Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1867-09-18
PENNSYLVANIA LEGISLATURE.

As q determined effort seems to be
making to elect Democratic State Legis
lature in Pennsylvania, and especially TO
change the political character of the rep
resentatiou from Philadelphia, we deem i,
our duty to call the attention of tax-pay
ers to the wise and excellent management
of the finances of this Commonwealth un-
der Republican rule. The Legislature
annually elects the State Treasurer, and
he, therefore, expresses the sentiments of
the dominant party in his policy. All his
measures have to be indorsed by the Leg
isIature in order to accomplish any prac-
teal purpose. Bearing this in mind, let
the people of Philadelphia reflect that
with all :hc unprecedented expenses Of
the civil war, Pennsylvania reduced her
debt from an aggregate Of S31 ,969, 9,s41,-
so on Dec /, 1860, TO total ON Dee. |
1866, of $50 ,G22 ,0j2 ,l6, a decrease OF
S2,347,795, Since then the Commits
sioners of the Sinking Fund have paid
about 100000, and on or before the Sd
of September they will pay 81 100000,
so that by the lst of December, 1867, the
State debt will have been reduced S.
6l7 1854
During the same period this vilifcd
Republican Legislature has abolished the
State tax on real estate, and raised a new
loan of twenty three millions of dollars
to pay the overdue loans of this Common
wealth, thereby demonstrating to the
whole financial world the stability Of our
finances and our credit. In the same Pc
riod the State has provided handsomely
for the education of her people, but more
especially for the care and training of the
orphans of her fallen soldiers she has
built and furnished very large and hand
some extension to her capitol, has splen-
didly improved the cemetery of the dead
braves buried in the historic field of Gettys-
burg, and has in no respect fallen behind
her sister States in the progress demanded
of her.
This Republican Legislature has passed
admirable general laws for the ncorpora-
ton Of mining, manufacturing aud other
corporations has encouraged and stimu
lated internal improvements in every sec
ton of the Commonwealth, without one
dollar OF expense to the State Treasury,
or one cent of additional taxation, and has
made the first bold and determined strug-
gle for the enactment Of a general free
railroad law. For Philadelphia this Re
publican Legislature has done enough to
be borne in better remembrance than many
Of our friends seem disposed to hold it -
Promptly acting upon suggestion made
by the High School Alumni, it has changed
the constitution of the Board of School
Controllers, giving the appointments of
the members to the Judges Of the Courts,
and thus taking the Board out of politics.
To the Legislature We owe most Of our
invaluable horse railways, whereby we
have been enabled 10 extend our growth
indefinitely; the Chestnut street bridge,
the best built of all our viaducts the
Park Commission, the Lansdown Park,
and many other noble changes and i'm
provements of late years. The license
system for public amusements, by which
the waiter nuisance was crushed, and the
regulation Of petroleum business in Phil
adelphia to protect the city against such
unlawful ca!amities as that on Ninth street,
were both the work Of Republican Legis-
latures.
Against such a record as this the COM
plant is made that the Legislature mas in
sisted upon Christian respect for the
Sabbath, and that the influence oc corrup-
tion exceeded that of former years, or
characterized the public service in any
way. This latter fact is important, for