IS, Col. Biglcr again
voting in the affirmative
| Now, when it is remembered, that Mt the time
this Bill was passed; the financial affairs of the
State and the country were greatly deranged
that money was scarce; that the credit of the
| State was so low that her stocks were at about
forty dollars; that the debt, in consequence of
her failing to pay the interest, was increasing
| at the rate Of about two millions of dollars u
year; that the opinion was prevalent that the
people would not submit to an increase of texa-
ton; and that the question of reputation was
ont tom Dp1 OF
nifty, 1t will be admitted, that it required some
degree of firmness and moral courage in the
Representatives of the people, to meet the crisis
1t was emphatically crisis in the history of this
good old Commonwealth. For nearly three
years she had stood before the world discraced
and dishonored. She had failed to meet engage
ments, to which her faith and her credit had
been solemnly pledged. But the crisis was met.
Her sons, then representing her. nobly. fear
lessly, patriotcally came to the rescue, and for
getting their own temporary interest in that of
the commonwealth, they passed this important
measure aad in one short year her credit and
her character were redeemed. In the support
of this Bill all party differences were merged in
the great questions it involved and Whirs and
Democrats, influenced by the higher and nobler
sentiments of patriotism, cordially united in adj
vocating and sustaining it. Give honor then to
| no particular individual but to the majority of
the Legislature of 1914, and to no member of
that body more than to Col. Bigler who was as
active in the support of the bill, as any of his
brothcr-members. It was a great Pennsylvania
measure, and it is the duty of the people to
frown down all and every attempt of partizans
and dcmagogues to rob the Legislature of the
honor which is their just due, for the purpose
of sustaining and elevating any political aspi-
rant.
For the truth of what have said in relation
to Col. Bigler, that is not proved by the Records
of the State appeal to the Hon. George Darsie
who was thon member of the Senate; to tho
Hon. j. Ross Snowdcn, the Hon. Jasper E. Bra
I dy, now of this city; Alexander Brackenridgc
and Col. James A. Gibson, who members
of the House of Representatives. CANDoR.
Freak OF Nature.
Two physicians of Georgia, Doctors Cohcl