taDW 1 * dad ooprof**"»*Aß. lw auvawob. w ««* te TTOTiPAID WItHW THHBH'MONTH. » «* IFWITHIN BIX-MONTHS. * M NINB MONTHS, 1,6 Iff SOT PAID WITfIIN TWELVE MONTHS. 800 i: H® ll.ooatl*<l»#o« wlllbiWIow«(l : t>«»»P«l4. . ;' _ / OUTJf AND UABILiTS OF POSTMASTERS -1 ° M,iaa ,M,Kkw,, * l,w ‘ * he “" Bl " ! _ 4 THE SPECKLED AXE; Dr Franklin, in his'hutobiogmphy, tells a story of a man who went one day to buy art axe; nttd, having bought onohoex pressed a wish that it had been bright in stead of black i on which the smith who had made the axe replied: “Oh! if you wil l jura the grindstone we’ll soon make it bright. 11 No sooper said than done, and Ithoy Pet to work; but presently the pur chaser felt tired, for the smith pressed so sbeaWy oh tho atono, that the labor of tur ning made# him sweat again, and he wan ted to leave off. “Keep on, keep on ! ' said tho smith, “it isn’t bright yet, it s on lv speckled.” “Well,never mind,’ said the buyer, “I think 1 like a speckled axo best*’’. . . In this incident we have an example, on a small scale, of what takes place all ■; over the world on a large scale. And it t struck me one day, as I was thinktngabout : it. that the demand for the speckled axes is dne that is always active ; as though people could no more grow tired of buying ihoso useful instruments, than they can or ; eating bread. It was curious I thought, | that speckles should be preferred to perfect $ brightness. . (' . While I was cogitating thereupon.it H cahio to my mind that perhaps some good might bo done by setting down a few in- S stances of buyers having been content to l take the inferior article, when, by proper f cure and judgment, they might havo had ;;c the best. And here is tho list. m Whenever I see a man striving from T? more vanity to make a name, and fancy ; irig thatho is made of different material to ; hjs fellow creatures, and that he does them l a favor by living among them, and who : deep not bam by what means he rises so that he does rise ;■ then I say—He likes a i apeckled axe best. . , • „ J .’Whenever l see a man in buisncss in- I tent only making money, as tlbough i that were the only thing worth living lor And notcaring what wrong may be car l jied on in h» establishment, nor how his customers may bo tricked,so that he makes s a profit; then I say— He likes a speckled t* Whenever Tsee, as Ido pearly every te te. tm 1 Reanot! rii^i Kudemi,; pt raali*> > I tlraul ■ aratati' ■wajaal ■ thatcaa* Bud aata r»ooro«'or ptaX anil fte fc'BSfe |U»«o^4 i knd put* |adolffl.w MafcSltj AUKBW heh’tnl^ .rare obaddabta ». aa U t«t U»;»a «aa amakt eat atoth*aatl> aall* ea !»ia. gala, btrUif.kcc, ttfcatpn* e«sis ». .WewiU aa^'BhoMi ba»»t#i>j» SETTEES ; limbtifoa I on BtflMU ■ laVtuT/ [ *jgs£ i ibaCaifn IVTt&, day, a young man swaggering along the iireet, with n cigar in his mouth, as though ( the pavement were hardly good enough lor , him to tread upon, fancying himself the ad- . miration of everybody, when all the time sensible people are laughing at him , and While I wonder if ho will o ver know better I faav—'He likes a speckled axe best. Whenever I see a young man m want of d wire, 1 choosing a partner for life merely because she hds a pretty face, or dances well or sings a nice song, or plnys nimbly on the piano, and neverasking whether she cad make a shirt, or roast a leg ofmul ‘°“’ or whether she is one likely to make home happy 5 then 1 sayr—He likes a speckled “"vSnever I see a roan frequenting the lap.room, or the tavern parlor n'ght aftor Sjht, as so many are in the habit of doing ££ his wife flits at home, perhaps darn- SK stockings, or making a frock for ' 85 £to one out of an old gown ; when I l S his man bent on his own selfish grat -1 Kfon as though he had any more right nr money than his *wiftj° hair; then I say he likes a speckled ted* fP ’ : irtj'wort* : ie!t «a Uu, < MJ.Jldjotaf ! 0 "1• '' ifICCIW. tailMsU TtinluA *TRKM* : M j. iix&fa* | the tow* U Filbert m towa.<4 ba*e fbftf Ltp&filbet brflsi. wd :**wSi'cter I see a boy at school looking upon learning and knowledge assomethmg invented for their torment, and forget mg that vouth ia their only seed-time, that Iw/narenta frequently have to make great iSceato givethem an education, and ; SSt aB fair to deceive their master !Sded they be not found out, although iErnorence mhy bo the consequences; then -t 8 Bay*wHo likes a speckled axe best. ? / Whbnever I seen man trying to make himself believe that ho con indulge in se ! " nnd vices, if the world does not I, Li I go to a houso-whoro l see 1-1 ttfSSSI I'SSSSSSiS*-** 15KSS5S»?