Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-12-14
TRADE BETWEEN THE STATES.


The Constitution confers on Congress the right
to regulate commerce among the several States. 1t
is of the first necessitg for the maintenance of the
Union, that commerce should be free and unob-
structed No State can be justified in any device to
tax the ira nsit of travel and commerce between
States The position of many States is such that
if they were allowed to take advantage of it for
purposes of local revenue, the commerce between
States might be injuriously blrdened, or yir-
tualy prohibited. 1t is best while the country IS
still Young, and while the tendency to dangerous
monopolies of this kind is still feeble, to the
power of Congress 50 as to prevent any selfish I'M
pedinent to the free circulation of men and mer-
chandise. 4 tax on travel and merchandise, in
tn il transit, constitutes one of the worst forms
of monopoly, and the evil is increased if coupled
with denial of the choice of route. When the
vast extent of our country is considered, it is plain
that every obstacle to the free circulation Of com
merce between the States ought to be sternly guar
ded against by appropriate legislation, within the
limits of the constitution.
Among the many good things said by
President Johnson in his first Annual Mes
sage TO Congress, none is more worthy of
note than the foregoing on the Internal
Commerce between the States. This para
graph is especially applicable to this local
ity at the present time, and is indeed worthy
of serious consideration over the entire
country now that the question of interchan-
ges, of reciprocal rights and duties between
the respective States of the Union, as to be
entered on anew. Let all causes the least
calcu lated to interfere with the future pros
perity, or the relations Of amity between
the States, be now removed as far as pos
siblc, 50 that each may be led into the ha-
bitual policy of consulting the interests,
and the goodwill of all the others. Then
indeed will we be strong and glorious,
and united in perpetuity.
Bu. that which gives especial interest to
the citizens of this senatorial district in
this brief extract from the Presidents Mes
sage, is the fact that the Tonnage Tax, over
which we have had a warm controversy, is
one of the measures which the President
considers inconsistent with the provisions
of the constitution of the United States,
and dangerous to the best interests of the
Union. That Tax was imposed for the pur-
pose of rcplcnishing the Golfers of the State
Treasury and at the time of its imposit-
ion no question was raised as to its effects
upon the commerce of other States, so in
different were we both to their interests
and goodwill Nor did we care to learn
that it infringed upon the Constitution
The State looked only to her pecunary in
in 40 ba baI TOD
a line of Public improvements along the
projected route Of the Pennsylvania r. R.,
at monstr0us expense, crippling herself,
and burdening the labor of the State with
an almost msupportablc tax Ii was tho't
the Rail Road would interfere with the bu-
sinesS of the State Canals, and thereby re-
duce the revenue from them to the State
Accordingly, almost all the people Of the
State acquiesed i'll the measure of imposing
tax upon the tonnage, or business of this
new Rail Road. When however this Rail
Road company purchased the State canals
for the purpose Of getting rid of the ton
mage tax, and the State had entered into a
positive agreement to this effect, the direct
cause for the imposition of this tax ceased
to exist
The Pennsylvania Rail Road was con-
structed for the express purpose of carrying
ira de and travel from the west, and south
west to the Atlantic sea-board, and the fon
mage tax the company was compelled to pay
the State was levied upon the business of
the road, thus taxing the commerce between
the States to that extent, Just that which
the President so much objects to. Ii is to
be hoped his salutary advice upon the sub
iect, so we'll calculated to beget her money
and promote prosperity, will be closely fol-
lowed up at least by our State 1t is the
evident path of duty, and the dictate of
enlightened liberality Perhaps the Presi-
dent had in his minds eye the corporation
of a neighboring State, whose power and
tendency to wrongdOing has been source
Of alarm to the people of the adjacent States:
and it is to be hoped, that if the company
does not, of its own accord, now relinquish
the one, and stop the other, Congress will
fix its status for all time to come.
R6- A Charleston paper takes satisfac-
tion in saying that Gen GRANT, on his re-
cent visit i'm that City twas uuietlv racaiv