American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-01-02

bly, no reference at the time to previous legis-
latlon on the same subject. BY the Gath Sec
ton of the act of March session, lS4l, chap
%, deliberate promise was made to keep at
| the Treasury an accurate account of the reve-
nue. paid by the City of Baltimore, Howard
District and the several counties, and to trans
fer to them respectively, all equivalent amount
OF the stock of the State in the Chesa peake
and Ohio Canal Company, whenever that COM
panY is prepared TO make dividend of sir per
cent to its stockholders The prudence and
proprieiy oil such an enga cement may well be
doubted; but the sacred obligation Of the State
to fulfil it, ought not to be questioned. Even
in the absence of such an insuperablc obstacle
to the sale of one of the public works, the time
has not arrived when such a purpose could be
consummated, without sacrifices too serious to
| be encountered
The last report of the Baltimore and Susque-
hanna Railroad Company, which will be COM
munlcated, shews gradual augmentation Of
! their trade and transportation. Daring the
last year there has been an increase in the num-
Der OF passengers transported of l4,l62, and in
the quantity Of produce and merchandise of
SIS, los, 739 pounds. The amount of trade pass
ing over the road during the year has been
greater than at any former period, and exceeds
by forty-lise per cent, that of the year imme-
diately preceding. The steady increase Of the
trade on tile road between Baltimore and Pitts
bnig, may be learned from the fact, that the
whole amount Of transportation in 1889 was
A, lO5 tons, and some pounds, aud during the last
year it increased to the amount of is, IL 3 tons
and some pounds. The amount paid into the
| Treasury during the past year by this company
was $4,000. This gradual augmentation of
the means of the company, and Of the amount
! Dt ltc ANIMAL pp riipfiopc n thn Trnacur,,
courages the hope that the day is not far distant
when its contracts with the State will be faith
fully complied with, and admonishes against
serious sacrifice of tho States interest in its
| stock.
The relations of the State to the Snsquehan-
ma and Tide Water Canal Company are not
those of stockholder Governed by laud-
able desire to encourage the enterprise of our
commercial emporium, the State loaned to that
company It's bonds to the amount of one mill
lion of dollars. The annual interest thereon
being at the rate of fire per cent? and payable
in London, amounts to sos, GOO. This compa-
ny, during the past year, has paid into the
Treasury only ten thousand dollars, and stands
indebted in the sum of two hundred and two
thousand dollars, for interest in arrear. There
is reason to believe that tile annual receipts at
the Treasury, from this company are far short
Of its means of payment. The last annual re-
port of the company is not before me. By
their report of the year ls43, it appears that
their receipts for that year were Ss5, 1888,
and that their entire expenditures for salaries,
damages, repairs, incidental expenses, &C.,
were 25,933.ll, leaving nett profit to the
amount gilmore than $50 900, which the com
pany were under the clcarest obligation to pay
over to the State of Maryland. As the works
of this company are completed, and in full OPP
Grafton, and the value of the States interest
therein may be readily ascertained, it is re-
specially submitted by the better Judgment Of
the Legislature, whether measures ought not to
be taken to compel full payment of the annual
interest due, and speedy liquidation of the
whole amount of the interest in arrear. The
financial condition of the State will not permit
her to be generous. She has not the means to
be just.
| No material change has taken place within
| The year in the receipts from the Baltimore and
OHIO, and Washington Branch rail roads, " hen
compared with lnrmer years The dividends on
the five hundred thousand dol avs of stock held
in the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road Company,
fall short of the interest payable on the bonds
issued tor its purchase. But the dividends, and
capitat,on tax on the Washington Branch, add
ed to the small dividends on the Main Stem Of
| the road, exceed to small amount the whole
interest payable on the million of dollars IN
bonds issued by the State to pay for its stock in
THEFT oiks
The capi,aton tax on the Washington
Branch, received at the Treasury for the year
ending LIST December, 1914, amounts to S4l,-
040 20. The same tax Tor the three preceding
years averaged annually S40,l57,i6 This
average shews that the receipts are less than
they ought to have been, when the peculiar
c'uses operating to increase the travelling dn'-
ing the year, and the natural increase OF our
p ,puiatIon, are taken into consideration. 1t is
surpo ed that this failure to enlarge the income
may be traced to the establishment OF several
lines of stages which run daily between Balt'-
more and Washington CITY, and convey passen.
gers for sum less than that which the rail Dad
Company il by IT'S charter authnriZed to charge
II VIII be remembered that the attention OF
the 1t gisat1re, at its last session, was invited
to h alleged decrease OF the States ircome
frem the capi'ation tax, in consequence OF the
high charges on the road in COMPARISON with the
terms OH which the Norfolk line of steamboats,
were carrying passengers on the Chesapeake
Bay. The General Assembly did not then think
proper to inte' pose by any modification OF the
charter Of the rail road company. The whole
subj ct is again respectfully submitted to Jour
con Iteration.
nursag the recess, my attention has been di-
| e"ted To the eighth section Of the act OF De-
crmbrr 'ssion 1882 chap. us, which gives to
the Governor, during the recess "f the Legis'a-
tu'e, the rig't 70 author I'VE the Board OF Direc.
tors, haviag charge of the Washington Branch
rail Rad, 10 reduce the fare for transporting
pa.srnge b. low the two dollars ard fifty cents
fixed by The charter Of the company. Believing
that, under the circumstances, it would have
been improper to exercise this discretionary
po~er,the authority was not givrn to the Board
The csarg for transporting passengers should
be perman mt, and regulated by law, and not
regulated BY the arbitrary discretion OF any in
d;vdual c,iiz n. holding, for the time being, the
otfire Of Chief Magistrate If the transporta-
non OF travellers rom Baltimore to Washing
t"n city. is to b. confined exclusively to the
rail r ad. FIR the brrefit Of the State, and the
o. K holders Of the camp nv, it cannot with