«»j» (.good turn whbn theopportunity cp_ uhia way-—not speaking a gpod ; , , i;hi» friend when his friend, need »». ■_ ( ihg vory much moro abput hisbwn bo. * iienco.and what the world willsaw mf what conscience commands, then! ) __u o jikes a speckled'oxe best. . I the lisHw many pages • ; but here is ertouglt to .wero it h nt j f or speckled axes thav are, and Icaiihot help i| ' , sisss^si&^ Lb«r-U>ib* DteattttUi* Rtr tea P^VS 4 I Us.y| kadte, i , IprcsuMii [> }■> I > iu;ri“ Li) !o f parahw lanMtJt M'S fte&b JUo'3 o * iRE. ;,-;i r.h ■ •«•"* .'• ■" >' >' r '' : ’ ■'• ' ; ; s’: t ; • • •' ' , ~« ‘l €temfiel!> fcpibficw^ A WEEKLY PAPER : DEVOTED TO LITERATURE, AGRICULTURE, MORALITY, A.ND FOREIGN ACT DOMESTIC INTELLIQENC^ Volume 4, should the time come when they wish to do so. It will be very melancholy -to look back and say, I might havo had it bright but 1 wouldn’t. From all of which I nm led to conclude that somo day, when the great account is made up, the number of speckled axes will be very much greator than people 14 those days are willing to believe. a short distance from the city o Boston, there is now livings white huired veteran, a soldier of the revolutionary war who is 99 yoars of age, ono in whom the firo of patriotism still bums brightly as it burned of yore—and whoso oyes still spar kle with the vivacity of youth, whan ho relates the events of“thoso days that tried mens souls ” Among the names of those lhe delighted to honor, was the namo of Gen. Jackson. That man he greatly rov crenced —ho admired the man for his he roism, and honored him for hiS devotion to bis country. About the time that Jackson | was elected to the. Presidency, a party of men belonging to the town in which he re sided, (they were Whigs, ofcourso)mndenn effigy of Gen. Jackson, and to gratify the malice they felt in their hearts towards him and the party by whom ho had been elec ted, they hung the effigy in a public place, called the '•green." A guard of eight men were stationed near to protect the image and the men who were then endeavoring to dishonor the name of Gen. Jackson. The old soldier, at this time more than seventy years of age, was informed of what was gmng.on, and of the threats that were made to shoot any man that should attempt to cut down the imago. Fired with indig nation at the insult offered to Jackson, ho shouldered his axe, and went, notwlthstan ding the remonstrance of his family, who trembled for his Bafety, accompanied only by his youngest son, who would not lot his father go alone on such a dangerous expedition. The firmness of Ins step— thedetermination which his whole domoan or expressed—his well-known attachment to his country and to its noblo defenders, conspired to speak out his purpose, and the axo on his shoulder needed no comment as he marched boldly up to the mock gal lows. , , , "Halt!” shouted the guard— “advance another step, and you are a dead man . and they leveled their weapons, pointing them directly at the old veteran. “ Fire if you will,” said he, “111 cut it down, if I die for it !" And down it went— not only down, but hewed up into fragments by the hand of the old soldier. Tho guard were perfectly astonished—they were awed by the bold ness of that aged man, with his white hair streaming in the wind as he bant him to the task, and they could not hurt him—but they quailed before tho fire of his eye, as he marched off in triumph before them they had not expected an attack from such a quarter, and it took them by surprise.— They would as soon have looked for a ghost among them as that venerable man whcwo head was white as snow. Ihey said it was nothing but his while hairs that saved him from personal violence—ho was an old soldier and they could not lay hold of him. _ , To such men, under God, we are in debted for liberty ! Long may their noble deeds be imitated by their sons,and them selves honored by a nation that reaps tho benefit of their labors. Infobmation Wanted.