American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-01-09

BONDS pennsy syvana RAILROAD COMPANY. W
Bonds Philadelphia and Erie Railroad
Interest on bonds OF philadelphia and Erie ="
Railroad Company lzzo,OVo "
Cash in Treasury i74lo33 q
sl3O36o3s %
Liabilities in excess Of assets........ ~ 53eois 81
ssS,e22 e6e 10
Liabilities in excess OF assets, Nov 90 1861 s2s ltso6o 80
Liabilities in ofsssts Nov 30, 1896 e. ol6 SO
Improvement in Treasury since 1seI... s5-ei2oIl Al
The extraordinary expenditures, dur.
ing the war and since its elise, in pay
ments growing out of it by authority of
acts of Assembly, have amounted to up
wards of FIVE millions of dollars, which,
added to the actual payment of the in
debtedness aS the State, and money in
Treasury for that purpose, shows the rev.
eaaes, above the ordinary expenditures,
to have amounted to SIC, ,612, 900, which
would all have been applied to the debt
of the Commonwealth in the last six
years. A careful attention TO the reven>
ues of the Commonwealth, with such
just and prudent changes as may be re>
uuhSu III tue iutufc, huu WioO OOouohiy
in expenditure, will, in my Judgment en-
sure the entire payment of the public
debt, within the period OF fifteen years.
The time fixed for the redemption of
$23, 10S, ,626 "a of the Indebtedness of
the Commonwealth having expired, l rec
ommend that provision be made for its re-
demptiou, BY making new loan for that
purpose, payable at such periods as the
prospective revenues will justify.
l recur, with much satisfaction, to the
wisdom, prudence and economy of the
representatives of:he people, in the man
agement of the finances Of the COMMON
wealth. during period of much embaf--
rassment, uncertainty and distress, and
congratulate you and them on the near
approach OF the entire liquidation of the
public debt.
Since my last Annual Message have
drawn from the Treasury, two thousand
dolla's of the fund placed in the hands
of the the Governor for secret service and
other extraordinary expenses, which |
have expended, in payment of my per
sonal staff, and FOR other purposes, as
heretofore, except FIVE hundred and six
ty-three dollars and forty. eight cents,
which hare returned into tho Treas.
ury.
THE AMENDA.EEg TO Tue CONSTITUTION
OF THE UNITED STATES.
I present, for your consideration, the
amendments to tho Constitution of the
United States, proposed to the Legisla,
lures Of the several States, proposed by a
resolution of both Houses of Congress, 3,
passed on the 10th day Of juno last. l
was glad that it was possible, without de-
laying the final adoption Of these amend
ments, to ascertain the opinion Of our
people upon them, at the general election
in October last. By the election Of a
large majority Of members openly favor>
ing and advocating the amendments, that
opinion seems to me to have been abund-
ahtly expressed. Indeed, the amendments
are so moderate and reasonable in their
character, that it would have been as
tonishing If the people had failed to ap-
prove them. That every person, born in
the United States and free, whether by
birth or manumission, is a citizen OF the
Uniten States. and that no State has a
right to abridge the privileges Of citizens
Of the United State;-tbese are princi-
Piles which were never seriously doubted
anywhere, until after the insane crusade
in favor Of slavery had been for some
time in progress. What is called the de-
clsion Oh the Supreme Court OF the Uni
ted States, in the Dred Scott case, has
made it expedient and proper to reassert
these vital principles in an authoritative
manner, and this isdone' in the erst clause
of the proposed amendments.
The right Of prescribing the qualifca-
tions Of voters is exercised by the respec.
tive States, under the Constitution Of
1889; three>fifths or LIE slaves we're
counted in ascertaining the representa-
tive population OF the several states
The AMENDMENT to the constitution ahol-
ished slavery in all the States and Terri,
tories. Though it was formerly other
wise in most, if not all, of the old South
ern States. yet for many years past, free
negroes have not, in any of these, been
permitted to vote. At present, therefore,
the late slave States would be entitled to
count the whole of their former slsye
population, as basis Tor representation,
instead of three-fifths thereof. That IS
to say, they would have in the existing
ratio about twenty more members Of
Congress than they had before slavery
was abolished, and the free States would
lose the same number, making a differ
ence of about forty members of Con-
gress, or, say ,one-sixth of the whole body.