Year: 1868

wealth steps in with n second mortgage
which | think is perfectly secure, surely O
second mortgage under these circumstances
is much the best, men who were entirely
acquainted with the whole subject, were
satisfied that the States lien was worth moth
ing in case of foreclosure and that ull-
mately the four millions Of second mortgage
would be secured, 1t does seem to me that
people who have received as much OF the
bounty of the commonwealth as the people
living along the north Branch canal should
be the last to get up an outcry against a little
indirect assistance given to other portions Of
the State, more particularly is this the case
when the State does not part with anything
she is in possession of, ] hope you will do
me the justice to give this an insertion in
your paper-not because you have denounc-
ed ME personally--but because you have de-
nounced a measure voted for, and which !
consider benefit instead Of dctrinent to
the State, I however do not claim ln!ailbll-
ity and if I have cred it is the Head and not
the heart, Respectfully yours ,,,


II. Il. KLINE.


II will be seen by the above, that the lion-
oraJle Member from Columbia county, find
ing that no one of his constituents will so
debase himself as to attempt a defense OF
such an enormous fraud, as the act giving
four millions of dollars belonging to the
State, to the Sunbury e. Erie Rail Road
Company, has entered the lists in his own
behalf. lie is right welcome. We give
him hearing with great satisfaction; and
We only regret, that in his letter defending
his course, he has entirely omitted to ex-
plain why he voted against the amendments
offered on the bill repeating the tonnage tax,
and for the bill, section by section as it
passed the House. However, for what we
have let us be duly thankful. Barring the
grammar and photography Of his communi-
cation, which we publish verbatim, and of
which we shall take no further notice We
claim the right, and shall proceed to expose
the ia!lacy Of his positions, and the weak
ness of his arguments.


The Honorable Member first charges, that
millions of dollars were expended in build
Ing the North Brancl. Canal; forgetting or
not knowing that the State also built Il canal
up the West Branch Of the Susquehanna
and that canal, belonging to the people of
the State, is among those row so recklcssly
given away. And although the gentleman
himself ignores the fact, yet the people wtl
very well remember, that if millions of their
money were expended in public improve
mcnts, they were, when completed, the
property Of the people; yet the Honorable
Member has voted to give this property of
he people to a soulless corporation, for the
purpose Of building a Rail Road, which
shall belong, not to the people, but to ire
sponsiblc, and to large extent, foreign
stockholders. The Sunbury aud Erie Com
pany were to pay the State, for certain pub
lie improvements, three millions five hun
dred thousand dollars; the property was
worth twice that sum, and to such an amount
the State was cheated in the sale originally;
now the small pittancc that was to have
been paid, is in effect given by the legisla-
ture to the Sunbury & Erie Rail Road Com
pany.


In the first instance, and before any lcgis-
lation on the subject, the State was an equal
owner Of Il mortgage for seven millions of
dollars. Then if the Road had sold for t,ro
millions, the State would have got one, and
so for any sum realized. Last winter an act
was passed, authorizing the Company to
issue scrip, to the amount of six hundred
thousand dollars, which was to ''be prefer
red to the mortgage held by the Common
wealth."


The Honorable Member, in his defense
says it was "sxtcen hundred thousand dol.
lars"-a false whether wilful or
not we cannot say-but if not wilful, he is
the only man in the legislature so ignorant
as not to know the sum allowed; and if will
full, done for the purpose of showing the
State already so far behind as to render any
claim hopelcssly bad; so that his vote could
not, at the very worst, lessen her chances.
But let it pass, there it stands


TO that sum of sixteen hundred thousand
dollars, the present legislature, aided by the
Honorable Member, have added FIVE MIL
LIONS, to take precedence of the State
claim and yet the gentleman has the impu-
dcncc to tell us VIC are better of now, than
when the State had lien against fifty cents
Of every dollar the Road was worth. Now,
if the Road were to be sold, before the
State could realize one cent from her lien,
it must bring five millions six hundred thou
sand dollars, costs Of sale, and the constantly
accruing interest on that sum. Is it not
prcposterous to tell honest tax payers that,
although about 100000 debt and inter
est, have been given away, that they are
richer than when owning that amount +?
Does the gentleman wish to play upon our
credulity or our ignorance? Perhaps he
had better follow tho example of Eilenber-
ger Of Northampton, who got Ball of Erie
to go over there and explain the matter to
his constituents.


Much stress is laid upon n possible fore