The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-03-18
The Baltimore aud ohio Rates
For Freight and the Legisia-

our advertising columns, the special com
mittee raised by the last Legislature L
inquire into and report upon the genera
subject Of charges by the Baltimore ant
Ohio railroad company for the carriage
Of local freight, will shortly hold session.
at different points along the line Of the
road, for the purpose Of hearing the com
plants Of those who have grievances
against the company for alleged excessive
charges. The Committee invite every
body TO come forward and be heard
to the end that all the fact,
bearing on the subject may be col
lected aud presented to the next
Legislature, with a view Of bringing
about corrections where corrections art
needed.
As we understand II, the railroad com
pAny is represented at these seasions o.
the committee by.one or more persons, Ia
is proper and there is more or less free
dom INDUCED in in the way Of asking
questions and getting at facts. The OBJ
ject Of the committee is to winnow The
chat from the grain, and report only
such experiences and occurrences as car
be thoroughly verified.
II we are not misinformed the railroad
company do not concede the power Of the
Legislature to change or otherwise in.
teriere with their tariff OF tolls as long as
they keep under the maximum rates al
lowed by their charter, which they claim
they do, except perhaps, in occasional in'
stances. We have inclined TO the opin.
ion that the company are pretty
thoroughly entrenched under their, char,
ter, but there are those quite as well in.
formed as ourselves who think otherwise,
and we hope therefore that the whole
matter will be thoroughly investigated
and reported upon.
The company have, unfortunately for
themselves, not been very punctilious
about respecting their own well defined
obligations under the law, In the matter
Of taxes, and have, as it were, set an ex.
ample of triaing with the rights Of the
State in this respect which has tended TO
arouse no little feeling in the matter oi
alleged excessive tolls on local freight,
Why should the company, say these
aggrieved parties, be allowed to invoke
the protection Of their charter, seeing
that they so reluctantly aud indifierently
bow to the charter granting power Of the
State in the matter Of taxation.
As regards local ireights on the Balti'
more & Ohio rta1, they are generally
regarded as too high, and, in some in
stances, as prohibitory. The fact that the
company carry local ireights to competit'
i've points on their line for much less
than to non.competitive points is con-
stant thorn in the flesh Of those who are
thus discriminated against. Their wounds
never heal, and they are always seeking
redress at the hands Of the State. For
instance, Martipsburg, Cumberland, Pied
mont, aud some few other places, are
com mpetitiye points, while Fairmont,
Grafton, Clatksburg and great multi.
tude Of points are out in the cold, and
exposed to the highest local tolls. Hence,
these latter communities are always sore
over the discrimination against them,
and hence, also, their animosities are al.
ways finding expression in the leRisla.
ture.
There is a sort OF statesm, ,nship about
handling the local trade on a great rail-
road line-that i., IN the judicious cult.
walton Of it-and it is constantly charged
that the Baltimore & Ohio people are
lacking in this s,atesmauship, and that
therefore the country along their line
showsso few industrial establishments
Local trade is the life blood Of railroad.
It Ia the local trade OF the New York
Central road-restricted to two cents
per mile tor passengers-that earns Its
dividends these times. 1t is the lack Of
local trade, a. nearly twice that rate tor
passengers, that now presses so severely
upon the finances Of the Baltimore 4
Ohio.
1t is now openly charged that had the
management OF the Cleveland q Pitts-
burgb railroad had the sagacity to meet
the exisencies of the iroa interest At
Pittsburgh since the panic, and reduced
ita rates on ore to what 1t will soon be
compelled to accept, new line would not
now be under way from Pittsburgh to
Cleveland. In other words, II Is charged
that the management showed lack oi
statesmauship. They slaughtered the
goOse that was laying golden eggs.
The Baltimore & Ohio road mad
BIeAt iesSou Ao"1 W -