THE PASSENGER PIGEON IN PENNSYLVANIA 159 



The first clause of Section I, Article IX, of our con- 

 stitution, is, likewise, set at naught, by the unfair prac- 

 tice described in the above letter. While classes of sub- 

 jects may be legally made, for the purposes of taxa- 

 tion, there should be no frivolous or selfish motive 

 masked by a technical compliance with the statutes, 

 made and provided, while the spirit of the constitution 

 is made abortive. 



As stated in his letter, Mr. Dickinson has given a 

 brief outline of the tax history of the lands only, that 

 lie in the townships of Sergeant and Norwich, in Mc- 

 Kean county. The 5,000 acres in the counties of Cam- 

 eron and Elk are not included in his history of valua- 

 tion and the taxes levied, which became so burdensome 

 that the owners decided, about five years ago, to re- 

 move the bark and timber as rapidly as possible. It 

 had been held by them 24 years, since 1888, and was 

 the last forest of original hemlock timber left in the 

 entire state. 



The last hemlock will be cut into lumber in the 

 near future, and the small trees can become great when 

 forest fires cease to destroy them. Like the pas- 

 senger pigeons, the hemlock timber of Pennsylvania 

 has served mankind and is gone. Both may be cul- 

 tivated in future years ; but never shall either be seen 

 upon the earth, as the birds and the trees were be- 

 held fifty years ago, when our Black Forest existed, 

 clothing hills and valleys with verdure and the gloom 

 of a real '^imberland." 



