Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-03-08
THE CONNELLsVHLE RAILROAD
AND THE PENNSYLVANIA
LEGISLATURE.


and for years past has been, reeking with
corruption. Col Mcclure is a frequenter
Of The Lobby, aud has been, within the last
four years, a member Of each branch Of the
Legislature. lie ought to know that where
of he speaks He can say, like 1lneas,
Ompia giA parS faL
We see no reason to doubt tho accuracy
of Col Mcclure powers of observation or
the correctness Of his information, and ae
not disposed to become the champion Of the
honesty Of the Legisature-would rather
undertake some smaller job--thougf we
think the present Legislature, would com
pare favorably enough, in this regard. with
some Of Its predecessors, as, for instance,
the Legislature which repealed the tonnage
tax and enacted the Sunbury aud Erie Rail
Road bill, wherein Col Mcclure was a
prominent member of the Senate, and Thom-
as A. Scott Of the Pennsylvania Rail Road
Company was still more prominent mem-
Der Of the Lobby.
So far as we have considered the subject,
we are inclined to regard Col. Mcclure 5
proposed Constitutional amendments with
- 0ne tbinr i vsrv snra some GREAT
,..c,,-,,4;ar ~ TT7rr;sl,,,r,. i nacoss.rr ana
,I,...s-l.-aaa5;rr
For example look at the Legislation in re-
gard to the Connellsyille Rail Road In
Is.ls tIot aor,r,org ,,ss ;noo~,,,,,tad and N
1gz- Ill ooa,,I.to ~, linz f-,r, pittsbnr,b
>. CaunoII.--;il, Ia ~ rLolo ,,ol h.
80 - C,,r,L..Iar5 an4 Ia ,r,.,,rod
roIessos f,r tba r;nbt of ,var or he ont;rc
ronto ILL., boJ MD o,gtra.e the sand
pa..l IT - - - -
- 'l.,'7 Iii g - ~. .ha..,,,
M G-aa;o1 oJ,,. - ~ - al fl,a
faiJnra Of Gen - L.. ~ ''li' "a .
the road. postponed temporarily any further
work 1t was not until 1863 that the fnan-
cisl a fairs -r - - '''''' 'lo company
warranted further effort to complete the
road. In the early part OF 1904 Hon Ben
jamln Latrobe' the President OF the eompa,
ny, advertised the whole line from OonneIIs-
ILIe to Cumberland to be let on contract
Just then the Pennsylvania Legislature, 10.
stlgated by the Pennsylvania hail TOAD
company, nteriered, and recitng IN the
preamble Of the act that the road had mis-
used and abused its charter, repealed, for
that protessed reason, the charter. The
matter went into the United States Circuit
Courts and Judge Grier ruled, the Lsgisla-
ture could not thus take away vested rights.
That the question of misuse or abuse of
chartered privileges was for the Courts that
it could only be decided by jury. Accord
ingly a jury was empannelled at Williams
port asst June, to determine the fact, and
the verdict was that the company rad MT
a1tsased Or abused is cho1fr
At this trial the Pennsylvania Rail Road
company was represented by Theodore Guy
Ter, the regular attorney Of thatroad and by
two Ez-Judges Of the Supreme Court, Low
ry and Black.
One would suppose that this would be
enough for the Legislature that honest men
who had been deceived by Rail Road com
pany into repeal Of the charter OF another
road thus unjustly and on false allegation
OF fact thus proved to be false lirreyocably
and unehangably proved TO be false for the
verdict settles the tact forever would hasten
10 revoke the law Yet the Pennsy!7ania
nan i'o@o Com pany has agaln Deen az "o'A
ana the Legislature refuses to do this Jnst
tMng
How lorg shall these things be! " hat
extent OF patient long suffering DO political
tficasteTs ana corrupt ran load oihclais ln
aglae the people possessed OF IS tue
ienAsyi'ani" Ieau I'oaa % s-ano IN 'Ae way
'I progress ana utterly prevent tAe ae'9I-
opment Of Southern and South western
fennsyi7anla by any Ian hoad except taey
be petty tributaries to her, ana paying her
rates Whieh are almost Prohi0LloIy,
III costs more now to get ifeIghts IRON
fit'zourgh 10 bedford than II used TO by
wagons.
Inc utmost freedom OF trailc and OF
transit, unlmpeded by State lines or by the
interest, real OF iancled' OF any set OF men,
or city, Is what the country demands and
ought to nave.
The whole developments OF the last three
years demonstrate that the so-called Con
nellsyille & Southern Penn a. Il. H. IS
mere Si'o@' OF the Penn a. IL. Ii. company to