A. L. Bishop — The State Works of Pennsylvania. 259 



It was provided also tliat tlie Sunbuiy and Erie Railroad Com- 

 pany might sell any or all of the lateral canals should it seem desir- 

 able to do so at a future date. This privilege was subject to the 

 condition that, if the works should be sold for more than $3,500,000, 

 thre6-fourths of the excess above this amount should be paid into 

 the state treasury. Subsequently all of the canals were disposed 

 of for the aggregate sum of $3,875,000.* Accordingly, $281,250 of 

 this amount were handed over to the state. 



The com])lete withdrawal of the state from the ownership and 

 control of the transportation improvements was the cause appar- 

 ently of little or no regret either at the time of the sale or after- 

 wards. As nearly as can be estimated, the words of Governor 

 Packer in his message to the legislature in January, 1859, repre- 

 sented the prevailing feeling regarding this matter. He said: — 

 "I have an abiding confidence that the result will abundantly prove 

 the wisdom of the measure which, while it guaranteed the com- 

 pletion of one of the greatest improvements ever projected in the 

 commonAvealth, it at the same time divorced the state from the 

 unprofitable and demoralizing management of her canals and rail- 

 roads. Whatever differences of opinion may at any time have been 

 entertained in regard to the propriety of the details of the legis- 

 lation authorizing the sale of the main line or branches, it can 

 scarcely be doubted that the public welfare will, in every respect, 

 be vastly promoted by the transfer of the management of the public 

 works from the state to individual owners. The short experience 

 that we have already had proves conclusively that the commonwealth 



Philadelphia on account of the Erie canal, a railroad was commeneed between 

 Sunbury and Lake Erie by authority of an Act of April .3d, 1837, which 

 chartered the Sunbury and Erie Railroad Company. Very little was done 

 toward building the road, however, up until the time of the sale of the public 

 works. It was believed that by the terms of the bill reported on February 

 25th, 1858, the railway would be completed. By Act of March 7th, 1861, the 

 name was changed to "The Philadelphia and Erie Railroad Company," and 

 on January 6th, 1862, it leased its property to the Pennsylvania Railroad 

 Company for 999 years. 



* Sales were made as follows: — ^The upper and lower North Branch divi- 

 sions were sold to the North Branch Canal Company for .$1,600,000; the 

 West Branch and Susquehanna divisions to the West Branch a,nd Susque- 

 hanna Canal Company for .$500,000; the Delaware division to the Delaware 

 Canal Company for $1,775,000; total, .$.3,875,000. — See Exec. Docs., 1858, 

 Governor's Message, p. 6. 





