Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-02-26
THE BATTLE OF THE GIANTS.
SCOTT vs.. GARRETT.
The Great Railroad War-Merits Of the
CoBtroversy-Whie IN Is the Monopo-
ly?-Tke Baltimore and Ohio During
the War-The People Gain by the
SfruSSle.

the War-The People Gain by the
Struggle.
between the Pennsylvania and the Baltimore
and Ohio railroads, the war-cloud has again
/ burst. and the old contest been revived. The
SlgTai for battle was opened by President
Garrett by gun from Baltimore fired over
The telegraph wires and promptly answered
by broadside from President Scott at Phil
adelphia. The reverberations of these dis
charges have been heard all over the land.
and as the contest thus Initiated promises to
be interesting, tits well that the public should
KIow the cause of the combat.
IL Is an old-time feud, originating at q
period when belligerency was prevailing
epidemic throughout the country. The North
ana south appealed 20 arms in 1851 to settle
sectional differences, and soon after this was
done the two great railroad cOmpanieS be
came embroiled. The history of the origin
OF that difficulty has already been printed.
aEd as It's correctness has never been QueS-
TONED, il may as well be repeated here.
The misunderstanding between these COM
panieS originated when the National Capital
was endangered by the Rebellion, and the re
sources OF the country were taxed 10 their
utmost FOR its salvation. At that time the
Baltimore and Ohio Company had the only
railroad line reaching Washington. Having
put a single track on this line, and that
being of very imperfect construction and
equipment, the road was unequal TO its de
mands upon il. and after much trouble aud
some strong intimations from those in Gov
ernment authority, the company owning il
was compelled TO improve il aud increase its
capacity. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
proper was repeatedly broken and inter
fupted, so that IL cOuld rot be relied upon as
channel of communication with the West.
and the country looked for some other route
10 be opened by which the Capital could be
reached and protected. The PENNSYLVANIA
Railroad, being the nearest route to Wash
ington connecting the Western and Northern
states, which passed entirely through loyal
territory, was called upon to meet the indiS-
penSable requirement.. This it did promptly.
by securing, and thoroughly repairing. the
Northern Central Railway, which connected
with its main road and other important
lines, and thus completed a railroad system
radiating throughout all the loyal States.
No sooner was this accomplished, ami the
system made effective by the eXertiOnS of
Pennsylvania Railroad officers and the utili-
cation of Pennsylvania Railroad motive
power and rolling stock. than the managers
of the Baltimore and Ohio commenced a syS-
TEN of hostility toward il, which has been
persisted in with but little interruption or
abatement. They refused to sell tickets over
any Of the Pennsylvania lines To any station.
They refused 10 permit baggage TO be checked
from any point on the Pennsylvania lines
over their forty miles of road forming the
cOSnectiOn TO Washington. From Maine 10
California protests were heard against their
1lliberality and SelfishneSS, but they smiled
in derision and pOcketed their gains. During
the darkest periods of the war fully nine
tenthS of the men and material eluired and
received by the Government from the west
and north were carried over the lines of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company To Balti-
more, and from that city reached the Capital
over the forty miles of road owned by the
Baltimore and Ohio Company; but the lat
Ter stlll domlneered with its petty monopoly,
and refused the simplest courtesies TO the
railroad system which was enriching il
almost beyond precedent. As an instance of
the spirit animating this monopoly at that
time, it may be stated that while all other
railroads in the United States accepted the
terms proposed by the Government for the
tran Transportation TO OF troops, viz; two cents per
always insisted upon full local rates of fare
between Baltimore and Washington.
RELIEF AFFoRED THROUGH COMPETITIONS.
This condition of things continued until
after the war had ceased. So long as the ex-
igeneieS of the country poured stream OF
wealth over the fOrty-mile monopoly, the
men who cont. oiled il would make no terms
with any connecting company. New England
enterprise took hold of the Philadelphia,
Wilmington and Baltimore Road, and maize
ii equal TO the demands upon il as a national
line: but at its southern terminus il was
headed off by the monopoly, just as the Penn
sylvania lines were. The Northern people, in
aud out OF Congress, had become thoroughly
disguSted with this monopoly, and now, as
the war which had taxed their energies for
five years was ended they began TO talk Sc
riously about securing proper competition to
the capital of the nation, and the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company was the instru-
ment ordained to bring the needed relief |
Failing 10 secure from the monopoly COM
mon courtesy and common fairness, that
Company went TO work and had built the |
Baltimore and Potomac Railroad. which
gave ii an independent outlet in Washington
the railroad system Of the South. Saving
only the Baltimore and Ohio monopoly. al
most every interest in the United States was
benefited by the construction of the new
road. 1t facilitated the trade OF Baltimore /
City; il relieved Washington travel from
delay and annoyance, and il perfected COM
munlcatiOn between the North and South.
Since the completion of this essential con-
nectiOn by the Pennsylvania railroad COM
pany--a connection that vastly facilitates !
travel to the National Capital from every
portion of the country. North. East. and |
WeSt-the Baltimore and Ohio managers
have repeatedly entered into arrangements /
with the great northern lines for a fair and 1
equitable adjustment and management of |
business, but in every instance they have !
violated these agreements. Sometimes this |
has been done in the most arbitrary manner 1
by the tyrannical exercise of power al their 4
command, but generally ii has assumed the /
shape OF determinations in favor of certain 1
interests and individuals. When detected i'm l
this. they either excused it on the plea Of 3
business necessity or attempted TO gloss it !
over by high sounding platitudes about their /
duty to the City of Baltimore and the State I
OF Maryla An Unsuitable thirst for pOpii-
lailty and morbid personal vanity have 4
marked the course OF the President Of that /
Company, causing him to attitudinize con
stanlly as local orator and fgure-head and /
ming him with dreams ofambition that stop 1
at nothing short of the highest official posi- /
ll0n IN the gift of the American people.
The Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, with
ITS great connecting tunnels under the Monu-
mental City, cost nearly Ss,000,000, and its
construction having been forced by the illib-
eral policy of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road Company, it was imperative that the
new and vastly superior line TO Washington
City should be used in the interest of the
public as well as its owners. The Philadel-
phia. Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
Company, owning very important link in
the through route between New York and
the National Capital, having suffered from
the Baltimore and Ohio monopoly in the past
agreed 10 gUn through traffic south of Balti-
more by way OF this tunnel, and arrange
ments 10 this effect were perfected and put in
operation by the companies in interest. The
Baltimore and Ohio management then saw
that their monopoly Of Washington and
Southern business was destroyed. and We're
ready TO add another to long list of arrange
ments by which they were to be benefited !
through the kindness and courtesy o. rival
and the Pennsylvania managers Consented 10
give them two of the four through trains be-
tween New York and Washington. extend-
Ing to such trains every transit and terminal
facility enjoyed by the trains continued over
their own roads, on the sole and simple
condition that the Baltimore and Ohio
should, as they proposed, deal fairly !
in relation to all competitive business |
In this arrangement of dividing Washington |
trains, the Penns ylyania Railroad Company
yielded to their rival two that were esta6-
lished, and undertook TO place upon the route |