Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-09-18
For the Enquirer.
For Tie EnQNlTcT.
THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAIL'RoAD-Ihh
SCHEME

S. Gazette, signed "a Baltimore Stakeholder,
The writer promised 10 treat of The Pittsburgh anu
Connelsyille Railroad scheme. | have not yer
seen in your paper any lufment ofthat PROMISE
and as some facts connected with that scheme ale
not a little remarkable, beg leave 10 call your
attention TO them. They deservelo be more gene
rally known and considered than they have been.
| Ii is through this scheme that the Legislature oi
Pennsylvania is supposed TO have granted, una
wares, TO the Baltimore Company ample PRIV
| leses, which were refused by the more deliberate
| enactment of the same body al the same session.
On the Sd OF April, 1887, an act Of the Legs
| lalure of Pennsylvania was passed, ITO lncorpo-
rate the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad
Company" and it authorized that company 10
construct railroad from Pittsburgh blythe course
OF the Monongahela and Youghogeny rivers no
some suitable point al or near Connellsyllle, and
TO join or nterseet al that poinl, or any other prac-
ticabe point, any other improvement, either oy
| canal or railroad" The notion has since been
started, as understand, that this clause may De
construed TO authorize that company 10 extend It's
road indefinitely over the territory Of Pennsylya-
MIA; as for example, TO the Stale line near Cum
berland, although Connesville is about hallway
between Piusburg and Cumberland. Tins con-
sruclion is open 10 serious doubt, and clearly Inc
Legislature may hereafter, by declaratory act,
improvement, so as 10 limit it 10 The plain and
obvious purposes OF the charter.
On The 18th Of April, l643, another act was
passed entitled San act for the relief OF the over
scers OF the poor Of the borough OF Erie and Tor
other purposes" 10 which by some means had
been hitched section, whereby the above men
toned acl 10 incorporate the Pittsburgh and Con-
nellsvle Railroad Company was revived and
continued in force. But the next day, ooh
April, l843) was passed resolution entitled,
"a resolution egalizing the election of justice
Of the peace in the borough Of Dillsburgh, IN The
county Of York, and for other purposes" This,
in fact, consisted of series OF resolutions, the
seventh OF which repealed 50 much Of The above
| act OF 18th April 1913, as authorized The Pitts.
bureh and Connesville Railroad 10 be extended
| beyond ConnelIsville. From the history OF the
| times infer that this was done with distinct
view Of heading an attempt 10 make TINS cnarter
available, for purposes which the Legislature
had opudiated-purposes similar 10 those lor
which il is now sought to be used so the mat
Ter Stood until last Winter.
Al The last session OF the Legislature OF Penn
sylvania bill was introduced 10 enable The Bal
limore and Ohio Railroad Company 10 extend its
work 10 Pittsburgh. twas once defeated but be-.
ing once resuscilaled, il was passed near the end
of The session with such clogs and restrictions as
rendered il wholly nugatory and useless 10 The
Company In the mean time, however, The fol-
lowing curious legislation had been enacted, quile
absilnfio, and without dissent, although the ques-
ton OF extending the Baltimore Railroad 10 Pitts
burgh provoked fierce contest.
An act was passed, entitled, "An act 10 autho-
rize the Court OF Quarter Sessions Of Allegheny
county 10 yacale Delaware Lane in said coun-
~, and for other purposes" il contained seven
| sections, six oil which related 10 Delaware Lane
| and certain alleys in Pusburg and other liltle
matters The sixth section is as follows: THAT
The seventh resolution OF The resolution entitled
"a resolution egalizing the election OF Justice OF
the Peace in the borough OF pittsburgh in The
county OF York, and Tor other purposes, approved
The 18Th day Of April, lS43, be, and The same IS
hereby repealed; and tina, The seventh section Of
The original act, entitled IAN act for the relief OF
the overseers OF the poor OF The borough Of Erie,
and for other purposes passed The 18th day oil
April, IS43, be, and The same is hereby continued
in full force" The effect OF this singular section
was TO revive The charter Of The Pittsburgh and
Connellsyille Company, unrestricted by the resp
luton OF The 10Th OF April, lS43. As part OF the
act relating TO delaware Lane" il stands IN the
midst of five hundred pages OF legislation done al
the last session, including innumerable laws
about trAing local affairs which probably passed
without the notice OF one-enlh ofthe members
It's effec! was never understood until the Legisla-
/
now understand, boast Of the successful viSl-
lance with which they kept their secret from The
knowledge ofthe legislature and The public.
| They praclised The same willy caution in OBJ
tanning certain amendments which were neoessa-
nv Ia give effect To their scheme. These were not
| embraced in the act about Delaware Lane nor
brought forward in an independent bill relaing,o
the Pittsburgh and ConnellsvIe rairoad-one Q!
| them, indeed, no, venurins 10 take so consplcu-
i IL ..lffn NJ
saiicyum law An act was passed, 9th April,
| 1896 )entitled San act to authorize the Commits
| sioners OF Lycoming county 10 borrow money,
| and for other purposes" containing several Sec
| tons on divers subjecls-(one, for example, re-
| aing 10 premiums on fox scaps)-and the laa
clause OF The eighth section is found 10 appoint
certain gentlemen additional Commissioners Tor
| the Pittsburgh and Connesville railroad. 10
another act "auihorizing The laying out Of State
road from the borough OF Orwigsbursh, Schuyl-
| kill county, TO nerseci public road leading
from Easlon 10 Mauch Chunk, and Tor other pur-
poses" The ninth section regulates the tolls TO he
| taken on the Pittsburgh and Connelsyllle rail-
road
BY such shifts, scrutiny was escaped until The
session closed, and then the Stale authorizes
suddenly found that, by an obscure section,
Struggled into petty act, they were construed 10
have overlhrown the declared policy oil the Stale
| and oil themselves on an important questloh.
was then proclaimed, that, by availns itself OF
the Cunnesvile charter, The Baltimore and Ohio
Company could and would construct is road
through Pennsylvania, in spite oflhe Legislature;
although, indeed, this charter only purporled to
authorize the people of Pennsylvania TO make
road according to Virginia phrase1"'wSith, their
own money, over their own ground" II has
been suggested, thai tho means BY which this
legislation was procured would viiiate Il as
charter or coniraci, upon familiar principle, ap-
piled 10 private, if not public contracts, and that
therefore, it may be repealed at any time. How
ever this may be, the moral character OF these
proceedings is not debaeable, and the Baltimore
Company, by Identifying itself so readily with
them, has seemed al least, not too scrnpulous.-
II probably does not seriously intend, however,
to proceed under a charter which must only
place ii on footing OF continual war with The
Legislature Of Pennsylvania. lis design, more
probably, is, merely by demonstration towards
| Pittsburgh, 10 promote the plans which il is ma
turing for another effort in the Legislature oil
| Virginia a VlkGlNlAN.
prIpI n, MEETING, IN ACCOMACK,