Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-03-19
PENNSYLVANIA LEGISLATURE.

PENNSYLVANIA LEGISLATURE.
The House of Representatives at Har-
risburg have had under discussion for some
time bill repeating the tonnage tax act OF
last year. The question gave rise to much
debate, in which one side took the ground
that the act was contract, and thus invio.
liable, while the other contended that it was
a simple act of Legislation which could be
repealed at any time. The bill as passed,
as near as we can gather from the amend
ments made, is as follows:
WHEREAS, An act was passed at the last
session of the Legislature purporting to be
an act for the Communication of tonnage duties,
by means whereof the sum of seven hundred
and fifty-two thousand three hundred and
eight dollars and fortyone cents or therea-
bouts, besides interest then owing to the
State by the Pennsylvania railroad company
and in contemplation Of law in the treas
ury of the State, together with large annual
revenue stipulated to be paid by said COM
pany as the price of its charter, and by wav
of compensation for the deterioration in val
ue Of the main line of the public works ap-
pretended and actually inflicted by the con
structlon and operation of the said road.
which revenue had already reached the sum
of three hundred thousand dollars and up
wards, and would have amounted at this time
to greatly larger sum, with the prospect of
indefinite increase-were wrongfully with
drawn from the sinking fund provided by the
constitution and laws Of this State for the
payment of the public debt thereof, and made
and I'M iahl IL G.. -
suggestions and considerations which were
either IN conflict with the constitution or ut
terly lliusory and worthless in themselves,
amounting in effect. under color of a pretend
ed contract CT commutation, to a gratuitous
donation Of all the said moneys and reye
nue. to private corporation, without any sub.
stanuai equivalent whatever, thereby viola
ting the pGghted faith of the State. and in.
creaSlng the burthens of the people at time
when the necessities Of the country pre emf
nentLy required the most rigid economy and
the strlctest husbandry of their resources
therefore,
SECTION |. Be it enacted By the Senate and
House Of Representatives. oftbe Commonwealth
Of PenRSytcdnta, IN General AsSenbIy mat
and ii IS hereby enacted By the auttoritT ofths
same, That the said recited act of Assembly
OF the 7th day of March, A. D. 1861. be and
the same is hereby repealed, and the said ton
mage tax, or duties imposed by the act iucor-
porating the said Pennsylvania railroad com.
paay, and the supplements thereto, is hereby
restored, re imposed, and made payable to the
Commonwealth in the same manner. on the
same terms and conditions as though the said
repeating act had never been passed.
SEC. 2. That it shall be the duty of the
Attorney General TO proceed forthwith to sue
Tor, recovery and collect by distress, or other.
wise, the arrears of the said tonnage tax
which were due and owing at the time of the
passage OF the said recited act which is here
oy repealed, together with such additional tax
OF uuues as would have accrued upon the ton.
n"se VI tue sald company, until the date of
the present act; and for the proper ascertain
1ieIt ol inc amount Of the additional tax. il
shall be the duty of said comnanv n f;Ia for,h
with, in the Office of the Auditor GonaroI =
statement duly authenticated by the oatbs of
the President and Treasurer of said comnanv
OF the amount of their business so made tara
pie, for the intervening period, and also to
furnish the Auditor General, from time to
time, such other and additional statements
ana such access to their books as he NAV
5uuge necessary for the purpose of the said
Sol' % o[ other proceedings, hereby authorized.
= 'oO'osa' horereI, that the moneys paid nv
.ie sa,o company on account of the said nre.
'ehSoo communication over and beyond tho on.
haai instaiment or instalmests navohL, b-,
them on their bonds for the purchase n,onoy
OF the public works, shall be cred;tad ,'roy,
the arrears of the said tax, which wers SUn a.
and owing at the passage of the said reneaI.
ed ast. and allowed in the collection of The
said arrears. 'u0
The vote was
fEAs-Messrs. Alexander, Banks, Barron.
Beaver, Beebe, Bgham. Blanchard. Bliss
boileau, Brown, Mercer Brown, (Northum
oeriand, Busby, Cessna, Craig, Dellone. Div.
ms Donley, tGreene,) Dougherty, Elliott.
Fox; Freeland, Gamble, Graham, Grant, Gross,
Hall. Henry, Harper, Hess, Hotter, Hoover
hopkins, (Washingtor,) Hutchman. Kaine
Kennedy, Kline, Labar, Lehman. Licbten.
STallner, Mcclellan, M'Coy, M'Cullocb. MYERS
Rslmax, Peters. Potteiger, Ramsey, Rex
Rhoads, X. Ritter, Ross, (Luzerne,) Ross, (Mif.
Hin,l Rowland. Russell, Ryon, Shannon.
Ssra9G. Tate. Tracy, Tuition, Wakefield,
w Weldner; Williams. Wimly, Windle. Wolf
"oriey, Lsigler and Rowe, Speaker-7o,
NAYS-Messrs. Abbot, Armstrong. Bates
Caldwell Chatham, Cochran, Cnwan Dsnnis'
Donnslly. tPhiladelphia,1 DufSsid nrs EoriE
Gaskill, Greenbank. Hopkins, (PhiIadajnb;a
Josephs, M'Makin, M'Mareus parlh;,j Ih;;.a,j
lluigey Scott Smith (Nbo.t r S4.nS'