Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1845-04-14
REPORT
Of rHE COMMITTEE OF INTERNAL In
PRovEMENTs RELATIVE TO the BALlI-
MoEE AND RAIL Roam

PRoNEMENTS RELATIVE TO THE BA LII
MOLE AND RAIL ROAD.
MIR Burnside, from the Committee on
inland Navigation and Internal Improve
nents, TO whom was referred the bill from
he Senate. eutit'ed "An Act Ia authorize
he Baltimore AMI OHIO Rail Road Cons
pany, 20 construct IA rail road through
Pennsylvania. in direction from Balti>
more 10 the Ohio river n, The city OF Pitts
| oarg,' begs leave to report:
That they have given The subject their
most mature deiibcration. Al the early
part OF this session OF The Legislature,
the application OF the board OF trade oil
Putsiurg. was referred TO your commits
tee. Several gentlemen from that city,
ol distinguished and deserved reputation.
appeared before them. The reasons then
urged for the grant Of the right Of way
IN Pennsl lvania to this foreign corr ora>
ton, were, that the Legislature OF Vir-
ginia was about g:antnI the same COM
pany the right Of way through that Stale
10 Parkersburg, on the Ohio, about two
hundred miles below Pittsburg, and that
IN consequence Of the dillisllies Of the
OF the navigation Of the Ohio, between
Parkershurg and Pitsburg. the travelling
and trade would leave the Ohio nj Park
ersburg, and thus our Improvement " on I'd
be partially abandoned. Whatever weight
and consideration this argument was then
entitled 10 i, is not nov of consequence
as the Legislature Of Virginia have refu
sed to grantthe privilege asked for by the
rail road comp ny.
New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
and 10 some extent Virginia. have for
The last twenty years been expanding mil.
lions of money, TO secure each for itself
the immense trade of "the Great West -
When our system OF Internal Improve.
ments was commenced, the an,i-canal
counties Gas they have been termed)
would agreed to no imrroyement-the
connection between Philadelphia and
Pfisburg, was as Objectionable to them
as any Other part Of the system, and hence
combination was formed between the
friends Of the main lina and branches,
and Pennsylvania has been plunged INFO
debt exceeding forty millions OF dollars.
! Oar great eastern and western cities were
TO he connected and this connection was
believed to be necessary from the mighty
efforts viii, were making to promote The
prosperity Of the cities OF New York and
| Baltimore. II would be useless and un.
Prohlab'e task for your committee, al this
late day 10 examine the question, whe;h.
er our predecessors pursued the proper
course OF policy Sufficient for Us is he
fact, tiat the connection has been made,
and that an enormous debl has been con-
tracied, every cent Of which must and
Inv ho Of
mia. Ours is the duty 10 have these
works so managed, that they will bring
into the Treasury Of The Common weaith
the greatest amount Of money possible,
aud thus diminish the direct taxation
which Is now bearing with heavy hand
upon our common constituents
The construction OF rival improvements
must necessarily work serious injury to
The interests Of the &, mmonwcalih, aud
among those rivals, none is 81 m.so TO be
feared; none hes SO great capacity TO
produce iEj"ry. as he Baltimore and Ohio
"rIIroad. II has been The antagonist i'm
2rovement from The begin ning-its very
conc, rtion was with this view, and in its
already unfinished state, it has operate d
most prejudicalIy TO our public works -
| 10
friend and foe, ii will have all the travel
and upon it, The larger portion Of The west
ern trade. will find its WY 10 the Alton
tic seaboard.
Your commi tee do moi believe that this
railroad viii. ever reach the Ohio river,
unless Pennsylvania wall give 10 the
company the right Of way Virginia has
refused 10 permit them to 60 to Parkers.
burg, and although she has granted lhrm
the privilege Of constructing their road
TO Wheeling, it is under such restrictions
and with such limitations, that the com.
pany can never accept the terms; not on
~ are they compelled to pur base and
pay for the Winchester and Potomac
railroad, to assume its debts and discharge
ITS Liabilities, but they are TO reduce the
fare on the Washington branch of the
road. two fiiihs OF the present price moi
'nly are all subscriptions on the part oil
the State OF Virginia Withdrawn from the
road, but the right is reserved 10 tap the
same, by either public or private coinpa>
nies-not only IS the road subject 10 tax,
alton but the Baltimore AMI Ohio comma
ny are to establish pts, and allow
switches 10 be put in with sideIings and
branch tracks, beside other provisions
which your committee need not call to the
attention Of the Ii'usc. The ACT of the
| Virginia legislature, passed the 2nd oil
April, a ID. 1888, contained no such on
crous restrictions. Ii contained sub
scrIplioD OF the part oil The State, the SUN
OF one million fiity.eleht thousand fuur
hundred and twenty dollars. 20 the capi-
taI stock 1T the company. il required the
city OF Wheeling and The citizens Of tho
county OF Ohio, TO subscribe an additions.
million, and imposed no severe restric
lions. Now why did not The company
carry their road to Wheeling, when they
had so favorable a law and SO liberal a
grant oFmoney? Simply, because in the