The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-04-29
From As Hduistyg Patriot.
70 THE PEOPLE Of PENasY
COME TO THE REsCUEl
YOUR TAXES ARE ABOUT TO BE EN-.
TAILED UPON you FOREVERi

There 10 now pending before the House Of
Representatives bill for The ssIe of the Main
Line Of The canal and railroad belonging TO
the Commonwealth, which is the most stu
pendous fraud upon the public revenues, and
upon the best interests Of every taxpayer,
that has ever been proposed 10 the Lsgisla.
iure Of Pennsylvania, and, strange as II may
seem, there 10 At this moment strong indica-
lions of IFS passage.
This bill proposes TO sell the Main Line,
extending from Philadelphia 10 Piusbufg, in
cluding all the rolling stock, machine shops,
depois, collectors Offices, lock house lots,
and other property slong the line, no, inclu-
ding The tonnage tax, for the sum Of 81, $780,
600, if purchased by individuals, or if pur-
chased by The Pennsylv ania Railroad Com.
paby, including The tonnage tdz. for the som
Of SO 900, 900. II is impossible, in the short
space of time allotted 10 US, TO expose at
length The enormily of the details of this bill.
II is sufficient to say that it gives an advsn-
iage to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
over any other purchaser of several millions
of collars. The company arc merely required
10 give their bords for the purchase money,
bearing five per cent. interest, the firs, pay
meni of len per cent moi 10 be due for thirty
thirty years, the balance in Ten equal annual
payments, extending the time of the last pay
ment TO the long period of forty-ihres years.
In addition 10 this great sacrifice Of Your prop
eriy, the company are permitted 10 abandon
the Portage Railroad and the Western Divis-
ion of The Canal, thus sacrificing the capital
invested by private individuals in business
along these lines, distance Of one hundred
and forty seven miles. But not satisfied with
the sacrifice of the public interests, the bill
releases the company from the payment Of
all taxes, whether for Stale, county, township.
city, boro ugh, road or school purposes, upoE
its capital stock dividends, their city office
palaces, and properly of every description.
The following statistical statements taken
from the public records will show the manner
in which the bill proposes 10 rob you of the
revenues which have been wrung from your
hard-earned tolls, and 10 throw them into the
coffer of mammoth private corpora.ion.-
These statements are based upon The receipts
and expenditures Of the Main Line for 1856.
The prospective value of the line is not taken
into the calculation. All the Improvements
of any consequence, which are contemplated,
have been completed. The receipts of The
present year up to this time, exhibit an in
crease over the last. The opening of the
Broad Top region, the best bituminous coal
region in The S,ate-ihe largely increased coal
business along the line of The Portage Rail,
road-ihe erection OF new furnaces and the
opening Of some of the best ore beds in the
Stale, on the slopes Of the Allegheny mount
ain, give fair promise Of large increase of
tonnage:
Thereceip's of the Main Line for
1856, were 81 ,22I ,s7s as
Add tonnage tax, 222. .227 68