— William Nott ] left his homo in Mt. Solon, Augusta Co., j Va in July last, and when last seen was in Chambersburg, Pa., on his way toward , Canada. He was for the last twenty-five years previousa useful minister of the 8 0S " pel He is n man of about 50 or 60 years of oge and probably a little over six feet high; stoop-shouldered; hair very gray ; shabbily’dressed, and apparently much broken down in body by age and mental affliction. He imagines himself pursued by enemies seeking his life for his hereto fore fearless opposition to Slavery, and said ho would only be safe in CJnoda.- He left a respectable family and conne tion of relatives who are totally “““ ted with his whereabouts, if the above , person is taken and confined, he wHM) , sent for and all necessary expenses paid upon receipt of the intelligence of his 1 whereabouts. Address, Daniel Funkhou ’ B er, Chambersburg, Franklin co., Pa. “HbHAS not AN I’VHeha.sn t! well sorry for him For ho has mlfthty little character who has noencmics. Hois nobody, who has not got plucjc en- K to get an enemy, Givens ratheraaour many enemi .. . vn r -,rrht 6'mcerity, ‘''' lovo o( tho things he candor and fea 1 ma n of earnest purpos fasioned 9S 'l n • {-nows hqvy VdMiitewWw itme„ ; cs-c«ry a: BwtfeM. ?r.l«*«Mr*. recehtiy‘manned his tenth i , Clearfield, Pa., Sepi. 3, 1853. THE CHINESE REBECS AND THEIR RELIGION. Tho following communication from tho Rev. James Colder, one of our mission aries in Chinia, gives tho most authentic statement of the religious aspect of the present movement in China that has come under our notice : Hong Kong, China, Juno 4th, 1853. Recent dovelopements of tho revolution now progressing in the Chinese empire, havo brought to light a fearturo of that movement which has arrested tho atten tion and secured tho sympathy of the en tiro foreign community. I allude to its religious aspect. At various times since tho commence ment of the revolution reports have been circulated, stating that those engaged in it were worshippers of tho one true God believers in Christ as tho Saviour of the world—and that they were uncompromis ing opponents to idolatry in evory form.— For the most part those rumors were dis credited, but recent investigation has shown that, strange ns they may appear, they have their foundation in trulh. The British steamer “Hermes” convey ing Sir Geo. Bonham and 6nite, last month forced her way to Nankin, which is now held by the patriots, and while there her officers witnessed facts, and were able, through tho great kindnoss of tho revolu tionists, to collect documents which forbid any ‘ further doubts as to the religious character of tho new movement. One of tho works issued by tho Gov ernment, called “The Book of Religious Precepts or the Thae-Ping Dynasty,” has been translated by Rev. Dr. Medhurst, or Shanghai, and has occasioned, as indeed it well may, an agreeable surprise to all who desire the salvation of the millions of China. It commences with tho declar ation that all men are sinners, and that it is the duty of all, subjects, as well as sov ereign; to woriship and servo God. It next presents an argument showing that anciently the Chinese had a knowledge or tho true God, and, subsequently, that in worshiping him they will not bo imitating foreigners, but their own ancestors. It next presents “A form to bo observed in seeking the Forgiveness of Sins, alter which is the following. Fon a. penitent sinner. i, thine un worth son or daughter, knecl ing’down upon tho ground, with a true heart, repent of my sins, and pray I hee, the great God, our heavenly Father, of thine infinite goodness and mercy, to for give my former ignorance and frequent transgressions of the divino commands. I earnestly beseech thee, of thy groat fav or to pardon all my former sins, and en able me to repent and lead a new life, so that my soul may ascend to heaven : may I from henceforth, sincerely repent and forsake my evil ways, not worshipping corrupt spirits, [gods,] nor practising per verse things, but obey the divine com mands. 1 also, earnestly pray thee, the great God, our heavenly Father, const antly to bestow on me thy Holy Spirit, and change my wicked heart; never more allow me to be deceived by malig nant demons, but perpetually regard me with favor, forever deliver me from the evil one; and every day bestowing on me food and clothing, exempt me from calamity and woe, granting me tranquillity in the present world and enjoyment of endless happiness in heaven, through the merits of our Saviour and heavenly Brother, the Lord Jesus, who redeemed us from sin. I also pray the great God, our Father, who is in heaven, that his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. 