The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1870-01-08

| transmiued 10 the Legislature on ThurtdRy
has much Of Interest 10 the District, OWNS
to orr intimate geographical relation toth'
State. We note the principal points Of In
teresti
After a general enumeration OF the mate
rial blessings which the State has enjoyed
during tho past two years, the Governor pro
ceeds to a statement Of the present condition
Of It's finances. The aggregate OF receipts
Into the treasury for the fiscal year ending
September 80 Cncluding a balance Of $780,
55i. Ol len ovsr) was ts,4s4, Gal. 80. The
total disbursements for the satne year were
SS,0So, SOL .ls, leaving a balance Of tI46,'
340.4l. The State debt for which Interest
has to be provided was, on the 30th Of Sep
TENDER, ti9, 692 ,03s.e6. The productive as.
sets Of the State (bonds and stocks on which
interest and dividends are promptly paid }
amount to t7,22s, 4t3.l3. or unproduetlv0
assets the State owns sl9, 6,6S2os. From
various State officers (sherlhs, clerks Of
courts, &c.) there are due y, 562, Isl, 80, Of
which sum, the Governor estimates, one mil.
lion will be paid into the treasury.
In reference 10 the unproductlye invest
ments, tho Governor proposes 10 make the
Siate's interest In the Chesapeake aud Ohio
canal and the condition Of that important
work the subject Of special communlca-
]
distant day the States Investments In the
different Eastern Shore railroads and the
Annapolis and Eldridge road will provo re-
muneratiye. In view OF the bad effect upon
| the credit Of the State OF having debt APP
proXimating SIS, 000, 900, when tho uso OF
her available assets would reduce Ii to about
one third of that amount, II Is recommended
that provision be made 1.-THE present session
| for the liquidation Of loans already due or
soon to mature. Tho sale for the purpose
OF the bonds aud stocks Of the Baltimore
and Ohio rpilroad, which command the
highest rates, 10 recommended In preference
TO sale Of those assets which have less
market value at present, but may In time DO
expected 10 appreciate. The refusal Of the
Baltimore aud Ohio railroad TO pay the
bonus 10 the State required BY the act Of
| 1889 Is adverted to az creating q possible
necessity for raising revenue from other
sourees-cither by an Increase Of direct tax
alton or by o tax per bushel on oysters and
upon the revenues Of foreign corporations,
express and telegraph companies. The
Governor fayors the latter plan. The Legis-
lature IL further reminded that tho appro.
priatlon Of $500, 900 allowed by the conStltu-
lion to the counties Of Charles, Calvert and
81. Mary's for purposes Of Internal improve.
mont will be shortly needed, and also that
from 800, 900 to $3.50, 900 will DO required TO
dcfray the expenses OF the present session.
Tho next matter Of Importance treated In
the message lie tho public school system.
Alluslon Is made to the Interest manifested
and the provision made In colonial times In
behalf OF popular education, and while the
defects OF the present law are freely ac-
knowledged, belief Is expressed that they
may be cured by more exact aud authori-
tatlye superlntendence Of Its operation.
Preference Is declared In favor OF the APP
polntment Of State board OF education
rather than yestlug the needed supervisory
power In the hands Of single Individual.
Il Is suggested that the county boards Of
school commissioners should be made cor
porate bodies and their duties more strictly
defined. The claims Of the colored popula-
tlon to have educational facilities provided
| for their children, aud the interest Of tho
State In the elevation Of that class, arc
forciby presented. The importance and
value OF European immigration to this State
furnishes the text for short dlgresslon upon
| the resources OF Maryland and the Ad.
vantages she offers to immigrants.
The subject which occupies the greatest
space in the message Is the issue lately made
by the president Of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company In regard to the States
claim to ons-flfth Of the receipts Of the road
from passenger travel on the Washington
Branch. The Governor prefaces his remarks
upon this subject by an earnest disclaimer
OF any hostile feeling towards any particular
| road or corporation. He claims that his
only desire IL to promote the prosperity OF
the city Of Baltimore and the State al large,
by an increase Of railroad facilities and BY a
wise and liberal railroad system. Therefore
he favors the claims OF the Baltimore and
Potomac and the Western Maryland roads,
but above all, urges the passage at this ses-
slon OF free railroad law, under which
citizens Of the State may be enabled to build
railroads whenever tho capital can b
secured for the purpose. Coming directly
TO the question at Issue between the State
and the president of the Baltimore and Ohio
rUad, tue Governor referS TO the provisions
Of the act Of Assembly (Is9o, oh. IFS, seG. e)
Incorporating the Baltimore and Washington
road. Il Is therein required that the com.
pany "shall pay to the Treasurer Of Mary
land on the first Monday Of January and
July In every year, for the use Of the State,
one-ffth Of the whole amount which may
be received for the transportation Of passen.
gers on said railroad, BY said company,
during six months last preceding" 1t Il
| further required that "the president shall
exhibit on oath to the General Assembly on
on the first day OF January, or as soon there
after as the said Assembly shall convene, In
each aud every year, an account showing
the gross amount received by said company
| for the transportation Of passengers on said
road, and the States proportion thereof"
The Governor states that the president Of
the road has failed and refused for eighteen
months to make the payment required, and,
as he lntlmates, with n purpose, has ne
elected for same length Of time $40 exhibit
on oath an account showing the StAte'A pro-
portion Of their gross receipts" The Gov
ernor also complains that since 1888 the
company has adopted a method OF It's own
| Of apportIonlng the travel between the eight
miles Of main stem and the thirty miles OF
| branch which 20 TO make up tho distance
between Baltimore and Washington, the
reason and equity Of which the Governor
processes himself incompetent 10 under.
stand. He recommends the appointment OF
q competent accountant, empowered upon
oath to examine the books Of the company
and investigate the whole question. As 70
the grounds upon which the company bases
It's refusal 10 pay over one-ffIh OF Its receipts
as required by law, the Governor says they
are understood 70 be: lst, that the company
| had by its original charter the right to build
lateral roads without the conditions exacted
by tho act OF 1882; Cd, that the State has
already received enough TO compensate her
for any risk she RAM Sd, that the payment
TO the State Is In the nature Of q cApitatiou
| TAX upon pAbbenkcTa, tucTolOIo unCOuhtltu'
tional, according to the recent decision Of
the Supreme Court In the Nevada casei 18th
that the Baltimore and Potomac road is q
competing road, the building Of which should
relieve the Baltimore and Ohio road frou
further payment OF the bonus.
The Governor reviews these reasons Al
length, and argues the futility Of each AnC
every ono OF them as affordlng any justiflca
ton for the action Of the company. HI
further suggests that should the Issue b
pressed, It will be a question for the Legis
lature whether to relieve the company frou
the payment Of the "bonus" on the WAsh
lngton branch, and subject lts whole capita
aud property - exceeding $50, 000,00 II
value-to such taxation as other corpora
lions and interests are required to pay. II,
argues generally the constitutional right o
the Legislature TO repeal the exemption
from taxation which the company now en-
Joys, or, II such exemption Is to be regarded
In the light Of q contract, he holds that th'
refusal OF the company 10 abide by Its obli
cation TO pay the one.nith passenger re
celpts to the State amounts TO failure o
consideration and consequent release Of the
State Whether, therefore, the Legislature