The sun., 1873-04-22
CAN UPTON DE PUT DOWN ?
Legislation in OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Of Es-
Attorney-GencraI Black.

ttltutlOndl convention VI fcnnSylNdlnHs III WulNu
he s one OF the delegates at large. Mr.. Black
was Attorney-G enerai of the United States In
the days before mediocrty had become pass
port to that once. He is a lawyer Of unques-
tioned ability and integrity. and his views on the
present condition Of his own state are entitled
to great consideration.
Mr.. Black thus speaks Of Pennsylvanias an
cient glory:
The time was when the state OF Pennsylva-
mia. then mere colony, containing perhaps less
than 5n,CUo inhabitants, had reputation through
out the earth for Independence. ju stlce, peace,
and good ordcr-fOr everything that goes to make
up the happiness Of an organized society. There
was no portion Of the world from which the eyes
Of the hest and wisest men were not turned in
admiration toward this community. All this
resulted from the wise aud just system of
laws adopted by the illdstrous foun der of the
colony
And then he dwell. on her present shame:
What We want above all things uron the
earth IL honest legislation: and when | say we
want IL, use the word IA the double sense uf
that the Legislature Of the state of rennsvlya-
mia has hnbltuallv, and constantly. for the lqst
TWENTY-FIVE year- or more. BETRAYED the trust
rcposed In IL memter- and this has gone so
Tar that W. must have reform If we would not
zee our institutions perish teiore our eyes.
There was a time when membership ut our
etate LEGISLATURE was = passport to honor and
admiration everywhere, from Partisan draw
ing room to the cottage uf peasant
Now that same Ierisatrre Is n stencil In
the nostrils ul the whole world. The cry AGAINST
lli~ corr iiltn comes llii. MOI tNIN from every
part of this house, but from every quarter ~
the commonwealth. II is borne to US on the
wings OF every wind. Nor il II mere popular
Clamur. II IL founded upon lnCuntC~tdble facts
which hnve PISSED in the domain oi history,
and will stand there forever.
The speaker gives two specific instances In
which this utter absence II morality and hon
estN in the Leg.latur has worked terrible in
Justice. The frat T. the passage ~ the charter
of the Bank Of the United States in I36. How
this resulted IA cloquently told
The Bank Of the United States pushed its
charter through. partly by direct bribery aud
partly by a base combination Of private Interests,
wf e nrc Of e m nH s o @E%MfH PSn
plodcd In the course of q short time but IL
scattered destruction every where. aud brought
desolltlon 10 thousand hrcsides. II disGraced
the character ~ the state destroyed her credit;
reduced her public securities to forty cents on
the dollar branded her name with population
and made her name kissing hyword among all
the nations. The perpetrators OF that atroCiou-
outrage were never called to any account and
their iiupunity was an Invitation to all Others to
eo and do likewise. For years afterward the
other banks, continuing themselves together,
corrupted the Legislature aud robbed the pub
lie according to the statutes In such case made
and provided.
In the growth 81 the existing railroad system
is TO he found the othcr striking illustration Of
the unfaithfulness ofthe Legislators. Mr.. Black
says " the COMPANY which was originally
gnnized 70 build road from Harrisburg to
Pittsburgh
the state ever had. II took It substantially as a
sidcration Tor he nfiy or sixty millions il got.
The gift ~ this immense domain was followed
wealth Of her ri.,ht I" collert her own revenue
amounting to millions more. and which belong
60 w n', 4, tn"'n a. tnH plrsH III your p.'k',
toUu'retax rrf,r ~ ma tatol tHS' prrsd
i.ue .totutc which the Legislature. the lobby.
n a.n @ ."c i,ss.au s Cutl.'!l NH7 7.l.e1 - Niss I,-
Jutt whi.h was her own ~ fhrec nllls ,ip"u
each ton of produce carried Ii was u terrible
wrong for /; ground the face Of labor to poura
,iiy If a c"rroratian wien had n0 Claim Of
IIit n lie Legislature that corporation has
grown So mighty that it, little finger j. thicker
than the loil~ of the CommonW rath which
from ocean to ocean. Hrr head Is iu flr c .ud.,
afii ,i.c arm. f her lisfutlc power -tr.icu out
ou either idle nom che ltrIuu To- the other.
I.c s,Nerl L,-i,latarc- which Lo'e -it,ppcI
t vi,i i'sS ''-',,s ~
y, o.. ttc....r.llis To- their duty .uI l..e,y un-
l".' lui I" ttcir hisn tr1.t-
i''' '"'' '''''.' .'"' "-' ''''' '' '' III" ''"'
.,',.J M rr',i, . ""' 10Y I'm tii'.''''' ,.,,,
l.d tGc advantage ~ th" loose lcri-ia'iou Mt
ihifl.h hilE' p" A- in -trHf" lnnhup"ht+ i'u-
ut TO .ir"i f'..f WAN 'l,i WhIc' muIr
dramatic literature IT ENGLAND. What was tie
eN,'u-'ty uE'eTr "i .e.i.ng Neei vine IN iNe
ftt-i Di y AaN 700 compare. 10 ~" o. nWtr WHICH
put t's own rric' rr"n every hoekrtiul Il an
tb..t ''''
Wcaro told that these are only A fc,y ~ the
Instance In which the Legislature ma. rr.y,I
tr,acu,rous: that one in "A hundred he.l = been
mentioned. nor ia, y,.,r,, ,a... ....i.,t.I: and
that the corruition has nov, gone -, lar that the
veto MOVIE, fl. utterly incnpahIs Of .topi.lurt
TI. members. of the lotly and the tr.n,,tors
of the doctlne OF Addition, D.,isi.n. and -