1 hat thou would st look down and grant this request is my heart’s sincere desiro. This book also contains a “Piayer to God, for Morning and Evening;” a thanks giving tn be offered at Meals ;" “A Pray er for Times of Sickness and Affliction, and directions for conducting religious ex ercises on various occasions. The follow ing is given as the— fobh xo be used in teaming god. We praise God, our Holy and heavenly praise Jesus, the Holy Lord and Saviour of the world. Wo praise the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Intelligence. . We praise tho three Persons who, unit ed, constitute one true Spirit, [God.] 1 But perhnps, the portion of tho work in which your readers will be most interest ed, is that containing the “Ten Celestial Commands,” tho resemblance of which to ! the commandments us given to Moses, is I very evident. Theso I will subjoin, omit ; ting, however, tho hymns which, jn the original, follow the “commands, and which are but a repetihon in verse of the sentiment of the toxt; TUB TEN CELESTIAL COMMANDS, WHICH ABE TO BE CONSTANTLY OH3EUVFD. The first command.— -Thou shall honor | and .worship the Great God. . . i The Great God is the universal Father of nil men, in every nation under Heaven. 'Every rhdh‘is.produced and norished by •him ; every man ought,'therefore, morn ing and evening, to honorj and worship him, with pcknowledgmenta of hia gpaa * S- U ?.9m]W% spyyift en produces, nonshes and £ftfec<f Also, that being provided with food, we must not deceive Heaven. Therefore, whoever does not worship the Great God, brooks the commands of Hoovon. The second command. —Thou shall not worship corrupt spirits (gods.) The Great God says, Thou shalt not I have othor spirits (gods) beside nio. Therefore, all besides the Great God are corrupt spirits, (gods,) deceiving and de slroying mankind. They must on no ac- I count be worshipped ; whoever worships , I the wheie class of corrupt spirits (gods) I offends against the commands of Heaven. The third command. —Thou shall not take the name of the Great God in vnin. The name of the Groat God is Jehovah, which men must not take in vain. Who ever, tekes God’s name in vain, end roils against Heaven, offonds against this com- The fourth command. —On the seventh! [ day, the day of worship, you should praise ! tho great God for his goodness. In the beginning the great God made heaven nnd earth, land and sea, men and : things, in six days ; and having fimshod i his works on the seventh day, he called it I day of rest, (or Sabbath ;) therefore all the men of the world who enjoy the blessing of the Groat God should, on every seventh dny, specially revorence nr.d worship the Great God, and praise him for his good- I ness. , The fifth command. —Thou shalt hon or thy father and thy mother, that thy days may bo prolonged. Whoever disobeys his parents breaks] this command. . ' The sixth command. —Thou shalt not kill or injure men. ... , He who kills another lulls himself, nnd he who injures another injures himself.— Whoever does either of these breaks tho above commnnd. . . The seventh command. — 1 hou snail not commit adultery or anything un- All the men in the world are brethcrn, and oil tho women in tho world are sts tors. Among tho sons and daughters ot the Celestial Hall the males on one side and the females on tho other, and not at lowsd to intermix. Should either men or women practise iowdness, they are con sidered outcasts, as havingoffendcd against one or the chief commands of Heaven The casting of nmorous glances, the har boring of lustful imaginations, the smok ing of foreign tobacco, opium, or the sing, ing of libidinous songs, must all be con sidered as breaches of this command. The eighth command. —Thou shall not rob or steal. ... Riches and poverty are determined by the great God but whosoever robs or plun ders the property of others trangrepses this command. . . The ninth command. —Thou snnlt not utter falsehood. , . , , AH those who tell lies, and indulge in devilish deceits, with every kind of course and abandoned talk, offend against this command. , The With command. —Thou shall not conceive a covotous desire. When