The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1861-04-11
IOR PR1N rENG.
SPEECH
Hon. A. Ia. MCCLURE,
OF THE


On the Act for the communication of ton.
nage duties upon all the internal i'm
provements of the State, delivered IN
the Senate, Wednesday, Feb. ~, 1861
The Senator from Berks, Mr. Clym
has certainly achieved a brilliant success
in greatly astounding biInsel'; ana | risk
little 10 saying that be should be prepared
for another sensation when he shall dis.
cover how seriously and strangely be has
erred. do not mean that be has erred
in any matters OF theory. or OF judgment,
or of State policy-ior such errors | was
fully prepared. and meant to excuse the IN;
but when SO learned Senator as the
centlemsn from Berks deies facts and
Ihe simplest rules Of arithmetic scarcely
kuow how, ", in charity, to reconcile his
remark. With bis claims to iraukues> sDd
intelligence. | believe that he mrsDt TO
6gh: this bill fairly. | do not question
The siDceritJ of bi> convictions IN resisting
this measure; but be la, majesty stud
led the Questlon-bis array OF tables and
calculations, 20 often appealed to in sup
port of his position, gives evidence that
be has exhausted bis mathea atics 10
swell the tide of ruin that i. to oserW bel u
US when the bill shall berome a isw. 1t
is bat fair therefore. Oh qI>tion so mo
meutous in its results, to ho;G kim to
.trict accoubtahilit, for bi- startlin. dec
lsration>; aud | shall leave to tim the
task Of explaining how he has reared for
himself such frIst,ful uonuueut of
blunders.
He seems TO hare resolved upon the
sensation style Of oratory-a style per-
baps we'll adapted 10 his clarion voice and
bis admiriDx con>titucnt- wteD clustered
srounj the hu-tings-hut the Petu>, Iva
uia Senate oue- higher and holcr duu
10 Coa monRealih than tickling anti.
ti.hteoed progres. by perSsrtins fact, and
hsures. He sss most unfortunate In his
,e.g starting point. was auszed at brs
positive declaration that We bad arri6ced
millions of reveuue by the construction of
the Pennsylvania Railroad, and wa lost
10 wonder "a to where be meant TO Ie,t a
pretext for the a-sunptloD. At last the
explsustion came, sni the right of way
OF the Baltimore aud Ohio Railroad
through a portion OF our Statr westsard
was the canvas 90 which the thuliuf pie
ture Of wrong TO P,uns1lvapla VA pam.
ted. And what j. it wbeb reductd to
simple, unvarui,h,d trutll A the fr>t
legislation vas had before | was torn the
Senator from Berk- will excuse ans wait
of details; but the uaiD fact are few and
easily understood. 10 1927 the Legi>ls-
ture Of this State graUted the Baltimore
sud Ohio Railroad the right Of way ostr
our soil; and as it was the corpora alton of
rival State aiming to build up riral
commercial city, tax was lapcsed BY the
terms Of the charter, upon IT. tonnage, and
perhaps upon its passengers. This Woud
doubtless have been fruitful source Of
reveDue to our treasury. but for the sim
pie fact that the corpora ors OF stockho-
ders declined to accept IT. But bow the
Pennsylvania Railroad company, then
nearly quarter of century 10 the iu-
ture and uuthoa. BIT of by am one. is DOW
to be held responsible for that loss ~ill
certainly be difficult of satisfactory exrla-
ustiou. 1t is true that 10 later year the
charter was renewed to the Baltimore and
Ohio, aud it is also truo that whyn the
Central road was Incorporated 1t was en-
acted that if a certain portion OF the Cen
trail route shoeld be completed within q
given time, the right OF way Tor the Ma
ryland road would tber cease But the
Senator from Berks csuoot be ignorant of
the fact that sipre the construction of the
Peubsylvania Railroad. the Legislature
has chartered a company to occupy pre-
cIsely the same route as that a~ked for
by the Baltimore aud Ohio, leading d.
rectly through portion of our State into
Baltimore, without iupo,ieg a fartbing
Of tax either upon tonnage or Passenger,
and the corporation is Bankrupt. and the
road has Dever been made. This is the
brilliant revenue scheme that bas bee3
blasted. according to the theory of the
Seuotor from Berks-a road that 20 oBe
will bsild, whose stock is vaueless. aud
whose bouds are worthless | need hard
~ say that | refer TO the Connellssille
road
Mr.. CLYMER. Do | understand the
Senator to say that 10 the Act iueorpora
ting the Baltimore aud Ohio Railroad. or
giving it the right of way. there wss no
tonnage tax imposed Do | uuder-taud
him to Say further that there was no tax
upon passenger.
Mr.. MCCLURE. certainly said no
such thing. / stated. think distinctly,
that charter vas given. sod a tax i'm
posed upon tonnage, and it msy be upon
Passengers; bat the people of Baltimore
never accepted it. They were too wise