Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1879-03-15
OFFICE N {" JEFFERsoN BULDTNG.
Saturday. March IS. 1879.
Raltlmore = ohio RaiIroad.

Speech Of ITce President Keyser Before the
Jjnt Eailroqd Com@atee. q The Legislature
Hedaes7dy, MGJch 5h.
GENTLrMEN an here this morning in
response 10 your Invitation, as The representa-
tive If the Baltimore and Ohio Rli.rOad Com
pAuy, to couier 10 reference TO the local tari!!s
" the c1mpuuy, and TO see il we can devise
some means by which the unfortunate difficult
ties at present existing, eau 10 amca5ly
adjusted. desire 70 express the qualification
IL affords me 20 meet .sis JJiat Committee,
believing as ! DO that a full investigation Of
the facts connected with the company $ policy
toward tie State, will disabUse your minds OF
the impressions which seem to prevail, that
the company has in the past, and is now pur-
suing course uimlcal % the interests Ot your
people. To the fr.i place desire to say that
lbe allegations made that the issuing o! tue
circular u February 25'h, was done with o
view 10 iutimidGte iAc Legislature, aud Ia a
spirit Of defiance, ere eaiirely incorrect. aud
without shadow OF foundation. This ciIcu-
lar was issued al tho instance AID under the
alrice OF the compauys counsel. two eminent
hwye,s OF this state, familiar with the terms
of ine cumpaGy's charter aud ! assure you
that their advice was rcuctaully adopted 10y
the officers Of the company, who were all
aware that the Withdrawal of special rates
aud tho raising Of the Wheeling rates 70 the
maximum OF the local, If persisted in, must
Of necessity seriously dorauge the business in
ieres,s on the liue aud at tho chief commercial
city Of the State. The Legislature having
seen fiji. 10 tho q'to icarraRto resolution, to
indicate determination that the company
must adhere 10 the strict aud technical con-
struotion Of its charter aud 10 withdraw The
privilege. which custom had heretofore accord
ed the company Of making special rates 10
meet the necessities Of The shippers over It's
road the company had 10 other alternative
but 10 respectfully submit. | now desire 20
discuss the whole subject IN a spirit Of frank
ness, iubued as am with the firm conviction
TINT more accurate information on your par;
Of the actual relations existing between the
parties must not only d. away with all preju-
dico, but must satisfy your committee that
such legislation as is proposed can but result
iu widespread disaster 70 all our interests /;
aud desire 20 ask the committee. after allow
ing me 10 submit the views OF the company,
and such evidence as / thiuk necessary to sus-
tam them, that they Will fully aud freely
present all the alleged agTieyances complained
Of bg their constituents, in order that they
may be carefully considered, and where nee
sssary be corrected !, however, feel entirely
corfdcut that ! shai. be able to present so
plaiu IL case Tor your consideration as will sat
isfv YOU that, uy issuing the new tan1, aud
making such special rates as the eXigeucies OF
ftr.... fira trfl
remove all possible ground of complaint
Now in the iiFst place propose to cxamine
the new tariff, and / refer 70 the passenger
which have in my hand, and ask the COM
mttce whether there are any complaints as 10
the rates imposed by it? Its based upon a
uniform rate Of three cents per mile, the 60
veruius rate between PAt,more aud Chicago,
an! the same rate as Is adopted 10y all the
roads within the state OF OHIO.
Col. johnson" believe that Tie new
schedule Of passenger rates is entirely salts
factory to tie people
Dir. Keyser continues am glad 70 hear it,
aud will therefore drop that branch OF thc
subject. DOW come 20 tle freight tariffs, and
| present you with Il copy Of the new tariff
issued Mach lst, to which ! ask your careful
able you 10 form some correct estimate Of the
merits of this tariff have bad prepared a
statement showing a comparison ol II with t5e
tariffs now Do operation On the four Trunk
Lines east Of thc Ohio river. aud also showing
a comparison with tie iye Trunk Lines west
Of the river and 10 order 10 make II still
noe plain aud ineligible have divided up
the distances into mileage stretches, comparing
tie local rates of each of these Trunk Lines
urou these mileage subdivisions with the
local rates of the Baltimore E Ohio Road 10
West Nirgiuia, and have added a condensed
statement showing iu brief the results Of these
comparsous and, that you may verify tie
correctness of these statements, have brought
with ine printed copies of the local tariffs Of
theroals referred 90, and ! ask the gentlemen
Of the committee % look carefully into the
figures and facts presented, 50 that they may
not only verify them, but hope become salts
fed If the correctness Of the conclusions |
proposo 10 draw from them. As the question
los been raised in both houses, aud as 1t has
been openly asserted that the new tariff does
not make any material reduction 10 rates as
cornpared with the ola, ! think IL proper %
submit copy q the old tariff, and ! ak your
careful attention 10 The hgutes aud classitca-
,ions Il the OLD and new, 10 order % sustain
tie assertion Of the company that DOT only q
large reduction iu tie rate Of each class has
been made. but that reduction in the general
Classification has also been made, aud that 10
the aggregate these two reductions constitute
large percentage in favor Of the new tariff.
As the charter Of the company limits It's max
imum rate 10 eight cents per ton per mile, aud
es this rate is shown by experience TO be tn
reuuneraiige short hauls, il would be un-
reasonable to expect of the company that
there should be auy reductions in the tariff
until the length Of the haul made a rate less
than the maximum Femunerative, aud IN order
TO illustrate this more clearly, ask attention
70 the first ten mile stretch as contained 10 the
printed statement furnished you, which shows
the comparison in tie rates Of the Baltimore
ana Ohio Railroad. with the other trunk lines
r. -. rn, AMI one hundred and two huntfcl