Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1869-04-16
Letter from Hon. Oden Bowie, President
Baltimore and Potomac Railroad.
CoLL1NaToN Posi- OFFICE,
Prince Georges County, Nd,
ADrI 10Th. 1869.

Hon. BARNES COMPTON,
M Dear SRI have only this moment
seen the Port Tobacco Times. of April 81,
containing communication from Mr.. j. T.
Mudd, relative to the Internal Improvement
Fund to which your county is entitled by
constitutional provision.
In this communication MY name is very
freely used, and you are appealed to for the
correctness of certain statements therein.
This is my reason for addressing you very
hurriedly this morning before the departure
of our mail, and in the hope that my letter
may reach you before your county meeting
on the 18th.
Had the time to write fully and to refer
to facts and documents, could easily show
how specous is the article of Mr.. J. 7. Mudd.
But, as have not, can only ask the at
tention Of your meeting to the preamble
which Mr.. J. T. Mudd publishes as that of
the bill which he omits to give, for reasons
best know to himself, and which I have not
at hand. Any man of ordinary intelligence
reading this "memorial" will see at once that
it emanated from the enemies of the Bati-
more and Potomac road, whose object it was
to defeat that road, and, defeating it, to pre-
uent the construction Of any road that, at that
time ,Uas thought possible to be built through
Southern Maryland. If mistake not, Mr.. j..
T. Mudd was then warm friend of the Po
I - IL.
of those who favored the memorial" which
he no,o relies on.
Mr.. j. 7. MudJ does not, therefore, state
the case fairly and correctly when he says
that the motive which Influenced the memo
rialists was the fear" that the road would
not be built through to the Potomac. The
'fear," on the contrary. was that the sohole
road ,c0uld be built, and thus give Compel
ing line to Washington and a competing line,
also, by our main stem through Charles coun-
ty, for the Southern travel which the WASH
ingtou Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio en-
|joycd the monopoly of. And the very con-
ception of the Southern Maryland or Point
Lookout road originated with enemies of the
Potomac road, and some of its present strong
est supporters are influenced by the hope that
it will create division among our friends and
thus enure to the interests, not Of the Point
Lookout, but the Baltimore and Ohio.
l Mr.. j. 7. Mudd is right in his ''recollectiou
that with this memorial there was presented
bill to compel the parties having the Poto-
mac charter first to build the main stem be-
fore they should be dlzoaOed to build the
branch" and to which be appeals to you to
correct him ifin error. But Mr.. j. T. Mudds
'recollection," so good in part, must surely
remember that the Legislature refused to pass
any such bill.
| Why7 Because we admitted that the
branch to Washington was the inducement to
kuild the main stem through to the Potomac,
and because the Legislature was satisfied of
lour purpose, if let alone, to comply in good
faith with our contract and the charter,
which, in Mr.. j. T. Mudd's more expressive
than original or refined language, has not
been "gobbled up by Pennsylvania interests, :"
this is the old cry,) but is, as he knows, in
the hands of Maryland President aul. Ma
ryland Directors. The charter itself requires
that "majority Of the Directors, shaltbe re-
sidents of the counties through which the
road passes" and there is but one 'Pennsyl-
vanian" in the Board. With this exception,
and that of one gentleman from New York,
every member of the Board is from Baltimore
city and the counties of Anne Arundel, Bal
timore, Charles and Prince Georges. and they
are all of the highest integrity, intelligence
and position, commanding the confidence of
the entire State.
! The argument which l have used with
your Commissioners and citizens for the ap-
preparation of your fund to the Potomac road
was not, as Mr.. j. r. Mudd insinuates, that
the road would not be built without it, if we
were allowed to 60 on by certain adverse in
terests with which he is evidently at present
affiliated; but that our charter, expiring by
Limitation in 1870 if the whole road was not
completed, these adverse interests would op-
pose its extension, and, if successful, defeat a
road which all must admit is more certain to
be built than any other that Charles county
is interested in, and which will be Of much
greater benefit to her when built.
And in this effort to void our charter and
thus defeat the building of the Potomac road
| am not sure, from the anmus of Mr.. j. r.
Mudd's communication, if it would not have
even his active support, prouided the result
would be to secure your appropriation to
road in which he feels so lively an interest,
and which, in the interest of our part of the
State, desire, as much as he possibly can, to
see built. But defeat the Potomac road, let
its charter lapse, see whether you can get it
renewed, and then, when that is disposed of
finally, how much you will hear of the South
ern Maryland or Point Lookout road
have no antagonism to the Point Look
out road. would gladly see it built, and
aid in building it, would not seek to divert
from it the Charles county appropriation if !
knew or thought that it WOULD ensure its COM
pletion. But know from experience as do
you, the opposition, the powerful opposition,
heretofore omnpotent in Maryland, which
seeks to Illustrate the building of the Potomac
road, and knowing that this appropriation
would ensure the grading of the road through
Charles county to the Potomac river the pre-
seut year, and thus greatly weaken any OPP
position to the extension of our charter, if we
should be forced to ask one. have said to
your Commissioners if they would give it to
us zoe a0ould grade the road through the a0hole
line Of your county this gear, and only ask to
be paid in monthly installments as the york
aoas done.
Will any other road promise half as much ?
i / leave the matter 10 the hands of your
Commissioners, satisfied they will do what
they think best for the interests of your peo-
pie, and glad of the opportunity to give to
Mr.. J. 7. Mudd, and other "fearful adversa-
ries," at least, this one evidence of the falsity
of the charge that it was not our purpose to
try to carry the road through Charles county
to the Potomac river.