The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-10-19
Ghe11ttelliaenfer:
The Legislature and the H. a d.
Railroad.

In reference to the difficulties between
the Legislature Of West Virginia and the
Baltimore 4 Ohio railroad, in the matter
Of popular complaint about high tolls on
the local bnsines, Of the road, IL may bo
said that the true policy is to arrive at a
compromi.e Of some sort. The railroad
company claim that they are iron.Clad in
the matter Of their chartered privileges,
and from such examination "a we have
given the matter, by the aid Of ackno~l.
edged legal ability, we are Of the opinion
tha! they could successfully defy tho Leg
i.la.ure in the Courts Of the United
States
But this invulncrability Of the com.
plny il, after all, more apparent than
real. Their line runs through West Vir.
ginia, and i4Eubiect, like all corporations,
to the general supremacy OF the law
making powcr, and that power is always
Sorthy Of being conCiliaIcd by II corpora.
ton whose interests are IA extensive MS
tho,s Of tho Baltimore Il Ohio.
There is II growing disposition in the
country to invade the early charters OF
railroads land with this disposition tho
courts sympathize) on the ground that
when they were granted no legislature in
the country had any conception what.
ever Of the future growth and over
shalowing Importance Of the railroads Of
the United States, just AZ in the Fendal
ages Of England, prior to the enactment
Of the MOrtmain statutes, the safety aud
very existence Of society was threatened
by the magnitude and grusping power Of
corporations, 80 much 40 ns TO call AT
last for the most radical measures.
So far "a We have informed ourselves,
the mischief to West Virginia people
along the line Of the B. n o. was not done
by its original charter, but by the general
railroad law OF Virginia enacted in 1887,
under the provisions, regulations and
privileges Of which law the b. & o. was
placed by the act (of 1870 that empower.
el tito complete its line from Cumher-
land to the Ohio river at Wheeling This
law Of 1887 empowered the railroads oil
Virginia to charge six cents per mile for
passengers (the old stage fnir) and cents
per mile per ton for freight. In 1887 il
wa' considered cheap enough to get
freight transported for eight cents per
ton per mile, for it was computed that it
cost twenty cents per ton per mile TO
haul by road teams. The old Virgin
iAns who hauled their tobacco to Lynch
burg and Richmond by running pole
through a hogshcad and putting a pair
Of shafts 10 it, in which mule was
driven, had but a dim idea OF the
future Of transportation in this
country. They never expected, any
oil them, TO live to sec the day in
which fourth class freight would be car
ried from New York to Chicago for Is
csnnper hundred pounds. They could
not look through the dim vista Of the
future and see the great Lake Shore rail.
road carrying freight, through and local,
las iiS report shOws) during the year 1875,
at an average rate Of | l.l00 cents per
ton per mile. Nor could they look for
ward to the same year and sec the D. 4 |
o. carrying fourth class freight from
Baltimore to Wheeling at II cents per
hundred, while At the sane Iime il was
charging more than twice that from
Wheeling to Grafton.
But, IA Mr.. Boggess claims, and as the
ancient Shylock claimed in his day, s
cents per ton per mile il "dcnominaled
in the bond" and there is no gsinsaying
the fact. And yet there is now, as then,
that drop OF blood" to be considered.
The people Of West Virginia, along the
line Of tho B. & o., IeCl that they are
most u'uriOusly dealt with in the matter
OF lreighIs by the B. & o. company. II
athe shortsightcd policy Of the company,
they say, that keeps the country vii.
derness. They are 80 severely local.
lied that they can not compete
IN the cultivation Of important industries
with communities that have the benefit
oil competition, or, OF more liberal pol
icy. Their milk is all the time skinned
oil llS cream by the railroad company
And for such wrongs they claim that there
should be remedies. They demand the
interference Of the State, and in compli-
ance with their demand tho State has
ln'erIered, or rather attempted to inter
lere, but thus far without avail.
We are in hope that the present Rail.
road Commission will be able 10 make
something more that mere 81 per day
commonplace report, Let them go 10 the
bottom of all complaints and see il il is
possible to secure permanent concessions
on the part Of the b. * o Company that
will be acceptable to the people.
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