The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-08-16

dollars for precisely the same service he giving Bat
the full advantage Of her commercial position but
he is doing nothing He is not discriminating in
favor Of Baltimore merchants as against New York.
We have some doubt whether the full force of this
example will be generally perceived, and we pro-
pose at this time TO enter q little more fully into
the subject. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
proper extends from the city of Baltimore to
Wheeling. has, substantially, another hundred
miles, extending from Grafton, on the main line,
10 Parkersburg on the Ohio river The Wash
ngton Branch has nothing to do with the present
issue. The actual li3e of the road is what we have
described, but at both ends it has connections. by
rail or water which practically extend it much
farther both East and West. BY these connections
it is enabled to receipt for freight from the most
remoteaccessible points in the interior 10 the cities
on the seaboard, just as if its own line extended
over the whole country included in the ar
rangement. The tolls arising from the joint act
of transportation are divided among all the lines
concerned in it, according to some prc-arranged
scale. 1t is manifest, however, that none of these
has any claim upon the whole, beyond a pro rate
for services performed by itand the Baltimore and
Ohio is subject, Of course, to the same rule. In
Order therefore, 10 ascertain whether the policy of
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is a discrimina-
tive one, must know what is its actual share of
the gross toll received for any act of transportation
in which it is interested with its Connections
Now, in the case above put, we will assume that
ton of sugar is to be moved from New York and
Baltimore. resnnrti vnlr- to Gnlnnahns Ohio and
that the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad receipts for
H. LntI, U-. ole
that the gross charge to the STUARTs is eight dol
lars, while that to Mr.. bruno is six dollars and
fifty cents. Now there appears here, and actually
is difference in favor of the Baltimore market of
dollar and fifty cents ton, but it by no means
follows that there is discrimination TO that
extent in favor of Baltimore or that there may not
be actually a discrimination the other way. If
out OF the gross toll received from the MesSrs.
bruno and STUARTs, respectively, the share Of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is the same, or, as
we have sad five dollars from each, there is no
discrimination at all. Mr. bruno has nc ad-
vantage over the STUARTs, by the grace of the
road, but stands simply on the recognition Of his
geographical position. On the contrary, however,
should the road, out of The gross charge of eight
dollars against the Messr5 STUART, receive but four
dollars and fifty cents as its proportion, while eX
acting five out of the six and half received from
Mr.. bruno, it's discriminating against the latter
to the extent Of fifty cents per ton on his sugar, al
though there still remains, we have DC ore
shown, an actual difference in his favor of one
dollar and fifty cents per ton, in comparison with
New York. 1t is absolutely necessary, therefore,
to know the precise details of each act of trans
portation, 10 enable us to say whether or
not The policy of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad is discriminative, and in what di-
recton. mere statement of an actual diff
ference in the cost Of transportation from New
York and Baltimore in favor Of the latter to some
distant Western point proves nothing conclusive
ly, except perhaps, that our geographical advan-
tageh has not been entirely Disseminated away. This
would be n very extreme case indeed, although one
which has been actually reached in the present
policy Of the road, and even exceeded. OF course
the reasoning above, will apply just as well to
freight moving from West to East as the other
way, and it is in proof, so strong that the man.
agement has been more than once forced to admit
it, that goods have been moved over the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad to New York, at rates
which not only Disseminated away all the geo.
graphical difference between the two points, but
which made an actual margin apparent in favor
of New York. In other and still palmer words,
the charge for freight from points within the field
of competition in the West, has frequently been
less in the gross amount, to New York than to
Baltimore. 1t wllnot be denied that it costs
something TO move freight from Baltimore to New
York No matter how perfect the connecting ar
rangemens may be, there is q certain and nsupera-
-hlo pxnnnSa- which has to hn tnrod Ti,;o
cnlt to ascertain it, is Batimore's natural advan-
tage, and to destroy or weaken any part of that
natural advantage, no matter under what pre-
tence, by means of through receipts in combina.
ton with connecting lines, is to discriminate
against her. SO large is this natural advantage
in her favor that if it is only conscentously and in
yiolably respected, she needs no discrimination in
her favor. If the Baltimore aud Ohio Railroad
will only work as cheaply for Baltimore as for
New York, it is all that is required to make Bati-
more flourish. And here we pause to say, that it
is an insidious, covert policy discriminating away
q part of Baltmores natural advantages while
protesting to respect them that is most danger
Gus to her permanent welfare The management
is seldom bold enough to carry merchandise
through aYr streets to New York for an absolutely
smaller Bl than it would exact if the same freight
were stopped here in transiu. 1t has, however,
done so, and according to the best of our infor-
nation is still doing it in one remarkable in
stance, about which we shall presently speak
Whenever itdOes this SO completely has it reduced
the practice of discriminating against this city
without being found out, to fine art, that the
charge is met with denial and investigation is
generally set at defiance. But it is perfectly consis-
tent with the open policy of the management to dis
criminate away part of the geographical advan-
tages of this markets. for example when the
real difference between New York and Baltimore.
and some common point in the West is dollar
and half per ton, to make it one dollar or sew
cts, and to call the remaining difference
discrimination in our favor-and it is, we say, a
policy like this hich is most dangerous because
most insidions-a policy in fact which de-
stroys by a slow sap and notify coup de main.
So little have even some of our shrewdest men ap-
parently reflected on what really constitutes dis
that when Il small actual difference
in our favor, as compared with New York, is al
lowed to exist, it is boldly proclaimed as dis
elimination in our behalf by Mr.. GARRETT
and accepted as such by those who we
must he pardoned for saying ought to know
better. Thus, pending the investigation before
the last Legislature, growing out of a
charge that the Company had carried
freight during the past year at lower rates from
the Ohio River to New York than to BALTIMORE
Mr.. GARRETT, to rebut this accusation, produced
eight of our most extensive dry goods and grocery
merchants to show that he did not discriminate
against Baltimore on freight taken over the road
he other aeay-yery much like man indicted for
burglary Offering TO prove that he had not COM
nitted arson. Their printed testimony is before
rs, and not one of them, if they are not mis-
represented, seemed TO have taken into con-
;deration the nature of discrimination in its
proper senses but, under the lead and suggestion
Of Mr.. GARRETT, all were willing to recognize
my actual difference existing between the respec-
i've rates from New York and Baltimore in favor
If the latter as discriminating by the road in her
avor greater and more ruinous error could
lot possibly be, yet this error, or want of
exists almost universally. We
ind it has even crept into the columns of The
EXCHANGE in q remarkable instance, which will
low advert to, for purpose, however, beyond
hat OF merely correcting an inaccurate deduction
We have already alluded to the investigation into
he subject of discrimination against the trade of