The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-10-01

A FEW WORDS IN SEASON TO THE PEOPLE OF
PENNSYLVANIA.
The public debt Of Pennsylvania, amounting to some
forty-odd millions is larger than the public debt of any
State in the Union 1t fully equal to oneseVenth of the
public Indebtedness of all the States The annual inter-
est on this debt amounting to two millions of dollars in
round numbers presses upon the commercial and agr
cultural interests of the State with light weight 1t
has added largely the burdens of taxation in Penn
sylvana that ii has checked in slight degree the in
yestment Of foreign capital within her borders Indeed
the instances not of wealthy Pennsyvanans sell
ing portion of thei real estate at home and investing
the proceeds of the sales in other States where the
are much lower Why, we would ask Of the people Of
Pennsylvania this immense debt incurred and these
immense annual burdens borne with scrupuous fidelity
the of Sydney Smith to the contrary notwhsand
ing2 Was 1t not to become sharers with Maryland
New York. and Massachusetts, in that great and magnif-
cent trade which flows through the northern lakes and
through the valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi and which
has made Pitsburg the first among the secondcass cities
of the Union, which has than doubled the riches
population, and commercial importance Of Philadelphia
and which has added to the aggregate wealth Of the State
than four times the of the debt with the
muated INTEREST," Your canals which stretch from the Ohio
they penetrate the great State of New York. and your
railroads putting forth their iron from Philadelphia
tap in the favored spots the world of wealth
in the teeming West and which have brought you into
cheap direct and speedy communication with the States
of Kentucky Missouri, Tennessee Arkansas Mississippi
louisiana and Texas-why they consructed2 Sure
y for the local trade and travel of the State for the
receipts derived from these two would not keep
these improvements in running order, and If wholly de-
pendent upon Them your canals and railroads would
fall into disuse from the want Of the necessary to
keep them in repair.
With repose with entire freedom from the political ag
ations Of fanatics and traitors with the stability Of the
Union and with the kind and cordial feeling Of brother
hood of States, uniting people with cord of
aternal love- and the of Pennsylvania would
tnue onward and upward, and the financial burdens
which press upon the people would appear speck
in the great and prosperous hereafter This is side of
the picture Let it. Let suppose that the
black republicans should triumph in the coming contest in
November elect their wretched instrument Fremont dis
solve his accused Union with Shareholders and trampe
upon the constitution "a covenant with hell" Penn
sylvania in case of dissolution of the Union would at
ach herself take it, to the northern confederacy, for
In what condition would the farmers, mechanics,
cturers and merchants of Pennsylvania find themselves
under the new government and the new order of
things Could they preserve their present large trade
with Ohio Indiana and Illinois The prosperity of
those States depends in great degree upon the partcpa
ton Of their citizens in the free trade and free navigation
of the Ohio which mainly bounded side by slave
States and in the free trade and free navigation Of the Mis-
ssipp which passes through six slave Statesthe mouth
being held by Louisiana If there should be immense
falling Off in the trade of Pennsylvania would not
her southern trade be wholly cut off If continued
nu in such adimnished degree through such costly and
indirect channels and with such restrictions the necess
ties or rival conederaces would create not to be worth
preserving Our government is government of checks and
balances and the States mutually dependent upon each
other for protection and prosperity If Massachusetts,
lied exclusively upon her own internal resources she would
speedily become Commonwealth Of paupers instead Of
being as she is, Commonwealth of ingrates who
have become rich and prosperous by contributions from
the middle western, and southern States The surplus
grain Of the West would for the Of purchasers
ii not for the Gulf ports and the seaboard markets Of
the Atlantic States New York is indebted for her present
preenent position not to her farmers mechanics and
manufacturers exclusively but to the fact that she has opened
distributing Office for the whole Union Pennsylvania,
almost the successful rival of New York Is in the
condition without full and free trade with the West
and South the trade crippled to such degree to
der Il almost worthless what would become Of the
mercal prosperity of Philadelphia What would be the
popuat ON and the value Of the aggregate real estate OF
that city Eve years hence Would perpetual clouds
Of coasmoke remain to tell Of prosperous artisan life in
Pittsburg How long would the cotton factories Of
Harrisburg, Lancaster, Reading, and Manayunk remain
open What would be the price Of farm lands in the
Juniata and Susquehanns valleys How would the prn
cpa or interest of the public debt be met with ruined
trade and unproductve improvements We might pur-
sue this subject pregnant II is with the most painful
suggestions to an almost indefinite length But the time
for questions and arguments and appeals has nearly
PRED The ouposs Of the contendng armies already
engaged in fierce struggle for the mastery and in little
over month the people Of the sixteen northern States
will have decided for themselves whether they will tri
umphany sustain the party OF the Union and the cons
tuition or whether they will their lot with party
which mady bent upon destroying the consecraed
work Of sages, patriots, and heroes.
DISTINGUISHED DEMOCRATS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
We copy the following from the Pennsylvanian Of last
NJ