The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-01-16
portation Of gypsum and lime mol exceed.

transportation upon tuelE TOpu. 4tWlll
seen by the act OF March II, 1887 know
as the General Railroad Law that th
maximum charge fortransportation on a
railroads constructed under that act are a,
Contained and fixed, and by the act {
10 March 8, 1917, the Baltimore 4 Ohio Raj
road arc subject TO the provisions OF thi
+ general law upon the subject OF charge
Uitor transportation. But the act OF MarCl
\ U, 1917, goes much further, and prescribe
\ q rule by which all charges for tipnsporta
q ton upon this railroad shall be governed
I NOW WHAT IS THAT RULE?
This question is one OF the highest i'm
o poFtance and one upon which the commit
tee has spent great caro- and attention
From careful study OF the history OF Rail
road Legislation 1t Is evident that the rates
} to BIO charged for transportation were mo-
) viewed In the light in which they are pre-
sented to-day. Neither was there any de,
finite conception OF the cost OF such trans
/ portation, but 1t was confidently believed
that these means would greatly facilitate
aud cheaper commercial Intercourse be.
tween different sections OF. our country.
10 this end the commonwealth OF Virgi.
MIA offered every encouragement 10 rail.
road enterprise, granting the most liberal
charters, and the right to make what
would now be considered the most exor.
bitant charges for transportation; and II
was not until about the year 1887 that the
people began to realize that in some par
ticulars at least, this fostering care had
been carried to extremes. The flrst act,
March 2Sth, 1897, proposing 10 amend the
act Etu 1S,,, t,n,,,, ,I,o,,,, tl.
us do nearly all subsequent acts relating
70 the Baltimore 4 Ohio Railroad. Among
the principal objects sought to be accom-.
plished bythose acts was the power TO tax
the Company's property and regulate
their charges Tor transportation.
CONTEST WITH WHEELING.
At the time and for years prior to the
passage OF the act OF March 9th, 1927, there
was IN progress bitter contest between
the city OF Wheeling and the company
about the western terminus OF their road,
The Company were seeking the shortest
and cheapest route to the Ohio river re-
CARELESS Of the interests Of Wheeling or
the people Of Virginia, while on the other
mana tho State was endeavorinR TO compel
the Company so 10 locate their road as to
Afford the greatest Accommodations to It's
citizens. The people Of the whole State
were interested in this controversy, US in
any future legislation It must be deter
mined whether the Legislature should ex.
ercise the power Of taxing the Company's
property and regulating It's charges Tor
transportation. We are informed this
Company refused to accept any OF the
acts amending their charter, and VIC can
see no reason for such refusal except that
they contained provisions us above stated,
It must also be remembered that at the
time the Baltimore 4 Ohio Railroad Com.
pany was incorporated there were no rail.
roads iar purposes Of general transporta.
ton. Tho whole scheme was in embryo
ana undeyeloped. Questions of public
policy In relation thereto, must of necessity
be vague and indefinite and time was re.
POURED to develope and determine tho
policy that must be adopted. After an OK.
perienne OF twenty years the people were
better informed upon this subject. NJ
merous railroads had been protected and
put In operation. The Now York, the
Erie and the Pennsylvania Central were
rapidly extending their lines towards the
commerce OF the "Great West" which
SHutE44 afford TO all that region northwest
oil the Ohio the greatest facilities for
reaching the EASTERN markets, assuring to
them the lowest possible rates Of charges
fer Representation, secure4 by that great
law OF commercial lntBrp0urs6, the law OF
unfettered competition. B. IN
y COMMERCE or THE OHIO RIVER.
TWAS well known that the great bulk of
the products to be transported over this road
would 20 derived from the COMMERCE of
the Ohio river, and Que or more railroads
crossing the State OF Ohio, and that the
Company would 4sp tho best means in
their power 10 svUIlrS this tEada rsaardless
Of the interests of the city Of Wheeling or
the citizens OF the State. This fact was
very important feature in the cousidera-
ton Of this question by the General AS
sembiy OF virginia. flisy Say, as il by
the vision Of prophecy, tic rapid develop.
ment Of the Great Vest" tile immense
commerce that must be tloated upon her
Yatorsl Or transported by q complete net
work Of railways ali over thu northwest
as feeders TO the great arteries OF commerce
leading to the east. They saw the great
railroad corporations struggling for su.
prenacy in this trade, and entering into
tho W9rMest competition 10 secure 1t.
They saw oil this, which to-day has been
fulfilled, and reasonably anticipated that
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Compa.
ny, one Of these rivals, and the one
in, Which their people were most
yitally Interested and WHICH was WIT sub.
ject TO their control, might forget the in.
terests Of the people whose country their
road tfAyaraeA, and whose private proper
ty had .Reel takeR IL atiord thaM the
means Of roaGhlng this western g., They
might forget that while all III lnc!pal
points west Of the Ohio were competing
points, the greater number OF communi.
tics in this State adjacent to the line OF
this, road IIAgst aepen4 alane upon this
Ir69l Tor tho means Of transportation.
They SaE tbat llis road must necessarily
be1 t9QRppokols, ana l4lhSs rEStraIned
Emightiproye a. curse rather than bless.
ling tothe7 people of Virginia. The COM
panT had for years been applying to the
uelHF4f Assembly OF Virginia, for addi-
tiopal legislation TO 1gnahl6 them 70 COM
plete, tbelrroal' 10 tho Ohio river. Several
acts hadyhean passed but none OF them
appear lt0i have been acceptable ito the
com S Sssny; but now something must be
done, or consequences disastrous &c ~: .!.e
RAILROAD must follow, :. Under these
circumstances Rss 1.-THE spt OF March
9th, 1S47, passed. Section two OF this
Act has atwOfpld purpose; the first to Sc.
cuTe,to Wheeling the benefits Of the west
fern terminus The original charter fixed
the western terminus con the Ohio riyern
at any pointIthe company might choose
north Of themodth ofthe IiiHle Kanawha,
II was. now known that the road would
reach the /, Ohio river at point some dis.
tancebelow the city iotiNWhecling, and TO
prevent theicompahy from0 establishing a
depot at this point for the delivering or
reception aud shipment .of freights and
passengers to or, from, points beyond said
ltarminus, before tho road should be com.
tpleted Wheeling, 1T is provided in this
| section that all parts ofsaid road between
the Monongahela river and Said terminus
| wheeling IS made tho terminus BY the