Year: 1861

reason for exacting the tax. Ii A. rents B's.
farm for one hundred dollars per year, and thus
pays punctualy for ten years and then buys
the farm, should be be required afterwards to
pay the rent Aye, but this Company is rich,
you had them by the throat they should have
been held to it that thereby our Stat e reve-
nues might be increased. To increase revenue
by legalized robbery, whether of Companies or
individuals is unwise policy, and he that re-
comnends it has more of the attributes of O
land pirate than of legislator. Besides if
revenue is to be raised by ton mage tax let it
be imposed upon all roads and not upon one
only. Treat each fairly and alike. As this
was the only road in the State subject to this
tax it was but fair either to remove this or
impose the same upon oil others, and the latter
course would drive from our markets the pro.
ducts of surrounding states and hopelessly
cripple our internal commerce Believing firm
! ly that the continuance Of this tax on this road
alone as a means of revenue was partial and
unjust, and believing farther that by the sale
of the work, for the protection Of which the
tax was originally imposed, the reason for its
! imposition was thereby wholly and completely
removed, my vote was given in favor of the
measure.


Third. The Company itself never paid q
dime of this tax but was collected by addi-
tional charges heaped upon the transporters
OF our own State who were obliged to use the
Road. The Company could not impose the
tax upon the western produce seeking a market
! over this Road, for that would drive such pro-
duce to the Erie Road on the north and to the
/ Ohio and Baltimore Road on the South thus
rObbing the Road of business and our own
State of large amount Of western commerce
Fer be it understood that this Pennsylvania
Road is the great thoroughfare connecting
( Philadelphia with the vast and TEEN ing west


The tax was therefore imposed upon the
way freight, upon our own citizens who were
| obliged TO use this Road or none. These citi
zens appealed 10 the legislature against this
system of unequal taxation. They inquired
with an unanswerabe pertinence, why shall
we be compelled TO pay this tribute TO the
State when all other citizens using other Roads
and Canals an exempt therefrom! They elect
ed Members upon this issue among whom is
the present Speaker OF the Senate, they poured
in their petitions and crowded the Halls of
/ the Legislature in person praying for the same
! thing.


| The Board of Trade of Pittsburg, the press
of Harrisburg of 9th political parties, the
commercial, political and religious papers of
! Philadelphia, OF all shades and sects earnestly
| plead for the repeal of this tax. 1t may be
| fact worth stating that in 1851 when the Dem
ocratIc party were in power in Philadelph
the City Councils unanimously adopted o
memorial addressed to the Legislature beseech,
| ing the same thing This petition covered some
twenty pages of printed matter, attestcd by
! the Presidents OF Common and select Councils,
and accompanied by a special message from
the Mayor. viii certain Democrats of this
District stick pin at this fact.


! To the credit Of this party however | am
happy to say that its intelligent members
agree with the above memoraStS and also
with my vote. prominent writer in a Phil
adelp phia paper sums up his views iu the fol-
| lowing synopsis:


Shall by continuing this tax drive business and
freight off the Road away from our City and State, to
| seek other roads?


merce OF Philadelphia, to an ntinesma proportion Of
what mi ght be Tor the sake CT certain OF money
paid annually into State Treasury, paid too in large
proportion by our own citizens out OF our own pocket!
For this poor pttance shall deprive ourselves OF the
immense and ever increasing traffic OF the gigantic en-
! ieeming West!


Is it better to do a small businss this Road at
high prices? Or having, all must acknowledge, the
best route and the ampest acilites is it not the part Of
wisdom TO do the largest possible business TO the lowest
| possible prices!


Viewed as matter of Justice is it right that he who
resides near the Reading Railroad any other road save
the Pennsylvania shall pay only the usual Railroad
charges all he sends market and that the farmer
or manufacturer who is so unfortunate to dwell beside
the Pennsylvania Road should be compelled to pay in ad
dton to the usual freight charges his grain his
manufactured articles tax to the State TOR daring to
! that Road i?


While you may carry what you please the Roads
of Ohio New York Maryland. any State in the Union
lsaV Oup own hV bla
IT right that Pennsylvania shall step in and say TO the
citizens of those States, II you bring your produce
merchandise here through the old Keystone, you must
not only pay the full price Tor carrying goods over the
Railroads but you pay the trbute-the odious
which Pennsylvania Legislature levies on you tor pass
/ Ing over her great highway


Was it humiliang that Pennsylvania should seek
to impose tribute not only upon the citizens of other
States but upon her people, who used her great
highway That many of her own Legislators should
demonstrate against any change in her policy in this
spect that they should wish her any longer to force the
payment of tribute upon her trade and commerce
odiOus as that which the Barbary powers continued 10
levy for years on the commerce OF the Mediterranean 2


All these facts, statements, circumstances,
and considerations combined, afforded another
and well nigh overwhelming Eeason why this
odiOus embargo, this commercial nuisance
should be abated and hence again my vote
was given in the affirmative


Fourth. The imposition of tonnage tax is
measure to which my own constituents would
not approvingly submit The Lackawanna &
Western, the Williamsport & Elmira Rail
roads, and the North Branch Canal are your
chief outlets to the maritime world. If bill
lad been introduced imposing this duty upon
these works, subjec;ing you thereby to in
creased charges on all your exports and i'm,
ports would you have thought it magnanim-
Gus in your own and other members to support
and carry the measure through? Would you
applaud them for SO doing Would the far
mer and merchant, the grain buyer and for