Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1857-03-12
New Series---Vol. II, No. 19.

Senate, that not long since the county of
Allegheny and city of Piusburg issued a
large amount of bonds to aid in the con.
struction OF certain railroads. On these
bonds the law required a specified tax to
be paid TO the Commonwealth. A ones.
ton was raised whether this tax .bould bs
paid by the county of Allegheny and the
city Of Pittsburg, by the railroad comma
MES, or by the holders of the bonds. Now
II will be observed that the State had no
interest whatever III this question, because
II made no difference TO her who paid the
tax. But al action at law was got uD
about II, in which the Commonwealth was
used as cats paw, by allowing her name
to be placed on the record as a party 10
the suit; and the result is, bill is present.
ed OF one thousand dollars for professional
services rendered the Commonwealth!
Take another case: A question was rais-
ed with certain bank concerning the am
ounI owed the State on dividends. The
Commonwealth claimed about three thou
sand dollars, and the bank denied that il
owed anything. Instead of putting the
matter into the hands of the Attorney
General, as should have been the law.
three other Attorneys were employed to
bring suit against the bank. The suit was
according ly brought, and the three thou
sand dollars recovered; whereupon the
Attorneys made out their bills against the
State for taco thousand dollars apiece, thus
charging our poor old commonwealth the
nice little sum of sic thousand dollars for
the collection of three thousand.
Such, Mr.. Speaker, are few instances
OF the practical operations of the present
law. Others might be given, but | trust
these will suffice. To me, must saw,
it is matter Of no little surprise that such
condition of things has been tolerated
80 long. In my jud gment it is high time
for change; and the sooner it is made the
better it will be for the tax PAYERS of the
State. knowing these evils 10 exist, |
have endeavored to provide remedy by
the bill now under consideration. | feel
confident it will, if passed, bring about
radical and most important change for the
better and | hope to secure the vote of
every Senator on this floor in favor of the
measure.
Our public debt is over forty millions Of
dollars; and the annual accruing interest is
more than two millions. TO pay this in
terest and other Liabilities, and keep up the
credit Of our State, we tax our citizens Sc
verely. we tax their houses and their
lands, their bonds and their mortgages,
their money and their stocks, their horses
and their cattle; and it seems as if their
wives and children barely escape. To
enforce the collection Of these taxes we
have passed the most stringent laws. by
Whlcn the TAX gatherer may sell the last
bed from the man and his family, and then
put him in Jail for any residue not covered
by the proceeds of the sale. And vet, bv
our present miserable system of laws, if
system it can be called, after we have col
lected the funds from the tax payers, we
permit them 10 be squandered by the thou
sand and tens Of thousands annually, and
that too, by the most unworthy class of
public defaulters who get the msney Of
the State in their corrupt hands and hold
on 10 it from year to year with impunity
regardless alike of all morals, all law, and
the public veal. | call on nv fellow
Senators to see to it that this condition of
things be permitted no longer.