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

nave entered lntO an arrangement WITH I'll
several Philaaeladhia Transportation Com
| panies by which discrimination is mad
in favor of seid Companies for the trans
portatiOn of merchandise over their road
, and against the Merchants and Traders 0
the city of Baltimore.
We are informed that certain descrir
tions of produce are transported Mrouy
, from Cumberland to Philadelphia at tn
rate of forty five cents per 100 pounds
while the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
, Company charge for similar produce .Jiti.
: cents to Baltimore.
We are also informed that dry good
: dnd other articles, for which the Baltimor
& Ohio Railroad Company charge th'
: Baltimore Merchants 80 cents per ION
pounds, are taken by said Company fol
the Philadelphia companies at the rate O
7-l2ths of fifty cents per 100 pounds, be
ing about 90 cents per 100 pounds.
We respectfully ask that you will in
struct the Directors on the part of the city
in the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Com
pany to inquire in this matter, and if the
above statements are correct, that you will
further instruct said Directors to use all
means in their power to have such dis
elimination discontinued for the future"
! Sir, is it not evident from the extract
have just read, that the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad is nor, at this moment, sir
carrying the trade of the west past your
public improvements not only to Baltimore,
but to Philadelphia itself, and in return is
delivering the Philadelphia Merchandise
at Cumberland, a distance of LIS miles
from Baltimore-from thence the trade
and travel take the National Road to
Brownsville, and from that point take the
Monongahela Slack water navigation to
Pittsburg, thus avoiding, under the disad-
vantages of broken connection, requiring
two transhipments, the Pennsylvania I'm
provements entirely! Sir, if these things
''be done in the green tree, what may we
not expect in the dryP"
/ Mr.. Speaker, The point to which I
especially call the attention of Senators is
this, The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
is on the verge Of completion to Wheeling.
BY recent act of the Legislature of Vir-
ginia, passed with great unanimity, COM
pany has been Incorporated for the con-
tinuation of a Railroad from the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad near Clarksburg. Vir-
ginia, to Parkersburg, at the mouth of the
Kenhawa. Now, Sir, if Pennsylvania
would preserve the advantages of her geo.
graphical position, instead of attempting to
drive the Baltimore trade off of her canals
and railroads by closing up the outlet to
that city, by prohibitory taxes, or the
York & Cumberland Road, she would with
out-stretched arms invite the trade of the
west to Pittsburg, by offering at the cas-
tern terminus of our improvements choice
of markets. You must offer all the ad-
vantages our improvements possess, or how
do you expect to draw the trade of the Ohio
past Cincinnati, past Parkersburg, and past
Wheeling to Pittsburg?
Is it not plainly to be seen that by lay
ing this tax, you are offering just so much
of bonus to the Baltimore 4 Ohio rail-
road, and that it will as certainly as there
is a sun in TIE heayens,a ,as soon rs that road
shall have been completed, drive ail Balti-
more trade from the Pennsylvania canal
and the Pennsylvania and York and Cum
berland railroads, to the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad? That road will be finished
to Wheeling in the spring of 1S52--and
most probably to Parkersburg as soon as
the work can be accomplished. Will Sen
ators rise in their place and gravely tell
me that such a rivalry is not to be feared i?
and that it is better to contend with Balti- /.
more for the trade of the West at Parkers-
burg, or at Wheeling, than at Harrisburg,
the capital of onr State, after it shall have
paid toll and freight charges on more than
$50 miles of our canals and railroads
Sir, such an idea is preposterous. Suppose
it to leave the canal at Pittsburg, and take |
the Pennsylvania railroad; in that case the
State would receive three mills per ton per
mile from Pittsburg to Harrisburg; which
is the most unfayorable view of the sub
ject-for if the trade passes over the State
then she receives q much |
larger sum. But if the tonnage be turned
towards Baltimore, at Wheeling or Parkers.
burg, how is it to benefit any human being
in this Commonwealth BY such legis-
lation, we affect the revenue Of the State
to the amount of three mills per
ton per mile over the whole line on all
trade diverted from our channel, and to
much greater extent if we drive the trade
off of our main line of canal. We affect
the interests of the Pennsyl-
vania railroad and consequently the inter-
ests of Philadelphia as the largest stock
holder in that company-and We deprive
the city of Pittsburg of the advantages she
now enjoys, as the great depot of the Up.
per Ohio for produce and trade destined
for Baltimore. Sir, we do more; we not
,nly unwisely intlict an irreparab!e injury
upon our own State-upon our own com
our own cities-and upon
3ur own forwarding merchants, but we en-.
rich our rivals. We build up the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad, by pouring into
heir Golfers the profits derived from the
OF the trade that we have
foolishly rejected; enabling that company
% compete more successfully with the
Pennsylvania railroad and the line of i'm.
provements belonging to the State.