Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-06-11

creek iS
Philadelphia to Pittsburg, via
Penn'a railroad, 367 miles
Pittsburg to Grave creek 100 ="
Philadelphia to Grave creek
through Pennsylvania. 476 miles
The distance from Philadelphia to Grave
creek by the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
is,
From Philadelphia to Baltimore, % miles
" Baltimore to Grave creek, $40
Philadelphia to Grave creek by
Baltimore Il Ohio railroad, 468 miles
i Difference in favor Of Baltimore ant
Ohio route eight miles.
! Thus the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
can, as respects distance, compete witt
Philadelphia and being free of taxation o
any kind, must be successful in its compe
tition not only for the trade of Baltimore
Jm also that Of Phi1Odelphia herself
So you see, Mr.. Speaker, from this fact
that it will require low tolls and CORES.
ponding rates of transporting to enable
the Pennsylvania railroad and the State
improvements to retain their present trade
BY the report of the Baltimore &
Ohio railroad company for the year 1850,
| observe that the receipts on that road
from passengers, mails, and merchandise,
have amounted in the aggregate, during
the year to sl,343,S sos ~. OF this sum,
S905,267 90 were received from freight,
1895, $40 so from passengers and S42,.
1O1 As from the transportation of the
mails Now, sir, L have before stated that
this road is only in use to Cumberland,
where it connects with the National road
leading to Brownsville, the head of slack.
water navigation on the Monongahela, and
that all trade passing or to it from the
Ohio river went by that Slackwater navi.
CATION, and National road to Cumberland,
requiring two transhipments, after leaving
Pittsburg. And yet, you see that the re.
ceipts foor freight on the Baltimore and
Ohio road during the past year, nothwith-
standing these disadvantages amounted to
the large sum of over 100000. The
expenses of working the road and keeping
it in repair, during the same period, were
s609, ,5S8 S5-less than fortysix per cent
of the gross receipts Showing an aggregate
of nett revenue of s734, ,2l6 42-cquivalent
to 9-67 per cent. upon their capital of
S7,5SS,700. Irefer to these facts, sir, to
show the present prosperous condition of
our Southern rival ; and that notwithstan.
ding the advantages We possess, she is able
now to considerable extent to divide our
trade at Pittsburg.
Yet by the bill under consideration YOU
propose to lay additional and unnecessary
burthens on the Pennsylvania lines of
public improvements between Pittsburg
and Baltimore-and thus as soon as the
Baltimore and Ohio road reaches the Ohio
river at Wheeling or Parkersburg, prevent
the Baltimore trade from ever reaching
Pittsburg at all. Sir, you completely
counteract the advantages of free navi-
CATION on the Ohio river, which Pittsburg,
the Iron City Of the west now enjoys, by
imposing eXorbitant taxes on trade after it
passes that point on its way to ar eastern
market. DO you think, sir, by the selfish
policy proposed in the bill to tax the York
4 Cumberland road, you can divert the
trade from Baltimore entirely? Surely
the Senator from Philadelphia does not
suppose that Baltimore will not be able to
command a fair share of the trade of the
west, when she has an uninterrupted line
of railroad from the Ohio river to her own
ports, without touching the territory of
Pennsylvania-free from taxation and in
dependent of our legislation, 1t is true
We have advantages-business is establish.
ed at Pittsburg-western merchants have
their agencies there-forwarding men their
warehouses and depots-the lines of com.
munication are stocked in every direction,
steamboat lines on the Ohio river eOrnec. |
with the canal and railroad lines though |
have also the advantage
Of geographical position. But, MIR. Speak
er, all these will not save us unless we
continue to offer by our own route, as
cheap transportation, as quick time and as
good market as can be furnished by
other states. We must cultivate our ad-
yantages, or suffer the consequences.
Ifthe trade between Pittsburg and Balti.
more be left as it now is, unembarrassed
by prohibitive taxation, the tonnage both
ways may be safely estimated at 100, 900
tons annually. The distance from York
TO Pittsburg being 2S7 miles at 3 mills per
'on per mile, would make the annual pay.
nent into the State Treasury from this
source alone sS6,000 which would be
,qual to the annual payment of the interest
1t the rate of per cent, on 81, ,722 900 of
he state debt. This estimate of 100000
;ons can not be regarded as extravagant
The tonnage on the Baltimore & Ohio rail-
.oad amounted in 1850, to 477,000 tons.
As revenue measure, therefore, it is
the interest of the State that
he rate Of tax to be fixed should be one
hat would produce the largest amount.
Che amendment of the Senator from Frank.
in, proposes to tax the freight at the rate
# three mills per ton per mile. 1t is be-
ieved the company can pay that tax, be-
ng the same imposed on the Pennsylvania
abroad, and compete at least for fair
hare of the business, which would ineyi.
ably be diverted to the Baltimore and