a man looks upon the beauty or another’s wife and daughters with covet ous desires, or when he regards the ele ganco of another man’s possessions with covetous desires, or when he engages in gambling, ho offends against this com mand. , . As the leaders or the revolution not on ly teach but also observe the above “pre cepts,” and ns unvarying success has thus far attended them, may wo not hope that the “good time” for China is not far dis tant 7 Let all who would speedily see this vast empire brought beneath tho sway of King Immanuel, lift up their hearts and voices in earnest prnyer-to God : and the n niver of the faithful will bo heard, and the present contest will result iu the downfall of idolatry, and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom in the hearts of this icople. Uncehtainty op Law. —A laughable illustration of the heading of this article occured in Ulionis lately, as will be seen by the following from the Peoria News : 'Mr B. was out hunting with his rifle, nnd crossing the field of Mr.C., a French man, C’s largo dog attacked him savagely, whilo C. stood looking on, without attempt ing to call off his dog. B. getting out of patience, shot the dog, and he felt appar ently dead. C. in high dudgeon, forth with got out a warrant, and had B. arrest ed for killing the dog—swore to the killing, and was corroborated by two of the neigh bors, who were present at the shooting.— The magistrate fined B. ten dollars ahd costs, which amounted toaboutten more. B. paid the fine and costs, and when the parties got horpe from the trial tho. dog had come also,"and was «?t killed. B. then got outa warrant against the French man and his two associates'for parjury, in swearing B. had 'killed the.dog were frightened, nnd made peace with a. paid h»m back his twenty dollars, and ten j rtiore for his trouble—and no trial was had; and when the parties got homh from the, last suit, lot the dog was dead, i ! ; • wonted of Jolin Leh raan . whp with his; two row !M0 ■ • *' ( * 1 i*i '* <**-■ .’ ■ .. . . :;,i. . • !' ■ ‘‘ Number 34. BEPORT OF THE CANAL COMMISSIONERS. In reference to the recent “ Strike on the Allegheny Portage Railroad. The undersigned met nt the Mountain j House, on the Bth of August., for the pur pose of enquiring into the causes which led to the recent strike among the operatives on the Alleghany Portage railroad. A committee which had been appointed by the parties aggrieved, were in attendance land ready to afTord every facility in their ! power to a full investigtion. ' That the mntter might assume a tangi ble form the Board addressed the following note to the committee: Mountain House, July Bih, 1853. Gbntlemkn : The board are now inses sion at thisplaco, and are prepared to re ceive (and invite) any communication which your committee may have to make in reference to tho recent difficulties be tween the operatives and officers of the State on the Alleghany Portage railroad. Whatever charges you may have to pre fer against any of the said officers, you will please submit in writing, and name the witnesses by whom the charges are ex pec teb to bo sustained. The Board will af ford every opportunity for a full invest*ga- I tion ; and if tho result shall show that any ! agent of tho state has been faithless to his trust, ho will be dealt with accordingly. Resncctfull}'! yours, WM. T. MORISON, Pretident. Thomas Collins, Esq., nnd others, com mittee on part of operatives on the Alle ghany Portage railroad. To this they received an answer as fol- l0 " S Mountain House, July Bth, 1853. YV. T. Mon ison Esq.,— President of the Board Canal Commissioners: Sik In reply to yours of this date, wo make tho following charges, and sus tain them in the following manner; Our first charge as set forth in tho ad dress of the operatives of the Alleghany Portage railroad is : That many of us have boon in tho employ of the common weak 1 for months, without receiving any pay. This charge wo will prove by the follow ing persons : By Daniel Brophy, wo will prove that at the time of the strike there was between fifteen and sixteen months wages due him, and that every time he knew there woe money paying out by tho superintendent he tried to get it, but did not succeed. That William bhiels, do. eleven months. Harkins Ott, between eight and nine months, Terrence Hudson, do. between ten