The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-06-18
ADDRESS OF GOVERNOR azARY,
TO the Freemen Of Pennsylvania.

|
FELLOW CITIZENS In receiving tn
t various testimonies of confidence whicl
e have been conferred upon me by the pcopl
: of my native State, am deeply sensible o
the circumstances under which they hav,
been bestowed, and Of the corresponding
, duties and responsibilities imposed upor
me during the fIlfilment of my term of the
: Chief Executive Office in your State Gov
ernmcnt. Notwithstanding heart anina
ted with pure and upright intentions to.
f wards the welfare of the Commonwealth. land
with all the faculties allotted to me uuceas-
ingly devoted TO its service, feel deeply
concious that stand in need of yours in
diligence, while | thus exercise one of the
prerOgatives OF the position of Governor
to address the people when in his opinion
he is justified by circumstances affecting
their welfare and interests and to expect
from them an honest, cauded and liberal
support in return.
With such circumstances now before the
people Of Pennsylvania feel that / would
be recteant to my duty, ungreatfui to a
generous people, and untrue to myself, if
| should fail to express to you my opin-
ions upon subject of public concern,
which demands from you immediate atten.
tion, and prompt, Intelligent and indpend-
ent action.
The invioabillity of the Sinking Fund
by which your public debt is to be reduced
and finally extinguished must he main
tanned against all attacks upon It, whether
open or secret. Apubic debt is not
blessing but an evil an evil not to be
measured by the amount of the direct pc
cuniary burden it imposes upon the people,
but by its whole ctfect,-the entire amount
Of all its consequences. These conscquen-
ces have been pointed out so fully BY the
fathers Of the rcpGblic, and by the most
reliable writer's upon political economy and |
a conviction of them, is so deeply impressed
ou the minds Of all ircfoctipg men, that | |
need not recapitulato them, nor insist even
upon their existence.
The state debt must be paid paid !
honestly and to the utmost farthing, and as
soou as it can reasonably be done-to this
doctrine am irrevocably pledged in every
possible manncr-and the credit of the
State must be kept up to its highest point,
in order that this important object may be
most readily accomplished. No belief or
suspicion Of bad iaith Or profisacy, on our
part, should be PRINTED to get abroad Or
to divide the slightest support or counte-
nance from the conduct of our government
in any Of its branches. 1t should be un-
derstood everywhere that We have an in
corruptable and faithful judiciary; a Leg
isature and an Executive disposed to work
together, and to cooperate heartily in
maintaining the honor Of the Common
wealth.
The operation of the Sinking Fund was
tempOrararily interrupted, or rather weak
ened, by the recent war, but By the bles-
sing Of Heaven upon the patriotic efforts
of the nation, the days of peace have re-
turned. There can now be no excuse for
diverting from that fund any of the monies
pledged to it by the Constitution and the
laws, nor for tampering in any manner
with its regular administration.
But it is known to you that bold and
daring attempt was made in the Legisla-
tare during its last session, to invade the
Treasury and seize the proceeds of the sale
Of the public works of the State, deposited
there. in the Sinking Fund, for the use of
certain affiliated corprations of this common
wealth, and that that attempt was defeated
only by the interposition of the executive
veio. This was to me an ungracious and
unpleasant task, to resist the majority in the
Legislature composed of Senators and Rep
eseutatives chosen by you, under the reg
ular forms of the constitution, presumably
for their intelligence and integrity; and it
was inexpedien., perhaps, as a question of
personal interest and case, that should in
cur the hostility of powerful enemies by the
course adopted. But saw before me the
open path Of duty, pointed out by the clear
words of the Constitution and by my oath
of ofice; and l did not hesitate to treat the
subject with frmness and action which the
urgency Of the case required.
The bill to distribute the securities in
the Sinking Fund among several newly in
railroad companies, and to sub
stitute for them very inferior, if not utterly