The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-03-18
CONGRESSIONAL.

on GEORGIA /

Mr.. DODGE Of lows, said !; Nay friend from Georgia
will oblixe by stating the principles oi hs bill, aud
the facts upon which he rests those principles
Mr DAWSON am obliged to my friend | vii
do so and more length my remarks when Published
The Geogia Railroad Company was Chartered and
commenced in 1885, when railroad IRON was exempt from
duty, and when The policy OF the government bad been
strongly expressed by returning all the duties pala
on such iron. Having commenced. u was under the
moral necessity OF completing The company was
crppled by the revision al 1897 and ioa0 but moved on
as best could The iron was not needed Sntl lsa3 and
ordered in that year, but none o arrived nli after
The company had graded The road however and made
every preparation for the rails. and was obliged 10 i'm
port the rails they could moi be made IA this country
a, that Time There other coinpanes slowly pFu-
xress.ne yilh the one advocating shey, too. very
seriously s BE evso1 nsye os T1s5sa 0 Conn m
pany the Red River Railroad Company, Monroe Rail
road Company, and the West Feliciana Railroad Com
pany Being all embarrassed by the times, and not being
able comply with the provisions OF the act OF 1884, tey
all applied Congress for relief Among lhe emoaIdass.
ed companies the West Feliciana railroad, That
company presented its memorial for teet The Georgia
Railroad Company also presented petition, which was
referred The Committee On Finance IN ls44mark as
BY pressing this subject further, tina, bill
was reported by that committee which will be found IN
the bill book of the Senae OF the Iweniy.nln'h Con-
gess Is lS4,) entitled An act 10 remit duties which
have accrued or been paid upon the importation OF raul
road iron in cases" That bill returns The duties
upon all rails within three years after ihey have been I'M
ported for any road which was ana established
prior to the 30lh Of August ls43. This bill was passed
by the Senate and was sent TO the House but was not
acted upon Immediately thereafter lhe several conpa-
MES made individual application Tor relief. and IRON time
to time, they hape been relieved The West Fehclana
and Georgia railroad among The hrs to start IN Their
works OF Improvement, remain YET 10 oe aclea upon
have been thus particular III my statement IN reation
to the claims Of the Georgia company that may be seen
that il has been acted upon before, and that II ihe bill
had been passed by the House would long since have
had its duties returned. Ii is also worthy Of observation
here that the Senate did not refer 10 the time when the
iron came in, but when the railroad was surveyed and
rraI xph.rh tha frnn crIfp
1892 il will be perceived, does not under Its provisions
refer to when the rails imported, but when they
were permanently laid down for use lhe moment ,hs
work commenced the govenmenl-durIng the act OF
1S32stood pledged 70 return the dues ior every road
began under its provisions The main reason Tor com;
mencng the enterprise grew out oil the indncement hfd
out by Ctngress conpanies that their rails, when laid
down permanently for should be freed IRON duties
The company says, and with proprely, 'lhat when
they projected aud commenced their Improvement, they
had reason TO apprebend change OF policy policy
manifested only by erepting rails from duty, bat by
refundng large already paid by those who had no
to expect such bounty by previous encourage
nent."
such were lbe provisions OF the act of 1892, under
which the Georgia Railroad Company were invited by
The government 70 embark in making their road
The attempt draws distinction between the Georgia
Railroad Company and the Feliciana Company, II we wish
our aws,o rest upon equal and exact JUSTICE cannot be
sustained.
They both entered together in their respective enter.
prses; both were invited 10 do so by The promises OF
Congress- and they both laid down Their rails at the same
time II is alleged, however, that the Felciana Company
imported their iron fret but il was not pretended they
wanted il fret !, was lnsl as necessary 10 he one as
The act OF Congress OF 1884, under which these compa
MES started, did not consider the Importation important
All that the government concerned about was that
the rails should be permanently laid dorm for use and
when certificate Of that fact wa made out TO the Satisfaction
oe Secretary Of hs Ireaay the duiies were 10 be re-
turned Indeed, may well be questioned whether the
law under Which the dutes claimed could IN justice
be made TO apply 10 reads IN prosra as Congress im
pedy stood pledged 10 all who embarked undef the act
If ht lie spfny
Its repeal could only operate upon new companies com
meDced after lis repeal ..
The company further represent that he only prpel,
pie necessary their relief has already been recognised
by Congress- the rigid requsuons OF the ac having been
relaxed IN iavos OF companies which had imported ont
failed lay down then iron before March OF lS43. In
principle rhng difference in the time OF importation
can make difference, when the necessity for the i'm
por,aon bad been created previously 10 the passage OF
the act As the srce could not be obtained OF Ameri-
manufacture, IT was purely aqueson OF rspenue, and
the legal right had accrued as clearly 10 the
one case as IN The Others and he claims 10 lhe ,ndul
gence Of the in both cases equally strong
Upon full review OF the facts in this case, Is seen
that this company wac greatly embarrassed by the fevul'
sion Of 1897 lSs0 bnl that they nevertheless went
with their crippled means which prevented them from
importing By lew months, and laying down the rails
within the mt said TO be required by the new law Per-
baps, however, may not be out OF the way TO show,
before conclude, hat be first act passed TO suspend the
provisions Of the ac OF 1892 enacted for the beneh,
OF Pennsylvans company, and SEEMED 10 have gone
through without any difficulty. This was passed the
very day that the imposing duty railroad iron
10 20 INTO et.eci-March 3. lS43 II runs thus;
'An ior the relief Of Thouss Weaver and Jacob II y
berger securities Of the Norristown and Valley Railroad
Company.
"Bs enacted, That the time for actually and perma-
neny laying upon said roed iron Imported into the
port Of Philadelphia by the Norisown and Valley Railroad
Company sutite the n drawback OF duos, rs
hereby extended tur year. Nc And w. during he said
term III year, the sutees 10 the satisfaction o
the Secretary OF the Treasury that the whole
tho said railroad has been actually and permanently
laid railroad OF the Uned states, then he ~ 10
order and direct he wboe, pfoporonste patt OF the
Judgment 70 be marked saed, upon the defendanrs pay
lag cost"
posed Of and yet they give the surees year 10 satisfy
the Secretary OF The Treasury that the rails LAID
doun for permanent use. All that the government IN.
sisted upon proof that the rails bad been laid down
and used rails upon railroad, and had not been used
for ank other pwps for II used Tor any other purpose
the rails would be liable TO aytiea, This, as have
stated was the FIRST relief act and was Tor Pennsylva
mia and that time other sections OF The Union have
been asking for relief where the works bad been com
menced under the invitation and promises OF the act o
1899; and The fact OF CongTess giving one yea
ferred TO. proves gsisipep that il intended "a
apply the law 10 roads eomneed And as the two houses
have been thus liberal 10 company of Pennsylvania n
but JUS thai Georgia, Mississippi, and other States
should be treated with like kindness
1t will require logic than | am mnsier o TO 60
nome to my constituents and Try 10 satisfy them that The
georgia company that commenced with ibe Central
Georgia and RED River aud Monroe Railroad Companies
and me West Feiiciana Company, are not entitled 70
ntn OF oues on their rails, while all The other conpa
nies Just named are
Because one company, forsooth for their rails
few months IN advance Of The other, that s TO have
their rails duty reeand that too when both had started