Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1858-04-30

the Sunbury Il Erie, should those articles
find their way to Schuylkill, (Which be,
lieve they inevitably must, in the event Of
the completion of the contemplated road)
then all articles of provision shipped at the
Lakes for the East, may find their way
into that county. If so, Pottsville would
be one hundred miles nearer the produce
market than she now is to Philadelphia
Schuylkilli is not an agricultural county,
the dependence Of the major portion of her
citizens for subsistence being the mining
and delivering of anthracite coal The
result is, that flour at fottsville, at all
times, brings price Of from seyenty,fye
cents to one dollar per barre, and all kinds
of grain, pork and beef, from eighteen to
twenty five per cent. higher, than at Phil
aielphia. To equalize the prices Of pro-
visions with those at Philadelphia, would
| equal if not exceed saving to the people
of the annual amount Of county and State
taxes. This would be a grca. advantage
to the trade of the county, aud god,scnd
to the poor and laborins classes. The
same in Importance is the supply Of lum-
Der and timber. But brief period ago,
the mountains and valleys of Schuylkill
were covered with dense forests of timber;
at this time, you sec bat the laurel or fern
bush. And repeat that unless an open
ing be made to country from whence 4
supply Of timber can bo obtained, l see
no other prospect than ruin to the coal
mines Of Schuylkill-unless the profits
there, as in England, would afford the use
of iron instead of wood. Should my pre-
diciions be realized, then, without. the
completion of the Sunbury and Erie rail.
road, we will at no distant day fnd our
selves in the condition that once knew
pape. manufacturer to be in. 4 printer,
haviug exhausted his stock, wrote letter
to the manufacturer from whom he obtain.
cd lis paper, ordering new supply. To
his letter he received the following laconic
answer: "Sir, have no money, rags, or
paper-withOu. money, can't buy rags
without rags, can't make paper. Send
money, and III return paper" Although
our case must be stated little different,
still, after We are out of timber, the dilem.
ma will be the same as that Of the paper /
man. We may answer that We have coal, |
but no money or timber; we can't get
coal or money without timber; give US
timber and we'll send you coal and money !
Not pound Of coal can be obtained, (un-
less the coal seams or veins are perpendic-
ular) after the opening, without the use of
timber, plank, etc.
Mr. Speaker, in confning myself exclu-
siycly TO the interests of the people Of
Schuylkill county, which l have so far
selfish; will, therefore, refer to a poin,
or two which affects the interests of very
large majority Of the people of the State,
and, to my mind, Philadelphia in particu-
Ira. 1t is fact, that, since the reciprocity
treaty between England and the United
States, and the completion of the Pennsyl.
vania Central Railroad, New York finds
herself in eight place y a portion of
the Lake trade fiads its way to the Allan.
tic through the St. Lawrence, whilst ano.
ther portion of tie same trade, composed
chiefly Of -four, pork, beef, and grain,
reaches Philadelphia on the PENNSYLVANIA
Central. So much have these new ar.
affected injuriously the trade
Of New York, that, | am credibly informed,
she is at this time struggling to extricate
herself from the dilemma. She finds her
self most Unexpectedly shut in. l am
further informed that there is a move on
foot there, now, the object of which is to
effect loan, on the credit Of the State, the
interest thereon to be raised by taxation.
for the purpose Of declaring the New York
& Erie Canal free of all charges. No
thing, in my opinion, would prove more
beneficial to Philadelphia, and the interests
of majority Of the citizens of Pennsylva-
MIA, than the completion of the Sunbury
& Erie Road. l was somewhat amazed at
the course of the Senators from Philadel-
phia (Messrs. Wright and Marselles, } who
oppose the passage Of the present bill, for
believe they sand 10 their own light.
As to the charges against the officers
and appointees of the canal board, that
they are all dishonest, l do not credit
them; but that some of them are SO, no
onc doubts. A gentleman borer against J
he Bill for the Sale OF the Main Line last
session, and who was posted on the sub
ect, acknowledged that about S225,0O0
to use his own words "was annually
i.olen" on single division. 1t was then
md is now universally acknowledged, that
,ver since the commencement Of the pub. :
ic works, species of fraud and corruption
lpon them has existed. No dimunition
# the State debt has, or ever will, with