The Democratic advocate., 1876-01-15
publit sfairs.


me kfexIzl4tufe y tplnmlnoas anu ciaeos
nate document, distinguished for It's minute
review q > great number of matters in
connection With the State Government
and for IL husiness.like tome.
Aisef abiding 10 the financial showing
of The eompirollers report IS evidence
that she finances Of the State are il
highly prosperous condition, the Governor
takes up he Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
and il obligation tc the amount 81 s20.-
e4l,54s % the State In The reduction Of
,he total Of The preferred and eonssrue-
,ion boaas % s2,923,lio. and the pros
Pecs Chat they win Be entirely liquidaied
in eight years Or lesss the Governor finds
cause for congrstulation, as the States
claim win then have priority in preference
70 any ether indebtedness Of the Canal
Asthe Canals net revenues win steadily
increase il i predicted that the day when
the State viii begin to receive returns
from her large investment is nearer at
hand than IS now assumed The Treasury
officers have redeemed during the year
$3.50. .09S Of the State bonds issued 70 the
Susquehanna and Tidewaier Canal and
held in London. The 100000 Of bonds
issued for the relief Of the So,hern States
have been redeemed, and the $780, 0,00e
issued for tho House of Correction and
the Normal School are held BY the sink
ing fund, 50 that they may be destroyed
and no further taxation levied on account
Of them.
Gov. Groome reviews at considerable
length the veIl-knoWn history Of the
recent litigation between the State and
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In
the ''gold case" the State failed to compel
the Company to puyin coin the interest
on the States preferred stock in the rail-
road, and the Company having itself ad-
vaneed gold to pay the interest due in
London on the sterling loan, the Governor
now recommends that the Compuny's de-
mand for reimbursement be resisted. His
argument Is that the corporation having
neglected to take advantage Of the Legal
Tender act when II paid the money, is not
entitled now to make the State pay for its
voluntary action. The Governor appears
to hold that in these two phases of the
question between the State and the Com
pany one operates as set-of to the other,
ard that the State can afford TO be salts
fed with the situation of affairs In con
ncction with his rehearsal of the circum-
stances Of the capitation tax case, and the
decision Of the Supreme Court that the
State has the power to collect from the
Company one-ffth Of the receipts Of the
Washington Branch, the Governor an
nounces that the State has brought fresh
suits to recover the balances due, since, in
compliance with the decision, the Company
paid s424, ,229 into the Treasury. These
suits, covering the period up to July, 1875,
the Company resists on three new grounds:
That that portion Of the road lying within
tho District Of Columbia is exempt; that
the branch road only commences at the
Relay House, and that the State violated
It's contract in chartering rival road, and
hence has no right to demand the consid-
ertiou which the Company agreed to pay
for monopoly. The message discusses
the general relation of the Company to
the State, and sharply criticises the con-
duct Of the former in refusing to submit
any Of It's vast property to taxation while
IL engages in great enterprises that com
pete with citizens and corporations fully
taxed, and at the same time endeavors to
prevent the collection of what claims the
State has upon it. While expressing very
decided opinions Of his own, Governor
Groome counseb that the Legislature
should deal with the Company in spirit
Of moderation, with the view Of effecring a
compromise. His view is that reason
able arrangement would be that, in consid-