The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1853-10-06
1852. Expenses, 100000
&" Total Revenue, 100000
Balance DER Revenue,
100000

Balance DER Revenue, 100000
BY this official statement, taken from
the Annual Reports of the Auditor Gen
eral, we see that during the last five
years, our public improvements have
yielded to the Commonwealth an aggre-
gate of only 1926 700, or about Sl65, 900
per annum; which would not pay the in
terest on SO 100000 of onr State debt
at 5 per cent 1t is true that during the
years 81 and '52 little over a million
was appropriated to the N. B. Canal, which
if deducted from the expenses would leave
$500, 600 of revenue instead $500, 900 of
excess expenditures; but a singular feat
ure in the statement of expenditures pre-
sents everything in confusion, and rem
ders it impossible to do exact justice to
the subject. Since the cost of maintain
ing the public works has been increased
so alarmipgly, certain expenditures are
acithheld from the public each gear, and
croaCded into subsequent statements IN tbs
most uaeae and unsatisfactory manncr!-
Take, for instance, the year 1850, which
appears, according to the Auditor Gener-
al's Report, as yielding 100000 from
the public works above expenses; but IN
the Report for Isl, we find over $780,
900 in the statement of expenses for that
year, as having been paid for debts "prior
to December, 1902 So true state
ment for 80 would have shown that the
expenses for that year were 800, 600
more than the rerenate Turn again to
the report for so, and we find S97O, 900
paid for "sundry expenses incurred prior
to 1850 and 1851 ~ This swells the ex-
penses for 1850 to 50 ,4OO,O 900 of revenue.
and when the Auditor General was made
to report nett revenue of $500, 900; and
for the year 1851 it makes an actual
outlay of 81, 100000, exclusive of the
100000 saddled on it for the previous
year. And what of 1852? Who can
tell whether a million will cover the ex-
penses reserved for some future state
ment? or who can say that there are not
several millions of floating debt yet un-
known to our official records, which has
been contracted for our public works =
The managers of our improvements were
, afraid to let the cost for the year 80
come before the public in one year, or even
two years, for we find in the statements
for both 81 and '52 sundry expenses
paid for that year. And may there not
unsettled accounts still back 81 ?-at
least what assurance have we that all
the expenses for 81 and 80 have been
paid? But to take the very best face
this matter can present, we can arrive at
no other conclusion than that, indepen-
dent of all extraordinary appropriations
for prosecuting new works, our public
Improvements are sinking the COn1naon-
aceaeth ereyy gear deeper and peeper IN
7 debt! Notwithstanding the mystery in
/ which the reports are purposely involved.
this fact is apparent, and admits of nc
denial; but they can and they doubtless
do, withhold from the public the exact
amount of debt they annually throw upor
] the State. In the brief space of five
. years we see the cost of maintaining oul
public works swelled from 100000 tc
over s2,00O,000; and if this species O
Democratic progression is to be continued
for five years more, it will require the
[ sale of the works, and exhaust all the
proceeds, to pay the debt incurred il
merely keeping them up.
Q This condition of affairs has been bro
. about by the most unbounded profigacy
' and corruption. For years our public
y Improvements have been made a mere
: rendezvous for the pampered pensioners o
G the Democratic party, and the means O
+ fostering the most extensive and high
handed villiany. So notorious have tn
officers of our public works become TO
dishonesty, that an honest man scarcel,
It aspires to position connected with them
e or if he does accept one, it costs hin
n whatever reputation for integrity he ma.
have acquired They are prostituted in
Il to a vast political power and privat
IS fortunes of those controlling them. The.
r have been destroyed as source of rev
1t enue, because the private interests of OF
! fcer and their friends have to be advan
ced at whatever cost to the Common
o wealth. And yet year after year, wit
y this fostering corruption as clear as noon
y day, the people of the State have, thrc
N the force of party drill, sanctioned it wit
. their votes. Approach liberal membe
T of the opposition party, who Is famllia
! with the management of our improve
II ments, and he will tell you that it ha
st corrupted the whole body polite as ia
,r as its influence extends, and those VIII
cannot breathe the contamination eithe
=, silently or approvingly, must fall bene at
u the merciless prescription of official power
! Such has been the history of our publ
ID works, and nothing but thorough rev
oluton of the system can result in sui
10 stantial good We have tried reform
70 but as often as one abuse has been col
- rected, wider and bolder channel {
70 corruption has been opened. We hay
70 tried legislation to close the countless a'
10 enues of fraud which lead from our in
- provements to the treasury, but every e.
10 fort has been crippled by the controllin