The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-02-22
what the Baltimore and ohio Rail-
road Pays to ths stnie OF Maryland
Every Year


road Pays to the stnis OF Maryland
Every Year
There is rival company, called the
Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Com
pany. that is just now attempting to
build road that shall run nearly par
aIlel with the Washington branch Of
the Baltimore and Ohio road. Mr..
Garrett, President of the latter road, /
has recently been at Annapolis, before 1
the Senate of Maryland, in regard to /
the interests of his company. He is re-
ported by the correspondent of the Bal
tinore Sun, as giving in the following
testimony in regard to the sum paid by
his road, or rather the Washington |
branch OF it, to the treasury Of the State !
of Maryland
1.-THE statement Of the president of
the Baltimore and Potomac road, that
the State Of Maryland might anticipate
q revenue hereafter of, probably not
more than $4,000 per year from the
Washington branch, wasimost clearly
IA gross mistake. For the past six
months one-hnh OF the revenue from
passengers betwixt Baltimore and
Washington amounted to upwards of
$50, go. AT this rate, which may be
now derived from the regular business
of the company, the aggregate from this
source would be $4,000 per year, and
10 per cent. on the permanent invest
ment of the State OF 1855, 600 in the stock
of the Washington branch, viz, $50, 900,
would make the aggregate revenue OF
the State from its interests in the WASH
ingtOn branch upwards of gle, 900 per
year, instead OF the estimate OF Presi-
dent Bowie, viz: so, 600 per year"
This paragraph, which is an anthem
tic statement from the President of the
road, shows that after all that has been
said, the company get no favors from
the State OF Maryland, that they do not
pay for. Not more than one
third of the road runs through that
State, including the Washington
Branch. and yet the company pay one
hundred and sixty thousand dollars
per year. True that amount is in the
nature of bonus for the exclusive
right OF way between Baltimore and
Westinghouse very lucrative grant,
but still did the State not get that bonus,
no doubt she would demand something
10 counterbalance it, either in the shape
of taxes or some other shape. The
State of West Virginia, through which
3i3 miles run, does not ask bonus, but
simply fair return for the protection
which her laws give to the company's
immense property, including its fran
chises. Maryland is IA large stockhoId-
er in the road. fAnd she gets, as Mr..
Garrett testides, in addition to the
Sl6O, 900, the sum of S55, 600 in the way
OF dividends. All this she gets in addi-
ton to the commercial advantages To
Baltimore on account of which the road
was in the first place projected.
KHuHWhR River Improvement.
We lay before our readers this morn
ing the petition OF certain prominent
capitalists in New York city, asking
for 4 liberal charter from the Legislature
for the Improvement of the Great Ka-
nnwha river. William IL. Aspinwau
and other wealthy and Influential citi-
Zens of New York, are the siSners of
the petition, and they give it as their
opinion that one million six hundred
thousand dollars can readily be raised
in the city of New York alone, il that
amount should be required to make the
RHnawha river nnvigable at all seasons
of the year for shipping coal.
They cite the fact in their petition,
that whilst Kanawha sends out about
two millions OF bushels annually to
Cincinnati, Monongahela sends an
nuhlly thirty-two millions to Cincin-
nnti and the lower markets.
We are informed that these petition
ers and other Northern capitalists have,
since the year 1850, expended upwards
of two millians of dollars in endeavor-
ing to develop their coal lands on the
Great Kanawha and its tributaries, Elk,
Coal and POcotalico rivers, and all their
efforts to mine and ship coal profitably
from that region have so far proven n
failure, which failure is attributed to
the uncertain and imperfect navigation
of the Great Kanawha. They now de-
sire to remedy this by making the nav
igation of the Kannwha as good for
shipping coal ns the Monongnhela. 1t
is therefore greatly desired that n liber-
charter be- granted the petitioners and
Others interested in this great work.
WE fear our readers ARE mixed up
on the Reconstruction question, which
has been changing phases with consid-
cradle rnpidity for the last few days.
First we had the stevens bill, next the
blaine amendment, third the Sherman
substitute, and lastly the Shellabarger
amendment. The whole bill, us thus
variously amended, has been passed
10y both houses and sent to the Presi-
dent. Its points are these:
l. Probationary military protection
for those to whom the local authorities
refuse IL.
=. The so-called State Governments
good behavior.
). Reconstruction of the State Gov
ernIhents on the basis OF universal
male suffrage, with Constitutions in
conformity with the Constitution of the
United States, and acceptable to Con-
gress.
1. The ratification of the Constitu-
tiOnal Amendment.
:. Restoration of State government
and representation in Congress when
these conditions are fulfilled.
We do not notice the names of any
Of our members of the House recorded
either for or against the bill as it final
ly passed. Messrs- Wiley and Van
Wrinkle voted for it in the Senate.
An OPPORTUNITY Losr.-Nearly every
man has in the course OF his experience
TO lament lost opportunity to accom-
Plish some remarkable thing. 1t seems
that Mr.. Johnson, with all his success
in rising from the humble position OF