Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1858-01-15

commercial distress, and affecting the revenues
cf the Commonwealth; bar With the advantages
resulting from the rapid Development OF oar re-
sources during the last quarter Of Il century-
the itnmensely valuable increase Of oar agri-
cultural, mining and manufacturing iadustry
,lurug The same period-the abundant harsests
Of the past year-aur completed improvements,
/ aud all tbs elements OF material wealth in our
midst, its restoration at an carly perod is not
proDlenatiea Returning confidence will be
tue herald If returning prosperity. Netwith-
Standing, then, ihe present embarrassment and
gloomy condition Sf the country. after acarefal
consideration Of The present. aud prospective
i condition Of the fDaaces aud resources of the
Commonwealth, | cannot hesitate to re-aflftn,
ng belief .sthat tae time i.ot Tar distant when
! Penu<glv will stand redeemed from The OPP
i preston of her public debt, and her people be
Z relieved from taxation imposed 10 meet It's
accruing interest and maiht un the faith aud
credit OF the Commonwealth, and thar shy
4 practising strict economy ii al departments Vi
/ the avernmeat---avo4ing exsfavagant ex-
! Misunderstanding 10 unGert4ks any new
/ schemes Of Internal Improvement, and aoliipg
/ to a rigid accountability the reeetging and dis
/ bursting agentsnf the State, the realization OF
| these views nlay BE- anticipated with confidence"
/ As eorrobaratiye Of the opipioa new and
4 heretrtafe expressed, brief review Of the
! operations OF The Treasury during the past three
! years, as gnnueafed with the pay@cnt OF the
/ debt If he Con'uonweaifh aiay net be is-
/ appropriate. In my frss aDeuil message to The
/ Legislature tse fact was stated, that during
| The three years intervening between December
/ |, 1851, ani December !, tS54 me putiie
/ debt hBd been increased S ,5o4, $50 5i; aud
tiptths taal debt a the close of the fiscal year,
4 December /, lS54, was SiL693 ,595 II. :
\ At The close at tue lge 6scai year, Decenber
/ /, 1887, three years later, the funded and un-
san'led debt, rs oef,re shown, ~as S59,aol,-
! I3S p; decrease III three years S $40 ,S3f52.
Thus in three years he public debt has beea
decreased by aeiu4i payment and without re-
-ortiag 10 the eXpelient Of temporary tias>,
4 81. SIS. S57 81 Il TO taiS ae added the s,i'i
! Of Sill, go - uow in tha sinking fuul aad
applieae To the payHant uf the funded debt,
tae reduction will be 81, 23l, TAI 81.
+ Ihe<a facts are not oply gratifying bur en-
9;ifg s Fl slfs si f Id ,lss l SUI. q .5tb
/ 000-5on,!- II the Peunsylyaiia RaiIroed Coih-
pauy, badfiag interest at the rate 8 per centnm
ler a,i,iaiI, payable sen!i-autaa.ly, and pledged
to the paymen, OF tAe funded debt. Il this sun
be aadeI "a the reduction hctofc stated, We
haye presented 20 Rs a virtual il bot MI actual
deereas0 Of the State debt, of nine millions
seven hundred and thufy~ono Thousand seven
hundred aud sevetty-seye dollars and eighty
one cents 80. .73l,771 Sl.l showing the total
funded aad unfuu led debt Fl ihe State or, he
first dpy af December, 1897, 10 have teen
thi.ty-une millions nipe hubired aud sixty-six
tisua>an,i eight hundsed ard eighteen doiar>
aIsj tof;y oue cents (S3i 966,SlS 4il
In anticipation q The safe Of the nair. lDe
and lie decrease in the public debf. the State
taN, ~ au ac Of the last reenla, s"s>ion, was
redaeed from three 10 ,wp aud oue-i,alt u.ils
uu the dollaF reduction equal to ome-six'h Of
tie tax imposed fer State purposes prior IL that
act. These facts speak fot themselves. Well
may the people be congratulated % such an
auSpicioIts beginning u The process OF iqplda-
ten. and we'll may they with eora&euce anti
ciPate the day OF fher deilyerauce from State
axatiou. Financial aud commercial embar-
rassment may postpone nothing tut uiiwlse
! legislation, aud lae nHprudent or dishonest
management of cur finances, can prevent the
early realizliion Of their well founded antIa.-
paloGs.
The condition Of The public works, their
general operation, ihe receipts and expenditures
during he past fiscal year, viii be presented
to you in detail in the report Of the Canal
| Commissioners.
The total receipts at The Treasury, from the
ppblic woi Ks, for the year ending November 30,
| 1857, including receipts fron the mala lRe lp
to the hrst day Of August last, were one
million three hundred and eight thousand FIVE
hundred and nilety-eight dollars aud sixty-tWo
cents, t9l.303,59S 62.i The aggregate ex-
penditafes for the same period were Que million
three hundred aud twelve thousand seven hun
dred and Eve dollars and sixty-seyen cents,
!t3b312,7Q5 67;) the expenditures exceeding
the revenues tour thousand one hundred aud
saven dollars and Eve cents, Isl, l07 esq
The receipts at the treasury feoia the several
divisions were as follows, viz:
Main liue, ID August ], 1857. S196,550 81
Susquehauna and North aud West Branch di-
visions. 2ST,7l8 95
Delaware division. 224,329 81
The receipts from the Delaware division are
less thai those of the previous year. The com.
pIetion of rival rail oads aud other causes, bavt
iesseued the receipts tfOm fhis Emporium
division Of our public works; and it is feared
will eontinue to decrease them. It's msnage
ment has been Satisfactory, and compared Will
other divisions Of the public improvements
economical. Tie net revenue, at the Treasury
was Sl74, ,00t 81, a decrease Of 800. .e93 53
as compared with the receipts of the precedin;
year. In addition 10 the ordinary expenditures
the sum of S46,263 was paid for the enlarge
lnent and Improvement Of this division
The North Branch extension os the Pennsyl
vania canal, although so far completed IN th
fall Of 1856, that boats freighted with coal an
other products, were successfully passe
through It's entire length from Pittsiou 20 th
Jnretion co,.ti 90. 4, constf,,,ance hF !, farg