and eleven months ; William Kerns had fourteen months due him. We can give any number of names, if neces sary, for similur periods. , The seoond charge is : That hands have been compelled to sell their time at a discount. . _ .. We will prove by Riohard Trotter, en gineer at the head of plane No 4 : That ho had to sell three months of his time at a discount of ten per cent, at a broker s of fice in Hollidaysburg, after the passage of tho appropriation bill. That Homy Downey and O. H. Kelly sold at the same place, at the same rate. That Daniel M’Manamy sold six months time amount ing to 842 dollars, and had to pay ten per cent, discount; part of this time was sold to A M & R- White and the rest to Bell, Johnston, Jack & Co. Those persons are now present, and any amount ol names can be had of persons who were compelled to sell. But these we consider sufficient. The third charge is : That the check rolls sold to the brokers, &c., firstffind their way into tho treasury. That M. M. Ada™ a member of this, found audited in the Au ditor General’s books, a bill of his, which from the time he sold, to the date of its au diting, did not exoeed two months. 1 hat it was for materials furnished for the road and amounted to over eleven hundred dol lars That he sold tho bill to Bell* John sion.Jack & Co., and paid ten per cent, discount on it. The fourth charge is: That there was 800,000 of bills and check rolls which found their way into the treasury, which had not passed through the superintendents hands. This charge was not made by the men on the strike. But was told by Mr. Crawford, and also Gen. Ross, By a statement of Mr. C. Connor, audi ting clerk, to two of this committee : That immediately after the passage of the appro priation bill, one of the clerks of the 1 reas ury office carried in two bundles of check rolls and bills, amounting to between 875,. 000 and 880,000, which were receipted to F. R- West, Esq., late Superintendent Al legheny Portago railroad. Ho said that aomeof them wore audited, and the balance wero sent back to the Superintendent s ol fice in Hollidaysburg, as they had to be re ceipted to Gen. Ross before they could bo nudited. They were sent back qnd prop erly made out, und all nuditod, with the exception qfn few bills. The noxt eharge ia : That men have been discharged With out being paid, and were compclled_tQcal several times for their money. This i such a common occurrence op .the road, I ad render's it almost, useless to any any- I thing about it, as every map \yho knows I anytbing obout the road, knows tbis ta Bio madner of doing tartyMftjffi.&,»& •teen inserted that the officers of . tpo /oad n ussvav. mu p 3do 8 monrht. 4DO j ooTumo 8-<»ooth». ,}^ do 6 moothi. 0 601 do B H® yptfl do,, 19 month!. Bqo l- /do* ,18 ,do, . . -WYC AW.nI (•dnath'd willb* mail* 'toM»i»t>Bnlii(»<lol.h»» «*ho.ndvertlia hytbayaar. ■ ../ti.rtad bv Oor papiioltonlauiinererr nelahboihood .anait'tt". _ noailr overt fanlly la tha coonty-ond ihMaroto lj oontfnlentand cheap meant for Iha bntlnett men ofiOiw obanly— tha merchant. mechanic,and nil olbttt-Jo dJJJJH the knowledia ol their lecalion and bntinete We ihoiiig Mb ato insert"'A Cord" for ovary M.echapjOe M>tonhnt. nno Professional man m thootwoty. W» bavo P 1 Ltik/iniencafoaohlnf Qpoo oorreadlnx coinm»s,and oomajh S?lSsiti^ebni“ne»rwilllo»ebyaUvertl»m*.M»»Wo»«2 jSfta aSSSStImV tha morooUen.jvsl* a «ao adf.iliHd thagfentof willbabUproQta. Boots, Jobs and Blnnks,. OF EVEBY DEaummON. PRINTfinjINTHE BEST STYLE, AND ON THE BIIOBTE3X notice. at the office op the "CLEARFIELD REPUBLICAN.” know nothing of the strike. This is rtc* true, as one of this committee, Cornelius Collins, had a conversation with Jessp R. Crawford, two or threo weeks previous to the strike, and told him that the strike would come off. Crawford said that the men on the road had not nerve enough to strike. These aro all that 1 hnvo been ap pointed to answer. Some of the other members of this committco haye soma charges to make, which will form a sepa rate communication. . , Truly yours, THO. COLLINS, Chairman , Without attempting to review the. <OH»- mony which was taken by the Board, in detail, it may be remarked generally, that it was abundantly established that otilio lime of the “strike,” there had been money due some of the hands for three, six, nine, twelve, and some