Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1861-04-03

provisions of the present bill which were in
serted for 'buncombe,' and do not meet its
unqualified appreciation. This will be the
next Legislation the Company will demand.
1t has money, and Is therefore never dismis-
sed without hearing. and It's petitions when
once heard are never refused.
Mr. McClere dwells at length on the stale
argument, that this tax ought to be repeal
ed, because it imposed, not or the Company,
bat on the tonnage, and is paid by the own
ers of the freight which is transported over
the road. Ia former article we pointed out
the fallacy of this argument Taxation must
of necessity increase the price of all articles
brought into market But taxes, notwitb-
standing this, must be imposed, because the
Government cannot be supported and carried
on without money. If the farmers of Car
roll and Allegheny townships were released
from the payment of taxes, they would be
able to sell the products of their farms-tbeir
wheat, oats, corn. &c--to the citizens of Eb-
ensburg at lower rates than they now do
What would be thought of the introduction
owners of improved real estate in Cambria
County, from the payment of taxes, for the
purpose of enabling them to reduce the price
of the products Of their farms? 1t would be
received with nothing but laughter and con-
tempt. And yet it would rest on the very
doctrine which is urged in justification of the
repeal of the tonnage tax. The Company,
during the last ten years, has been II a con-
dition which rendered it unnecessary for it to
compel the transporteis of freight to pay this
tax It's Det profits have annually amounted
to about s.. 200 900, and surely out Of this
immense sum, it could we'll afford to pay its
tonnage tax without imposing ii directly as a
burthen on the trarsEorters Of tieIeht
over its read. IF it were poor it wculd
have some claims to our sympathies, but 1t Is
powerful and wealthy, and therefore should
be compelled to contribute to the revenues Of
the State. Every citizen of the Common
wealth is taxed. Even the day laborer who
tolls from the rising to the setting of the sun
for pittance, scarcely sufficient to purchase
for himself and family the necessarics of life,
is compelled out OF that pittance, 10 contrib
ute to the support of the Government. And
yet we are told, that the Pennsylvania Rail
road Company, whose clear annual income,
will soon amount to the sum of three million,
of dollars, is urab,e to pay tax Of Z few
hundred thousand dollars TO sustain the gov
ernment which protects it il its rights But
if the Company really collected this money
of of the transporters Of freight as State tax,
it received it as the Agent Of the State for the
use of the State What right then had it to
resist the payment of it by litigation, going
| ever 20 far as to carry the matter to the Uni
/ ted States Supreme Court Or what right
| had the present Legislature to release il from
the payment of all of said tax now due? 1t
won't do for Mr.. Mcclure to tell US that a
| gift Is made Of this money to certain branch
Railroad Companies for the completion @!
their roads This is untrue The money is
loaned to those Companies at high rate Q!
interest. payable semi annually, the principal
being secured by mortgages and payable to
the Company in twenty years. If this be Z
gift, it is certainly a novel specimen of the
article
Mr. Mcclure makes the following extraor.
diEary admissions with regard to the public
improvements of the State which the Com.
pauy recently purchased
"Anothcr fatal tluuder OF the Senator frou
Berks-and perhaps the least excusable of al
is bis ass umption that the construction o
the Railroad destroyed the value of our main
line of improvements. He based consider
able portion Of his argument on this point
and pressed it upon the Senate with almos
? startling oarncstncss. I cannot think that h
is utterly Indifferent to the truth of his ass
umptious; but when thc facts of this import
ant feature of his comedy of errors are O
such easy access-when the figures are on tn
shelves of this Hall-bow are such m istakes
going to the very heart of his argument, t
; be explainedr So ofar from the Railroad de
sty2ying the main line Of oar public ,corh.
: their rerenue steadily increased from, gear
gear after tie R,,iiroad lcas Juiu. The Rail
road brought to our State millions of p1oduc
hat otherwise would have sought river chan
nels of trade, new sources of trade were open
. ed along the line, and all of it had to pass owe
the Columbia Road as it nurried onward
build up our own commerce Look at th
records; and the eloquence of the Senator
forgotten in his want of intelligence 4"
Now if this be true, if the revenue arisip
from the public works was rapidly increasing
was 1t not bad policy to sell them at yer
low price, and was not the Company fortunat
IN becoming the purchasers? 1t seems tia
the people and Legislatura ,-nrn azrs.,ll.- L...