The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-02-15

livered In tho Senate on Wednesday. i
is the leadingspeech In arrafgnment oftht
Railroad ,Company's past policy toward.
thepeoile Of West Virginia, and will be
read with general interest by the people
living along the line Of the road.
60
Col. Johnson'N Baltimore ana Ohio Bill
as Amended BY Himself aud Ordered
10 Its Third Reading.
The Senate yesterday quite unexpected
ly voted down Senator Turner's substitute
for Col. Johnson's bill-(wllich substitute
had been reported favoratly by the. Judi,
ciary Committec)-by vote l4to 0, and
adopted in It's stead the Coils original bill,
with an amendment offered by himself,
by u vote OF l2 to 10.
The bill as 1t now stands before the
Senate, awaiting its third rcaling, is to tho
following effect: 1t establishes as the
maximum local rate on the Baltimore and
Ohio line in this State, between the Ohio
river and any point on the line, or between
said riveran Baltimore, n pro rate Of the
through rate from Chicago to Baltimore,
whatever said through rate may be. That
is to say, ifgrain is carried at IS cents per
hundred pounds from Chicago to Balti.
more, then, assuming the Ohio river to be
half way, the maximum local rate from
said river to any point on the line, or to
the city Of Baltimore, shall be OF pro
rate Of o cents.
Now leaving aside for the moment the
utter impracticability otsuch a bill as this,
it is made still more impracticable by the
amendmen offered yesterday by Col. John.
son, which amendment is found in Sec
aion 9th Of the Charter, and reads as fol.
lows:
Provided, That said Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad Company shall not be permitted
to charge for transportation or travel to or
from Baltimore from or to any point dis
tant more than five miles in a direct line
from the Ohio river, more in the aggregate
than for transportation or travel from
Wheeling to Baltimore, or from Baltimore
to Wheeling respectively. nor more in the
aggregate from any depot west OF Harper's
Ferry to Baltimore, or from Baltimore TO
such depot than from any other depot
more distant from Baltimore to Baltimore,
or from Baltimore to such last mentioned
depot, T
The reader will. SEQ that this amend
ment IS rightin tho face Of the enactment
of the bill, which provides that the
through rate shall be pro.rated from the
Ohio river to Baltimore, or to any point
this side, according to tho mileage ira
versed, and yet proceeds to do away with
the pro rata by declaring that the aggre-
gate shall not be any more from Wheel
ing than from any other point nearer to
Baltimore, or nearer to any other point
this side Of Baltimore,
Thcbill rs itstandsisa contradiction, and
simply means OF course that the Senate, il
they pass it, intend to drive the Baltimore
and Ohio road into the courts, to litigatc
perhaps for years, Its great objection
consists in the first place in IN attempt, in
the face of the decisions Of the United
Stn,ns Sunramo Court to reouloto intor.
Go s M cSa.;t,,.'". '., - '.S' ~
.o!a!e commerce Ahe VohS.itu''on oi tlie
United States expressly declares that this
is the prerogative Of Congress, and il it
ia tbe nreroCn,ivc Of Cororess Il cannot be
'"U ta w. .,.,Sg;''a'I - S H. -. .s'' Co."
power 70 pe exercised ny "hy ouA'e'
We venture the assertion that no where is
there on record decision of the Supreme
Court that will lend any countenancew what
ever to such MI attempt on tho part Of
any State.
It's next defect is tho fact that pro
rate Of n through rate-such as eighteen
cents per hundred from Chicago-would
,uothon,ot;,,ll,,o nv bo,vt ;,vnlf onI cornnnI