The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1861-01-11

bury and Erie railroad company has remained
due ana unpaid, 1t Is certainly cause for hear
ty congratGlatIon, that, without aid from these
imd0rtant sources of revenue, so great reduc-
iion OF the public debt has been accomplished
IN comparatively SO short period The fam
ded debt Of the State is now less than il has
been since 1912, and the untunded aud floating
debt, which at that time amounded to upwa ards
of two millions Of dollars, has been almost en-
t,rely redeemed II is now reduced 10 SI20.
I'll T8-and OF this sam over ninetq-ni
thousand dollars consists OF relief notes. most of
which are undoubtedly either lost or DESTROYED
and Will, therefore, never 5e presented ior pay
ment. The claims against the State, acCrning
from the construction and maintenance OF her
canals and railroads, are now reduced to a
mere nominal sum and, in the future, after
providing for the ordinary expenses OF govern
ment, her revenues and her energies may be ex-
cusIVely applied to tire payment Of the inter
est, aud the discharge OF the principal of her
public debt.
The people OF this Commonwealth have hnh-
erto met, with pFomPtness, the demands made
upon them, from time to tine, Cor the ways and
means of "replenIshIng the Public Treasury
and now, that they see that the onerous debt
W ilt "tiiCii NilcT tdNc ~ iOttE Dt6Il OIiGbuets
IS each year certainly and rapidly disappearing
that the amount required to meet the interest
Is annually being dlmluIshed-that consequent
~ a still greater sum can each year be devoted
to the reduction Of the principal OF the debt,
without rrsoftIng TO additional sources Of reve-
noe-and thai, with proper outstanding Of the
resources o! the State, the day is not far distant
when direct taxation in PENNSYLVANIA will
Cease aItog-ther-the payment of such taxes as
may Tor tile time be required to meet the pub
lie necessities, viii continue 10 be- met with
cheertuIness and alaCrity. But they ,vn un-
qgesllOnablY hold those to whose care they have
entrusted The financial interests of the State to
a gid accountability. That there should, at
this particular juncture, when the business aud
monetary affairs of the country are SO greatly
depressed, be the striCtest economy in public
expenditures, IS so manitest that 1t can scarce
lY be necessary to call attention to SO plain a
duty. 1t IS equally clear that any legislation
which would, tend greatly to lessen the Ieve-
nues OF the Commonwealth woald, at this time,
be peculiarly uuwise and inexpedeut. The
exIgeUcies OF the future no man can foretell-
the Prospect before us Is 5eclouded with dapbt
and unceIlainty--it is, therefore, no more than
~ ~ '''9''N'''' " 'ad ttb hiiNCdotll2
vigilance, all our present sources of revenue,
and 10 thus be prepares aae every possible eoa-
tingency.
Since July, 1885. the Pennsy yIvania railroad
company has refused to pay the tax 90 tonnage
required to be paid by the act incorporating the
company, and IFS various SUPPLEMENTS and
there is now due 10 the State, on that account,
exclusive of interest, the sum of 3674,296 %
I'll /, ,
500, 900. Before my last annuafmessage was
communicated 10 the Legislature, a case had
been tried in the court of common pleas of
DauPhin county, between the Commonwealth
and The railroad company, involving the ques-
ton OF the cons!iiutionality OF this tax, which
was decided IN favor Of the State, and the i'm
position OF the tax pronounced constitutional.
In January last, another suit was tried between
the same parties, in the same court, involving
the same question, with a like result In De-
cember last, Judgment was obtained in the dis
trct court Of Philadelphia upon one OF the
seml-annual settlements, for $4,000. So
that judgment has been obtained ior S305 900
OF the debt, being the whole amount which be-
came due prior to 1860. The tax, which aC-
crued during the past year, amounts to $308,
S29 03. The first settlement for the year is
before the Dauphin county court, on an appea /
taken by the company and the second, or last
settlement was made hut few days since by
the accountant department of the Common
wealth.
After the recovery, in the common pleas of
Dauptin county, the cases were removed by
writs OF error, taken on behalf OF the defend
ants, to the Supreme Court of this State, where
they were argued in June last, and in October
that tribunal sustained the decision of the court
of common pleas, and held the tax 10 be clearly
constitutional thus uniting with the law ma
king power ln affirming the right of the State
TO tax corporation under law to which it
owes its existence. But, Notwithstanding this
concurrence OF opinion and action on behalf of
the constituted authorities OF Pennsylvania,
the litigation IS not Vet an end for the rail-
road company has recently removed the cases,
by writs OF error, TO the Supreme Court OF the
United States, where they are now pending
That the decision of that court will, when
made, fully sustain the right of a Sovereign
State TO enforce contract between the State
and corporation, and entirely vIndlcate the
power 0f State TO impose such taxes upon
corporations, as IN her sovereign will she may
deem proper, | cannot for moment doubt.
To complete the history OF this important
litigation, and to show that every effort has
been, thus far, made to compel the payment of
this large sum of money into the Treasury of
the State, it is proper TO add, that the law Off
Ger ct the Commonwealth, being of opinion that
the wrlts OF error were not issued from the
Supreme Court OF the United States IN time to
prevent the collection OF the judgments render
ed IN the State cnnrts eyacptian i,vara-iccDe IN
the sheriff of the county of Dauphin, and pro-
ceedings are now pending in the Supreme Court
of this State, to determine whether the Com