Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1861-08-22

me, no le~>ser competent to cast votes that
must necessarily affect the wellbeing of indi-
vidualS as veao,ss the prosperity Of vast and
growing CGootn ssLwea!th.
Confident that you would seek the repeal OF
this tax if y0a had Il TO pay, and willing to
deal by other constituencies as fairly as /
would have my own treated, l felt justified in
doing by others as / would have others do by
you, and the refore voted in favor Of the bill
| am thankful 10 know that in this district
are not few men Of high standing and wide
business experience, men who have no private
piques to crafty, nor selfish practical interests
to promote by catering to public prejudice /;
men, whose mental vision overreaching the
bounds of q single county, comprehends the in
terests of the whole State men, who have
inves tigated and comprehended the whole sub.
ject, and are therefore competent TO jndge-
not few have signifed to me their approval
over their own signatures.
held in my possession numerous letters
from the foremost men in Bradford, and other
counties, containing the following and similar
expressions
Had been In your place should have voted you
have voted and il censured II will be by others
and not by me-
From another correspondent, whose name
is tower of strength:
Your votes upon The Railroad bills perfectly
rect and right, and ststesmanIike"
From third:
The business OF the county will sustain you and
matter what fools or demagegues may say"
The Judgment of experienced men is GER
tanIy worth quite as much as the unsubstan.
tated opinion of those who decide from haSty
npip Ind
viduais talk vociferouS!y of corruption, bribe-
ry, fraud Universal observation attests the
fact that men who use hard names generally
lack arguments or brains, or both, and those
most ready tc suspect others are ever found
to be the cheapest men when SO successful as
to worm themselves into the market sham
bles.
Their suspicion of others springs from an
inward consciousness Of what they themselves
would do if favored with an opportunity, and
their harsh accusations are Intensified by a
felt regret that the felictous occasion should
ever fly their approach The vixen is always
first to cry cuckold" To all such corno
rants of sander, greedy Harpies, ravenously
devouriDg political otfaI, dropped by the way
side. and then vomiting it forth again rs
fresh entertainment to birds of their own fea-
ther, we have but to say, put your charges in
tangible shape, publicIy, over your own sig
natures, and you shall receive all merited at
tention. So long as you play the part of
skuking, calping towards, giving your thrusts
in the dark, behind ones back, by innuendoes
and anonymous squibs you must expect to be
passed by in silent contempt. With you
have done, and only beg pardon of the decent
reader for lifting you SO far out of your ma
tive meanness as to make you visible to re-
spectacle eyes,
Tue question has been put to ne, were yo1
not formerly opposed to q favorable entertain
ment of this Company'S claim | answer
frankly, yes for | have nothing to conceal,
and will never equivocate !, with others
supposed that they would ask much more than
they did, but when found they claimed only
what had been promised them, and this claim
was both rational and just, put away preju-
dice, and went for the right. Would you
have me do otherwise 1t has also been af-
frmed that the passage Of this Act would ne
cesSarily increase the taxes of the people
Will those thus sffrming please inform US
how this result will necessarily follow Let
US look at it, There has been paid into the
Treasury since 1857, no tonnage tax. Mark
that Yet during this period your Stale tax
has been reduced from 3 TO 2 l2 mills on the
dollar, and there has been paid on our public
debt larger amount than during any four
years previous, and when the war broke cut
there was halt a million in the Treasury, ready
to meet the first appropriation. If, during
the past four years, without tonnage
tax, your State tax has been reduced how
will the ncn-receipt Of tonnage tax increase
your individual taxes for the next four or for
ty years So long as the assessment on the
dollar remains what it now is, your taxes are
not increased When this assessment is rails;
ed then search for the cause.
Friends have said 10 me, your vote was
right, but will it not injute you? Our an.
swer is this, we never paused to inquire. But
Just acts can permanently irjure no one in the
Judgment of the wise and impartial. He that
covers to clamor and shapes his entire con-
duct by its supposed reflex influence upon
himself sacrificing great principles, overrid-
ing vast rights, and acting the fawning Syco-
phant for the paltry need of personal passing
popularity, is too supremely selfish to fill any
responsible position iu this age of conflicting
and progressive ideas. The very public that
praises the sycophant to-day for his pliabili-
" will spurn him tomorrow for his lack of
independent manhood. Brave, true men, sci
dom fall, while the timid and time-serving
pass away with the error that flung them into
life. Whoever falls for doing right, let him
die like hero, aud wait for the future to re-
verse the judgment of the present Jackson
was ceDsured and Thaddeus Stevens Ignored
by his own constituents, for advocating our
present common school system But the Gen.
sured live ia the hearts of the great and good,
while their accusers are long since dead and
forgotten. The only retreat from reproach is
absolute obscurity, aud when public man is