Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1866-02-10
Governors Message.


The Governors Annual Message was
delivered to the Legislature on Tuesday.
We regret that the large space in our pa
per which is now filled with advertise
ments, will not allow US to publish it en-.
tire.
The Message shows that the finances Of
the State are in healthy condition, not
withstanding the enormous burdens entail
ed upon the people by the war. The bal
auce in the treasury November 80, 1864,
was 81, ,942, ,203 ,63, and the balance at the
same date in 1865, was So, ,373, ,66s, ID
The amount Of the public debt December
/, 1864, was $50, 379, 9,6O3,yO, and the
amount on the LIST Of December, 1865, was
S37 ,476, 1858 ,06, reduction of 81 $685.
345, "a. Against the total debt as thus
stated the treasury held the following as
sets
! Pennsylvania Railroad bonds, s6,700,000
| fhila and Erie Railroad bonds $500. 900
Interest on Phila. and Erie r II bonds, d0SooGe s
Balance in treasury, S'3d3'ooe
Aggregate assets, l,,623 ,G6s
On the 3O,h of November, 1860, the
liabilities in excess Of assets were &c.,
40s, l6s, and at the same date in 1865 they
were S23, s52, $50, showing a reduction Of
the surplus debt of SO, ,555, $40 during the
progress of the civil war.
The Governor believes that the annual
receipts Of the Commonwealth are large
enough to justify removal of all State
taxes on real estate, and recommends that
il be done. In regard to the old tax Of
25 cents per 500, laid by the act of s64,
was pledged for the repayment of the s2;.
OO0, 900 loan, and cannot be removed, ,and
no doubt it will be done.
The Governor recommends that, in case
the State tax on real estate is removed, the
levying of local taxes on bonds, mortga-
ges, loans, and all property Of that kind,
be prohibited. He says:
"Such repeal would largely encourage
the investment of capital in this State and
add immensely to the wealth of the State,
while the local authorities would lose very
little, as it is notorious that, from the diff.
culties OF assessment, they receive very
little from these sources"
The Governor sums up the result of the
action Of Pennsy lvania in supporting the
cause Of the Union during the Rebellion.
We furnished the United States with 1862,
2s4 soldiers, exclusive of militia and vol
unteers for emergencies, and exclusive of
men sent to the navy. Of the latter the
Message does not give US the numbers, ex-
cept that in 1863 there were SO ,5s3 of
these troops furnished for the emergency
preceding the battle of Gettysburg. The
men furnished to the navy might have
been 10000. Assuming that it was only
900, the whole number of men furnish
ed the Government for service during the
Rebellion could not have been less than
40s,s72, a record Of patriotism scarcely to
be exceeded by any other State in the
Union.
One of the most important passages of
the Message is that which refers to the
claims of Pennsylvania against the Fed
eral Government growing out of the differ
ent invasions. BY the Governors show
ing, the Attorney General, the Secretary
of War and the President have failed to
deal justly with this State, in the matter
Of non-payment of the one hundred dol
lars bounty due our volunteers in refus-
, ing to pay them up till the day of final
discharge from service and by the with.
holding of the S67l ,47e, expended by the
State 10 the militia called out in 1868 to
repel the invasion of that year. The Gov
ernor makes out strong case of persist
ept injustice toward our State by the Fed
eral officials, and hopes that the Legisla.
ture will make some efforts to secure a re-
coguision Of the State claims by Congress.
In the present temper and complexion of
Congress there seems TO be little to hope
for in tEat direction. Including the d.
rect tax, the war expenditures, not refund.
ed by the Government, amount to SO, ,O2s,.
627,2l.
The Governors refers to the "recent
practice" of passing acts for the expendi.
ture of money, without designating by
whom it ia to be expended or how the &C.
counts are 10 be examined. This custom
has led to abuses which are recommend.
ed to be corrected by having all accounts
settled in the Auditor Generals Office. Nc
doubt this custom has originated in the
fact that the Auditor General now (ant
"recently'O is a Democrat. who might OBJ
ject to accounts not strictly regular, bu
nevertheless "truly loya al"
Upon political matters the Governor
Q discreetly silent, merely expressing his ir
: tention to support the principles expresse
n in the Message Of the President at th