even fifteen months. Tho effect of this was that many of them were obliged to sell their claims at a dis count of ten per cent. The Board cannot too strongly condemn a policy which would lead to such a rosult. Most of these claims were in the hands of meritorious men who had served the State faithfully by night land bv day, and it was a humiliating ad mission that a great Slate like Pennsylva nia should permit her honest creditors to sacrifice a portion of their claims in such a manner; and the Board earnestly hope that thore may never be a recurrence of this kind from any cause or combinatkn ofcausos, whatever. This brings us to the inquiry—“ How was this stato of things brought about T In answor, it may be stated, in the first place, that the appropriation for repairs and motivo power expenses, on the Portage road, for 1852, foil far, very far, below the actual amount expended. By reference to the late report ofthe Canal Commission ers, it will bo seen that the expenditure* exceeded the appropriation the sum of one hundred and forty threo thousand nino hun dred and seventy six dollars. In other | words, there was at the end of the last fis oal year, Ist of December, 1852, an uotual i reported debt of the abovo amount. A I portion of this debt was caused by the road being kept open day and night, during the winter of 1851-52, A double set of hands the whole time was indispensible, yet tbe measure seemed to bo demanded, as well by public sentiment, as a duo regard lo the accommodations of the travel and trade. To this enormous deflect, it is ap prehended, may be added a large sum which had not been reported by the late su perintendent at all. Should tho apprehen sions of tho Board, in this respect, be real ized, they cannot conjecture how it hap pened. The most charitable way that it can be accounted for, is to say that it was tho result of inexcusable negligenoe.— Should any officer hereafter be guilty of similar conduct, and it be discovered while he is within tho reach of tho Board, he will be made a public example of at once. The appropriations to pay tho debt on this road and the current expenses of the present year, were not made until the 19ih dav of April last. Thus it is appa rent, that the disbursing officer on the road had no means within his roach loppy this debt, from the time of its creation in 1852, until after the 19th of April, I8f». nor had he the means of paying the cur rent exposes of the present year. Under the act of assembly, the Superintendent can only draw thirty thousand dollars at one time. Ho must then disburse that sum, return his vouchers to the Auditor General’s office, and have them audited before he con draw any more. It appears from the books of the State Treasurer, that the superintendent had drawn between the 10th of April, 1853, tho day on which the appropriation bill passed, and the 19th of June, tho day on which the “strike occurred, the sum ot 8101,886 58 all ofwhich had been disbursed This was a much larger silm than tipd been disbursed in tho corresponding period of last year, if indeed it be not more thqn has over before been paid out on that road in the same length of time. Ofthe ftbqve sum, about 882,000 had been purchased by sundry persons from labordrs, and ptn ers, at a discount. In the opinion ofthe Board, these claims should not hove poen paid at the lime. \ They had been purchased on speculation, and should not have been paid until all flts claims in first hands had been discbatgjM. the proprieiy of this course isriPW the more obvious, since itis.known.that f appropriation will he exhausted boffin* the whole debt will bo liquidated, and thufl Ilia parties who mirchased theso sftwka .W » discount, will have,been roimbursqd.jvhjja many of thoso meritorious men who sorved the State faithfully, (anf Spina Of them top, in limited circumsmOePi) jWjjl have to Wait, perhaps nhothoi'year, • , It is due the disbursing officer, hoWeVdr to say|’that at the time these pjalma WPta paid, It waa bcliovod tho apptoftruMh would cover the entire .indebtedness Af-tWe I road. The views of the Boaro in njmni to the future course ofna auperinlqdMWa as well as supervisors, in'this respect, sufficiently indicated it] which wore burg in Juno, and nflerwaMa ddndwd Rf the boatrd at Johnstown, pn ihe
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