The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-09-07

pair their interest by impeding the progress Of
the work. To the credit of the people of Prince
Georges county especially, Il can be said
that This has generally been the case. Much
Of the right Of way has been freely donated,
and very rarely have any excessive damages
been asked. Strange TO say, the very cases
where legal and other impodimcnts have
been interposcd have been those where the
company had agreed TO pay most literally
the high prices asked, or had accepted the
excessive rates awarded by the jurics rather
than have delay and tho annoyance Of court
proceedings. Finding that our liberality
was thus abused, We have determined no
longer to submit TO these unjust and excess
i've demands, and these and similar cases
have been, or will DO, pcrforcc, submitted to
the arbitrament OF the courts.
These delays above Marlboro have pre-
vented the location Of the line below the
town, as our engineers, agents and attorneys
have had their every moment occupied with
them. They being happily disposed Of, the
progress OF the work below will Immediately
occupy our attention. Here, too, whilst many
Of the landholdcrs have met us In liberal,
Just, and enlightened spirit, others who are
most able to aid In building the road, and
most to DO benefited by II, are most extor-
tlonate In their demands and most obtuse to
their interests. With our experience on the
road above, we have found II necessary TO
secure, In advance OF operations below MARI
boro', the right OF way In all cases. Accord
ingly an agent Of the company will be sent
with agreements to DO signed by persons
through whose property the route runs, and
In such cases where terms mutually satlsfac-
tory cannot DO agreed upon, jurles Of con.
domination will be Immediately summoned.
Repeating the language Of our last report,
"Grcat public interests and rights should not
In n "a n allawaI al La, a.. ALI
Further, to suffer because Of the extortionatc
and unjust demands Of a very few unreason-
able persons, who wrongly suppose they have
II In their power to make their own terms"
Other progress than that Of the grading
has been made. Cross-ties sufficient for the
work being graded have been secured, and
many Of them delivered along the line Of the
road. In this matter we have given our own
people the preference, aud dealt most liber-
ally with them, having paid them the same
prices for ties cut along the line Of the road,
as we have contracted to have them delivered
to us from as far distant rs North Carolina.
In this, as In tho grading, tho road has
already made Its advantages manifest. or
the hundreds Of thousands Of dollars which
the company has paid for work done, the
greater part Of II has been spent among orr
merchants and farmers for the merchandise,
forage, meats and vegetables necessary to
81.
Tho bridging along the road has also been
undertaken. Many culverts and smaller
bridges have been permanently completed,
and the long and expensive bridge over the
Patuxent liver Is well under way. One single
Item for II alone is five hundred barrels Of
cement, which we had shipped to Annapolis,
and transported over the Annapolis and Elk
ridge road, to which company and Its accom-
modatlng and liberal president and officers
ma lv WA .Iar -
accommodations, courtesies and facilities ex-
tended. The grading of the long "Y,"
which connects this road with ours, has been
lately completed, and II is In contemplation
to lay the track from their road to the Pa
tuxent river Immediately, to facilitate the
over our own road of the heavy
materials for the building of the bridge. |
More than hundred ton Of rails have been
furnished to the contractors for the grading
on the two sections near the river, to oxpc-
dite their work where the hauls were SO long
as to make the progress by horses and carts
slow.
The General Assembly OF tho State meet
Ing only blennially, and our charter expiring
by Limitation before 1t will again meet, in
1872, 1t will be necessary to apply to the next
Legislature for an extension of charter. |
With our people united In its favor, and the
road being vigorously prosecuted, there can
W NJ uoubs VI thO iSouit VI our
Division and disscnsion, however, among
the friends Of the road may lead to unity OF
purpose and concert OF action among those
who have heretofore opposed us, and may
embolden them to other acts Of opposition. |
This makes the efforts of those who have |
us with litigation the more SC.
rious and damaging. They are not aware, |
have not S,opBes II that by the
I. H. 10 l.
this Is the only railroad ever attempted to
DO built In Maryland, and possibly in the
United States, without State, county or city
aid, either by subscription TO the capital
stock or Endorsement. II should also be re-
membered by those most interested In, and
most vitality benefited by its construction,
that Usy have not been required either to
subscribe to the stock or guarantee the
bonds; and that, except a very small sub
This simple mention should be sufficient to
lberalize the intention Of those who, ever
bent upon greed, have been ''casting their
nets" for the heaviest hauls. Are they not
to DO found In the building Of the road, or
are they to be secured by the payment of
lawyers fees, expenses Of jurles, court costs,
interminable other expenses, and few
more dollars than the free gin Of the right
of way, or proper and just sense OF interest
Since the report of Mr.. Emack, chief engi-
neer, was handed In, three other sections
have been completed, and we arc Informed
by him that of the whole forty miles now
being graded all but about five miles will be
completed on or before the first Of November
next. These arc sections on which we have
been enjoined, and those on which the work
was so heavy and the hauls so long rs to
induce the company to supply the contrac-
tors with rails to expedite the work.
1t will be observed that the chief engineer
asserts In his report that but for the legal
delays interposcd against Its progress, the
road would have been completed and run
ming from Baltimore to Washington and
Upper Marlboro, by March next. 1t was
this assurance given by the president Of this
company to the Congress of the United
States which did so much to defeat the ''air
line" project last winter.
twill be further observed that tho engineer
declares that the road can and will still DO
completed during the next summer II 1t re-
ceiyes the "hearty cooperation OF all those
interested" Such being the case, we unite
with him in the belief that the next annual
meeting of tho stockholders will witness the
completion of this part of the road, and grert
progress made on that part OF II between
Upper Marlboro and the Potomac river
This part, except few miles below MARI
boro', can be very rapidly and cheaply con-
structed, and that from Baltimore to Wash
ington and Marlboro completed, will enable
the company to place their bonds SO adyan-
tageousjy that all financial difficulties will
be removed, aud the whole road from Balti-
more to the Potomac river speedily COM
pleted.