Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1856-04-22
Railroad Monopoly Bill I'm tIhe Ohio
'f, es Legislature.
REPORT IN rnE HOUSE OF REPREsENTATyEs---
Presented By THE HON. John cHENY.

l. ] q
REPORT in rnE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
PRESENTED By THE HoN.itoHN cuENy.
The minority repor, Of The selec. Com-
miuee, 10 whom was commiued Senale Bill
No. 143. TO proIec, municipal corporations,
&C., being unable 10 agree with the majority
Of The Committee, beedeavc respectfully TO
submit their reasons for such dissent: Ia
The undersigned areNof lhe opinion. ihpl
both The original Bill. as i. came from The
Sera,e. and as i, will be- ~ amended us pro-
posed, should be ind. fnilel8 Rns,pored.
Ii the jfrSt pdce, undse both shdpes Of
the Bfil.rlhe operation Of q general law oil
This Sale is made contingent and dependant
upon the voters Of one county in the Stale.
Such contingency we mus, regard as un
constitutional. Had such a contingency
been pan of the general law itself, every
onr would have seen i.s urconsliiulionally
proUiso 10 The general Rail Road law, sus'
pending, by direci words, lis operation, until
lis provisions bad been approved bv the re-,
specliPe counties, would moi receive single
vote in either branch Of The. General Assem-.
bly,; nor would prOviso, excluding The
Hooking Valley from it's provisions, fare uny
better. Can that, which canno, be done di
recily, be done indiIec.ly2 Does that,
which would have been unconstitutional, in
1852, as pRr Of The original Bill, become
constitutional as an amendment, in 1861
In the second place, il is obvious that .be
General Assembly cannot pass general
act, enacIing, in so many words. that Rail
Roads may be legally built in every county
county Of the State. save tve; and il GER
sain!y carno. delegate power, i. does moi
itself possess, 10 The voters Of single coun-
W. The Bill, as now proposed 10 be amen.
ded, means simply this: that The general
Rail Road law OF this Safe shall not be ap.
plicable 10 The counties Of Athens and
Washington. These counties are treated as
aliers-.he sovereign STATE right Of emi.
nenl domain therein is suspended, and the
citizens Of these counties barred Of rights
enterprises and undertakings open to all
other cilzens. The majority Of these coun.
ties dictates 10 the minority how shall ii in.
vest ils own money.
In The third place, the Bill makes The
party interested the judge in It's own case.
Pass The Bill, and the counties OF Hooking,
Fairfield and franklin become sulors q! The
bar Of popular sovereignty" in Washing.
ton county. and the Judge is no, the tribunal
fixed by the Constitution, but The parry in
leres.ed in denial Of justice. Il is no. a
Bill allowing Washington county 10 decide
its own business, bu, 10 decide that Of other
counties. The principle OF The Bill, once
iLaugura,ed, will make the border counties
of The Sale The arbiIers in all Internal I'm.
p,ovements, and the interior of the State
will have TO d'pend, for the inle,s and out.
els OF lis rade, upon their diclum. Every
border county will be the Toll house loi The
rest. Under such policy oil and every
avenue of trade will be thwarIed in ils
proper course. 1t introduces q system oI
litigation, from which mus, fow deplorable
consequences. What j. done 10 ore Road
this winter, will be done 10 Others next win.
Ter, ana no Rail Road would be safe unde'
the system. Admit the principle Of shis
Bill. and your successors may extend IL &c
every charter in The State.
In the fourth place, the Bill is an nvidi
ouA and lily concealed ut,emp, TO grunl 10 the
people Of one country the exercise OF the
po'cer Of repeal The corporation, which
this bill spemp's TO legsla,e oul Of existence
lind it certainly means no more aud n,
less Than reprul of the charter ui the Co
lumbus and Hocklug Valley Railroad, and Q
perpetual injunction against lis further con
sIfuclion,-has violated no lawn one o
It's stockholders complains, creditor
hers is in danger OF loosing single dollar
the individual properly owners have, II
part, yielded her The right of way; and al
desire lhs Road. .--expenses have been in
Cured Tor surveys, &c; and yet, wilhou
The shadow OF a complaih,, wihou' single
petition Tor its repeal, il is 10 be stuck dowT
wi,hou. being heard, wi,hou, trial. wi'hou
even The commonesl forms Of justice. Cai
il be possible iha, this Legislature will thu
grant the power Of repeaiug corporate fran
chises 10 The popular vo'e of ono county
Could the power Of repeal bel pu. into more
dangerous form?
In the .fj1h place we most respectfully
slate. that this Bill is attempted 10 be passed
bv false appeals 10 cernin unlipO'hies
which are supposed 10 exist here agains
Virginia, In lha. state the passage ol sncl
q Bill will be hailed by every enemy o
Ohio, and will be deeply regretted, by he
friends. Eastern Virginia will applaud
law which esuanges Western Virginia iron
Ohiu, and which puts the finishing stroke Il
her policy; which is TO separate Weslerl
men and interests. Richmond and Norfoll
have done all in ,hoir power to prevent Bal
limore from getting proper Rail Road con
neclons with Ohio. Isilnot passing slrang
.ba, On Ohio Legislature should be appeale,
10 for aid ard comfort TO the narrow polio
Of Eastern Virginia2 M
The Marietta Road has a charter up Gov
creek, or Middle Islnnd creek. Would Obi
consider /, fair for The Baltimore Road 10 g
to Richmond, and ge. .ha, charter repealed
under the pressure Of ami Ohio feelings
The question is however, misYepresen,ec
It's not between an Ohio and Virgini
Road. dis, whether an Ohio Road shal
through The popular vote Of one county, ral
! olher Ohio Roads, and prevent them lror
proper connections. Nay, more,--il is inc
king Washington county the Judge over ih
locking Valley; for the Bill lransIers
question. proper 10 be decided by lis people
IN the hustinua of n cotiniv