The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-03-05
BALTIMORE.
g SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1859.

The Bill granting the franchise of constructing
and working Horse Railways, in this city, to
Messrs. TRAvERs and Others has passed the First
Branch of the City Council by a large majority,
and is said to stand fair chance of being equally
successful in the other. Although it makes seve-
raj handsome bids for popularity, by lowering the
fare to four centsper passenger, by compelling the
whole construction and equipment of the roads to
be effected in Baltimore, and by returning annual
tax of ten dollars each, on all the cars regularly
running-we object, both to the principle of the
proposed ordinance, and to its details. As we
have already pointed out, when the city is called
upon to allow certain parties an exclusive privi-
ege in the streets, that privilege ought to be pur-
chased at its real value, and this can only be as
certained by offering it to public competition.
Further the city should never relinquish its right
to control the Streets any part of them, for ever
In fact, we doubt whether it can, lawfully, do So
So valuable and important trust cannot be
guarded too carefully. Every part of the plan
should be Systematically laid down-every street,
on which tracks are to be placed, should be indi-
cated;-and we have no hesitation in say
ing, that the right to lay down tracks in
every street Ill le Guy ouSht never ~ pc STdneu
to the same parties. A monopoly of the most
dangerous character will thus be created. There
will be no room for the wholesome principle of
competition The town will be completely at the
the mercy of private company, and must SUBJ
NIT to whatever terms it may choose to
impose. We consider limitation of the dura-
ton of the grant absolutely essential to
to be incorporated in it, and would oppose any
conditions, no matter how apparently favorable,
without this protective feature. In all probability,
the most absolutely equitable manner of granting
the privilege, would be to let those have it, who,
giving all the required guarantees of excellence in
other respects-would carry passengers at the low
est rate-whereas, if revenue is to be derived
from the use of this franchise, it WILL in effect be
taxing one part of the community for the benefit of
the rest
The bill which has passed the First Branch appears
to u.s. grossly defective in detail, even if we waive
all objections to its general intention. We will
point out, by sections, the principal defects which
occur to US. The first section, after naming many
streets-some for single and others for double tracks
concludes by comforting general power to lay
down "a single or double track upon such streets
'as may be necessary for the public convenience"
Is the public generally aware, and do they
see the effect of this? Not only the streets named,
but every one in town-including those,
even wherein single track is before specifically
this clause may have double or single tracks laid
upon them. Section five provides that ''the cars
''running upon the said railways shall not stop
"ahd remain standing on the line of their routes
do NJ hon
are to get out or in. In the same section the fare
is limited to four cents per passenger, 'from any
one part of the city to any other" This appears
to be concesSum wrung from the applicants by
competition. We fear that it will not be retained.
The sixth section seems to us highly obiectona-
ble from the fact that it does not provide for the
passage of cars frequently than at intervals of
ten minutes-and while six miles an hour
is fixed as the maximum of speed, there is
no minimum prescribed-a matter quite as
important. One car every ten minutes at snals
pace would be no great boon-yet such will be
the result in all probability if there is efiectual
provision against it. The eighth section ordans:
That until the Association agree with the omnibus
propretors for ''their horses harness, carriages
''and stabng" they shall not break the streets;
and goes on to make provision for an award if the
price demanded be excessive. 1t does not seem to
have occurred to the Branch that if the omnibus
owners should decline to agree to sell - and
no power on earth can compel them to do So
that they may postpone the consummaton of
the enterprise, and continue to run their
coaches for an indefinite period. The tenth sec
ton requires book to opened within thirty days,
TO receive subscriptions to the capital stock of the
Association from all citizens of Maryland disposed
to become stockholders. We apprehend that the
act of subscription, without previous act of in
corporation, would render all subscribers general
partners in this business, and therefore there
does not seem much reason to suppose
that this provision is intended, or expected to
be generally taken advantage Of We think we
may safely dismiss the Bill as it stands, with the
expression of hope that cooler and wiser, and
perhaps, we may add, without going too far, more
disnterested counsels-wl prevail before it is too
late.