Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1858-12-30
MR.. ROBINSON'S LETTER.
OFFICE OF THE r. F. AND P. r. r. Co. !
Rich,n0nd December IS 1885,

/ ~~SAo~~Ao 80
of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Company,
the 18th instant but the state of the weather and
the condition of my health at the present moment
compel me to abandon the idea, Be assured that
am with you in the spirit if not in the flesh. Inland
herewith power of attorney for you to represent
the stock for which subscribed, and shall hope to
hear.of a faithful and harmonious meeting. The
road is fixed fact in the estimation of all in
this quarter, and place before you more
certain assurance that sach is the case, than the
closed article which extract from the Richmond
Enquirer of the 18th instant. You and your friends
have only to go ahead and act if the entire CAPT.
tai was subscribed. There will be difficulty in
obtaining the necessary amount readily, as the
minds of the people everywhere, and of capitalists
in particular have arrived at the conclusion that,
with this road completed, it will be emphatically
the highway of the nation, and such, the certain
precursor of fine dividends the capital invested
Yours in truth,
To ROBERT Bowie, Esq, Marlboro, Md.
This Report was received and approved.
Upon motion that the meeting proceed to the
election of Directors, Col. Selman, of Anne A
rundel, suggested that all gentlemen entitled or
claiming to vote should be invited within the
bar which was accordingly done by the Chair
man.
Some conversation then arose touching the
mode of election when Mr.. E. w. Belt calledat-
tention to the 9th section of the charter, which
provided that the first election of Directors
should be held under the superintendent of at
least three of the Commissioners, and that it was
necessary that ma jority of the stock should be
represented in the meeting before it could pro-
coed to elect. The said section also provided
that absent stockholders might deputc others to
vote for them. 1t would therefore, appear to
be necessary to ascertain, first of all, whether a
IF tncly fol nd
so, to designate the Commissioners to conduct
the election.
Samuel II. Berry, Esq, at this point raised
the question, whether verbal authority from
stakeholder could come within the words of the
9th section so as to authorize the person receiv-
ing the same to act proxy for the stockhold-
err? He stated that he had been SO authorized
by large subscriber, and that other gentlemen
held similar authority from others.
Col. Selman expressed his opinion that the
authority ought by all means to be in writing,
and that the admission of mere verbal proxies
was without precedent and might lead to trou-
BILE and confusion.
Col. VIM. D. Bowie also strongly objected to
ers, principally upon the ground Of its being a
bad precedent This meeting ought to be guild
ed by the same rules which would govern the
company when organized, and it surely would
not be contended that these mere verbal author
tiles were always to control it's action. They
were indefinite, often incapable of being ascer-
), tanned, and might open the door to fraud
Where the authority was in writing, there could
be no mistake or trouble.
Mr.. VIM. R. Barker, Esq, was also clearly
Iopposed to any representation here of absent
srocKnorders, without the production Of an au-
: thority in writing. He concurred with the gen.
tlemen who preceded him, in deprecating the
allowance of verbal proxies, as calculated to
produce trouble, and perhaps to invalidate the
proceedings of the meeting. The authority was
of the character of a power of attorney and
: ought to be in writing. He believed the prac-
tce of similar bodies was always to require it to
President of the Virginia company, (who mis- ht
be presumed to know,) who had sent ss,1He,
authority to vote his stock.
Hon. L. F. Bowie contended that no subscri-
Der ought, in the absence Of due notice of rule
to the contrary, to lose his influence at this first
election, because he had only given to another a
verbal authority to vote for him nor did he
| think any words in the charter would operate
any such result. On the contrary, by the sixth
section, the subscriber was expressly allowed to
''depute" any other person to act for him, and
such person, so ssdeputed," was to be admitted
as his proxy. 1t did not require this ''deputa-
ton" to be made in any particular manner, but
by the use Of the broad term ''depute," clearly
left it in the discretion of the subscriber to make
it in writing or otherwise.
This discussion was proceeding further, when
d. G. Digges, Esq, suggested that it seemed to
be out of place, inasmuch as the first business
lseemed to be to ascertain what amount Of stock
was represented in the meeting. He according
ly moved that the lists be called over, and the
subscribers present answer to their names.
Mr.. Belt suggested that the holders of writ
ten proxies should also answer for those whom
they represented, as there was no question of
their right to vote, and that the said proxies
should be delivered to the Secretary in order
that they may become of record. Which was
agreed to, and the Secretary proceeded to ascer-
tain the parties in attendance and the respective
amounts of stock which they held.
At the conclusion of the count, the Chairman
announced that it appeared that seven hundred
and thirty-fve (735) shares equivalent to the
sum of $3.50, $780, were represented in person OF
by written proxies-being a majority of all the
shares subscribed for.
The point raised by Mr.. Berry touching the
admission of "verbal proxies" then came up,
when that gentleman submitted the question in
the form of resolution, as follows:
Resoloed, That any person present who may
have been 'deputed" verbally or in writing, to
act as proxy for any subscriber, shall be entitled,
at this election, to vote the share or shares of
such subscriber"
Col. VIM. D. Bowie moved to amend, by
striking out the words ''uer6azly or"
Mr.. Berry warmly supported the resolution.
He had no interest in its passage further than to
do justice to many subscribers, who were not a