The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1853-06-30
THE LATE STRIKE.

|
| THE LATE STRIKE.
We present below the statement of Col. Hop
KINs, one of the Board of Canal Commissioners,
! in relation to the recent proceedings on the Al
legheny Portage Railroad.
PIrrsBuRGH June "a, 1858
MEssRs. KEENAN, & HASTINGS:
Genttemen-Allow me small space IN your
paper to correct error into which several OF
your cotemporaries have fallen, in reference TO
the 'Srike the Allegheny Portage Railroad. y
That the public mind should be excited, and
that the press should speak out at such oc-
currence is quite natural, for if half Of what
is set forth in the manifesto OF the parties ag-
grieved be true, the wonder is that they should
have endured such oppression so long. But be-
fore eaitors should permit themselves to de-
nounce particular individuals the authors of
the evils complained Of they oughtto know that
they deserve to be denounced
fully concur with those who have gone the
farthest in condemuing the which have
led to this unfortunate affair. but | submit whe
ther 1t is right to denounce indiscrminately all
officers who may happen TO be III the public SER
vice With these preliminary remarks L will
briefly state the facts, SO far L have been able
TO ascertain them, and then leave impartial
public to decide how much censure ought to be
laid at the door Of the Canal Board, of which |
am member. Before the undersigned be-
came member of the Board, q report had been
made setting forth the entire Indebtedness of tie
Portage road, as well the Philadelphia and
Columbia road, and various lines of Canal, an i
also estimate of the amount required to pay
all the officers and hands in the employ OF the
Commonwealth the present year.
This was all the Board could do at the time.
have not that report, the approprlt 5IJli
bill before me, but believe the amounts asked
for to pay old debts, due laborers, &c, well
as the amount required to pay them the present
were alIawe1
The question then arises, Why have these llen
not been paid? very frankly confess my in
ability to give satisfactory answer, and not
being willing to follow the example of some 9th :
ers and denounce innocent parties, Ihaye institu-
ted inquiries into the causes of the nonpa yrnent
of this suffering and meritorious class of our fel
low citizens. In this connection L deem it nut
just to myself to state that had supposed that
these claims had all been paid. l knew that the
money had been appropriated for the purpose
and' as had passed over the road at least a
half do2en of tlaes within tho poo. mon tbs
not received his dues, | took it for granted that
they had all been paid. Had not right so
to conclude? Some of the Pittsburgh editors
discuss this question though the Canal Com
missoners were disbursing officers thus exhib-
iting cuLPd6Ee Ignorance of what they are writing
about. These men who are 50 ready to de-
nounee the Canal Board ought to know that the
Commissioners do not, and cannot, disburse a
single dollar, for any person whatever and vet
by qastaTdty innuendo, they are charged with
'specuiatfng the earnings of poor men,
To show the light in which | regarded this
NATTER subjein the resolutions which [ pre-
pared Immediately seeing the statement of the
a ggrieved parties. Those resolutions L submit
ted to one of my colleagues, Gen'l CLOVER, who
was in the city TT the time. At his suggestion
action upon those resolutions was postponed un.
til We would return from Freeport, whittier we
af,l 70 fha
which was damaged to require the suspen- I
sion of navigation for the time being | very
much regret to state, that that gentleman was
unable to return with me, owing to a sudden |
attack of illness. No further action, therefore
can be had on the resolutions for the present.
Until | can have all the facts before me-
will express no opinion as TO where the fault
lies
If Gen'l Ross who is the disbursing officer
on that portion of the public i'm proyements, has
made the necessary efforts to obtain the money,
andcould not do SO, the fault is not his. IT, on
the other hand, the money is not in the treas |
ury, no blame ought to attach to the head Of
that department; and no man will attempt
to throw the responsibility on the Executive. l
repeat, then, that for the present, | can express
no opinion as TO where the censure ought to be /
thrown.
As to the allegation that s'some of the agents |
under the Canal Board are speculating on the /
public funds and on the earnings of the Ia |
borers, we will only notice it so far to say, |
that it would have been much more manly to
have named the individuals implicated, than to
make the allegation in such general term to
mean no body, and crey:y body.
Let them name The man men, and adduce the /
soidence to sustain the charge, and pledge myself
that be, they, shall not remain in the service
Of the State longer than his their dismissal
can be prepared.
If there be any one act in a public officer, /
which more deserves the execraton of all hon
est men than any other, it is that of using the
public funds in 'speculating on the earnings of
men,"
But while say this, justice to all the dis
oursng agents of the State, compels me to state
hat | have not the remotest knowledge of any
one of them having been engaged in such disre
pu table practice. Wherever, therefore the rea-
son may be. found to exist for the wrongs which
nave been so justly complained of on the part of
those suffering creditors, | trust that no agent
Of the State will be found who has been so lost
to every honorable impulse to have been gull
ty o f such infamous conduct. | regret that |
have felt called upon to notice this unpleasant
subject at all, but more especially do regret that
have been compelled to do so my own res
without the aid of my esteemed col
leagues, Messrs. Mon RIsoN and CLOVER bnt
the one being cenfined d to his room by sickness, /
md not knowing, at this moment, the where
lbouts of the other, l have not the benefit of
heir counsel.
Very truly your friend, &C.,
VIM. HOPKINS.
ResoIued, That the Superintendent of the
and Columbia, and Allegheny Por-
age Railroads, and the Supervisors of the several
divisions of the Pennsylvania Canal, be directed
Al i. Il. g.