Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1862-04-16
The Tonnage Tax SvviudIe-

10 investigate the means resOrted 10 to pro
cure the repeal Of the tonnage tax upon the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad. 1t will repay
careful perusal. When VIC receive the en-
tire report, we viii probably lay before our
readers some further extracts from 1t. This
Is matter in which the tax payers Of Cam
bra, feel deeply interested.
The Committee in their investigations
confined themselves to the means employed
to secure the passage Of the act, and have
classed the testimony taken under three
heads, as follows: Tampering with the
press; the distribution Of eight hundred
thousand dollars due the State by the Penn
Sylvauia Railroai Company among other
railroad companies; and the distribution OF
cash by Thomas a. Scott, Vice President of
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
Mr.. Fuller testified to having paid the
editor of tire Allentown Democrat two thou
sand dollars to sustain Senator Shinde and
to publish the Tonnage Tax bill. This
money, Mr.. Fuller states, was his own, but
the Committee declare that this Is impUba-
tIe The editor of the Brownsville Clipper
visited the room Of Mr. Scott, at COverlv's
, Hotel, and Mr.. Scott handed to him three
or four hundred dollars TO support the bill.
/ The editor testities to that fact himself. The
Committee believe that money to the amount
of thousands Of dollars was thus expended
/ 1t was in evidence that the section of the
/ Communication bill requiring tue Pemnsylva-
! MIA Railroad Company to assist other railroad
/ COMPANIES in the State, was inserted for the
/ purpose Of inducing the members from the
counties through which these roads passed
! to vote for the passage Of the bill. Mr..
Burns, 4 member of the Legislature from
/ Allegheny county, was induced to favor the
/ com mutation bill by the promise of Mr..
/ Scot that the PittsbuTg and SteUbenville
! Railroad should be completed. and Mr.. Scott
! entered into written agreement to take
/ four hundred thousand dollars worth Of the
( bonds Cf the Northwestern Railroad C0mpa
ny at par. when their value was only ,s-i-
mated at twenty five cents on the dollar.
! The Senators and Representatives, residing
on the iIue OF the Northwestern Railroad
consequently voted for the I'LL. By such
/ meals as these, eight hundred thousand
dollars, which should have gone into the
State Treasury, was divided aIn.nC certain
railroads.
The Committee next considered the III
rect application Of money a. Z, means Of bri-
/ berry. Tie individual pointed out aS being
I the chief agent in the distribution Of the
/ funds was MIR. Thomas y. Scott. In March
last the Committee addressed a note t. Mr.
. Stanton, Secretary of War, desiring - know
at what time My. Scott could visit Hauis-
burg, without Interfering with his .!utle- t.
the Government. Mr.. Station replied Oh
the 6th of March, that Mr.. Scott was then
at Cairo, and would bC relieved OF tie 10Th
A subpoena was then left at the hgu-4. ol
Mr.. Scott, but he did not come iefure the
! Comm tt.e, ana while they were t-mp0rar-
iiy absent at Pjttsburg. he passed through
. If March, the Committee again :elcgrapAei
to Sec etary Stanton 10 ascertain - here Mr
Scott could be found. The reply was that
Scott would be relieved from duty 1T Fort
+ TesS Monroe IN four days. Tie Sergeant al
Arms was accordingly dispatched t. Was.
ington to subpoena MIR. Scot, hut was unable
L. fiud him, and the Committee believe, thar
he purposely Kept out Of the Way.
Mr.. Kennedy Marshall, Il member yf the
House from Allegheny county last year. tes
tilted that at the close of the session ne visi-
ted the room OF Mr. Scott, AZ CIverIy's II ltg!
and Was handed package containing five
hundred dollars. Mr.. Scott remarked to
Nr. Marshall that the package had been left
for lin, and that he did not know what It
. contained. There were other Packages living
abou. the room at the time. Mr. Marshall
further testified that he had always been in
favor Of the repeal Of tie Tonnage Tax. and
had voted for the Comnutatiou bill without
any expectation Of a reward. Mr. Marshall
also testified that lie had visited the room of
I Speaker Davis and saw i've or seven thou
sand dollars lying upon the bel. Mr. Davis
! said that be had received the money from
/ Scott, but sIhseq Tently denied the fact
Davis accompanied Mr.. Mar,haiI up the
Allegheny river, ami gave him portion Of
the money to carry, remarkiug that hc was
afraid To carry 50 much himself. The Com
mittee has epdeavored to procure the atten-
I dance Of Mr.. DAVIS. but has not succeeded
( up to the present time.
Thomas OSterhuut was member of the
Legislature from Wyoming county last wear
and parties testified to having heard him
say that he had made good thing out of
the tonnage tax bill, and that he had paid
all his debts amounting to 81 900 OF =. 900
Osterhout was subpenatd. but having been
warned by 4 man named George IT, Bard
! well, was thus enabled to eluie the Sergeant
/ at,Arms. This BardwelI Is also believed To
have been instrumental IN inducing an i'm
pOrtant witness, named Gearhart to leave
Harrisburg in the night time
John Edgar Thomson, President uf the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, was sums
moned to appear before the Committee. but
replied that bad health would not permit
him to attend. A sub committee was ap~
pointed and proceeded to Philadelphia. to
obtain the testimony OF NJ. }. Z. Thomp>
son; but he refused to receive them. and a
certificate from Pancoast, VI. D., stating
that Mr.. Thomson could not be seen, was
shown to the Committee
Seven Directors Of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company were examined. gu. testified
that they knew nothing about any bribery.
Mr.. Thomos T. Firth. the Treasurer of the
Company, also failed to appear before the
Committee, excusing himself OH account Of
/ III health. He subsequently, exnrnssed q