The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1861-04-18


they possess over wbest, rye. corn. -four
or merchandise of any sort! know that
many people suppose that the PeDnsyl-
vauia Railroad company pay the tax. or
in other words that it is upon the road
This is a mistake 1t is tax upon the
trade, and that trade belongs to those
who transport and they pay the tax
Can any reasonable man therefore allege
that transporters in one part of the Com
monwesltb shall pay tax to the State
for the privilege OF transporting goods,
wares and merchandise over a railroad !,
while trsusporters in other portions go
scot freei
have said that the imposition Of this
tax on the Pennsylvania railroad wss for
the purpose of protecting the interest of
the State in the canal. and to guard a.
gaiast any possible dimunation OF the re.
ceipts from that source created by the
construction Of the railroad. This being
the cause. the Legislature in-passed
an Act authorizing the sale of the Main
Line of public works, which included the
Columbia railroad snd the same was pur-
chased By the Pennsylvania railroad COM
pany for the sum of seven millions 6se
hundred thousand dollars, and the law
also contaiped provision that if the
Pennsylvania railroad company became
the purchaser and paid an additional sum
Of one million fve hundred thousand dol
lars, making in all nine millions, they
should be fofeUer released from the ton.
mage tax. This provision, however. was
decided to be unconstitutional, on the
ground that as taxation was an incident
Of goSernment, the Legislature had no
authority to aHau!on the right. The
Penny ylVsuia Railroad company then be-
came the purchaser, aud complied with
the provisions of the Act authorizing the
sale 1t is immaterial now to argue
whether the sale was a judicious Que or
not but it is certain that since then the
public debt has been gradually decreas
ing The main line of the publc works
having thus passed out Of the hands of
the State, and her Interests in this re-
spect 90 longer requiring protection. it is
certainly tut an act Of simple justice. that
the tax imposed for such protection N should
be removed. an we'll aware, that the
cry has gone forth. that it ba- taken
large amount ofEesenue out of the treas
ury and the people are beseeched to take
up the cry and calumniate every man en-
tertainiox a different opinion however
honest he may be in that opinion. II
the imposition Of this tax is necessity
arising out of deficiency in the public
revcnue, why in the name Of common
sense, should not the trade on the other
railroads in the Commonwealth pay tax
alsol [, there my reason Why trans
porter living in the we-teru part of the
State should pay tax for the privilege
Of transporting on the Pennsylvania
Railroad, while transporter on the Lee
high Valley Railroad, pays not farth
iug to the State! Who will say that this
is eqaal taxationI Who will say that
such policy has esen the shadow of JUS
ticel We are all more or less selieh in
our feelings. and venture to prediot tn at
had | voted to put tax on the Lehigh
Valley Rail Road for every pound Of
freight carried over it. | should never
bave heard the last of it And yet. Why
should it be exempt aud the Penn-ylva-
MIA Railroad taxed, Are the cases not
parallel-exac,ly siuilsrl But it is said i,
the IMPOSITION of this tax was contract
"A barsain-between the State and the
Railroad! What folly! What an ab-
surdityl The Lehigh Valley Railroad
Company had many things 10 the origin
al charter which have long since been re-
pesled, aud we might ask With equal pro.
priety, what right the legislature had to
repeal them. because perchsnce some
wiseacre. might afterwards say. u a0os a
bargain! The alleg alton that it was a
contract carries with it, its own refuta
ton
The bill for the repeal of the tonnage
tax contains provis,oo BY which certain
loans are to be made to other companies,
organized for the purpose Of constructing
railroads in certain sections of the State
which have never been reached by any
public improvements. The development
of the resources of these sections OF the
State by this means. will 10 the judge
ment OF the best informed meo, add 80
much to the aggregate value of real es-
tate as to make up to the State Treasury
tribe the amount of the tonnage tax; for
it must be remembered that some of the
We sltbiest portions of thu State 10 nearly
all kind. of mineral remain undeveloped
Who would have supposed few years
ago that Venango county contained the
wealth 10 oil which resent development.
proved beyond question she basil Who
would hsve thought that land bringing
in that region ten and twenty dollsrs pei
acre, would bring 10 the space of two
years two handred dollars per aerel--
Yet such is the fact. and We are notwith
standing all these evidences of Pennsyl
vania's great wealth. rtill importaned Il
the siskly cry of ''"'an'"'0th corpora
ttO7aS"
The bill also provides that BY the yea
I 1890 the amount due the Com
which is Si3.50U. 900 shall be paid