Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-05-07
From The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Interesting Correspondence ee-Pennsylvania
Railroad. Z
Railroad.
LETTER NO. VI.


Deacon, and others:
Esteemed Friends.-In my last letter but /
one, referred to the bill then pending before !
the Legislature, authorizing the Pennsylvania
Railroad Co., to construct branch road
from West Philadelphia to the Delaware
front The President of the Company had
been requested by the Board to procure legis- |
lation for this purpose. aoithomt specifying at
qohat point ON the Delaware the road should !
terminate. 1t will be recollected that League
Island is on the Delaware. betoc Greenaoich |
Point The owners of League Island had
offered the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
ten acres for nothing, which they afterwards
increased to toenty acres, provided they
would make the terminus on that Island
This offer was of great value to the Compa- |
ny, whether accepted or not, because 1t pro-
duced competition and would prevent ertOr-
tionate prices Every business man must be |
aware of this.
For myself, I felt obliged to the League
Island owners for their generous offer, although
/ told them that thought it was inerpedsent
at the present time to make branch road
But if it should be decided by the Committee
and the Board, and confirmed by the stockhot-
ders to be ecpedient at the present time to
make a branch road, so far as it could lntu-
ence the judgement of others, they should
hare fair play, had never seen the Island,
and therefore could not judge. L presume
our friend Gratz, President of the Company,
owning the island, will SO testify. l was fully
aware of the tendency to Greenwich Point,
and pledged myself to show our League Is
land friends fair play. But what was my
surprise when I found that amendment
had been introduced by Price in the Senate,
and actually passed that body, confning the
terminus of the road to location north Of
Greenacich Point and south of the Nary Yard.
Thus cutting off League Island, beloU Green
wicb Point, and Washington street north OF
the Nayy Yard Now. who was the author
of that amendment? Would any Senator
offer such an amendment without consulting
the person who was urging the passage OF the
bill? We have seen it stated by the '' Presi-
dent of the Greenwich Improvement Compa-
NV that ace hare been unsuccessful an our
attempts to discover the author Of this interpo-
lation" What acompliment to Il. K Price.
What is an Interpolation? 'The act OF
foisting a word or passage into manuscript
or book Webster.
And what is the definition of foistP ITO
insert surreptitiously, wrongfully, or without
warrant" Have they applied to Eli K. Price
for the desired information? The moment |
saw the amendment to cut out my friends of
Jeague Island wrote the letter referred to,
the last but one to endeavor to prevent this
Injustice to them A number of the papers
containing my letter were sent to Harrisburg.
A Committee of Conference had been appoin-
ted by the two Houses relative to this amend
ment' so determined was the Senate to retain
It. It was, however, stricken out, and the
bill passed as originally reported, leaving the
Company to select the place for their Depot
south of the Navy Yard. Thus at least tie
sun, of one hundred thousand dollars acaS Sa-
Oel to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
And although my old friend, Z. Spangler,
saws there was no doubt about my unftness
for the Office of Director, still, if my efforts
have contributed in any way to save this large
amount to the Company, he ought to give me
some credit for it. Besides, they, it seems,
felt indignant at the Interpolation, and if it
can be shown that I used my efforts to have
it stricken out of the bill, it would appear that
l was aiding them to accomplish desirable
object Then why denounce me?
l am happy to announce to the stockholders,
that the cunningly devised bill a0as also de-
feated, which enacted that the p. R. Road
acas defeated according to the meaning of a
certain section of the charter. In using my
efforts to defeat this bill, 1 think have done
some service to the company. AS the charter
now stands, it requies that all the surplus
funds, after paying g per cent. to the stock
holders, shall be carried to the cost of construc-
ton. until the road shall be completed Not
completed by enacting that it is completed
but actually completed. The grand object Of
the Board should be, to turn neither to the
right hand nor the left until the second track
shall be completed. This year may accom-
plish it, if the funds should not be diverted
to other objects. There is a wise provision
of the charter, which declares, that not more
than Is per cent. of the capital stock shall be
subscribed or guaranteed to railroad conapa
mics an other States This limit has beer
reached, and the stockholders should guarC
with jealous care, that the provision shall no
be violated.
During the last week, whilst my attention
was directed to more interesting matters al
article went the round of the newspapers
headed Replyto William Neal, Pennsytoanit
Railroad, and addressed to you, whose names
the author acas surprised to find attached &
the call This article is signed by &C. E
Spangler, President of the Greenwich I'm
provement Company" Of course this Rept
must be the act of this Company, as it is signe'
by the President, unless there is another Pola
tton. presume that G. e. Spangler Under
stood the document to which he has subscri
bed his name, and which he had endorsed
1t is understood that he is director at th
same time, of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany, although he omits to say so. Now
wnat have 1 to do with the g Greenwich I'm
provement Company 1 am neither direc
tor nor stockholder of this company. An
what has this company to do with the affair
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
Has the latter company called upon the othe
,&1