The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-01-16


engcrs simultaneously, and the aggregate
charge for freight and passengers respect.
lively shall be the same between Baltimore
and any point on, said road within direct
distance Of five miles from the Ohio river
as between Baltimore and Wheeling"
The object OF the second section OF said
act. as set forth, Is to secure to Wheeling
the benefit Of the Western terminus, and
IS the company at that time depended
mainl Z on the Ohio river for freightand
passengers, there being no connecting road
west OF the river, It seems clear that the
intention OF this section was to prevent
the company giving lower rate between
Baltimore and +Moundsvile where the
road first reaches the Ohio river) than be.
tween Baltimore and Wheeling, thereby
diverting the immense traffic, which at
that time Aoated on the Ohio river to that
point and practically depriving Wheeling
ofthe advantages oil It's terminal point.
The committee are clearly OF the opinion
that this is the proper construction OF this
section. It is well known that tho COM
pany desired to reach the Ohio river many
miles south Of Wheeling, and that bitter
contest had been going on for some years
in the Legislature Of Virginia between the
company and the city Of Wheeling, the
former seeking permission to reach the
river ut q point south Of Wheeling and the
latter striving K, preYentit. Although tho
Legislature, finally permitted the road to
reach the river south Of Wheeling, they
sought by this section to secure to that
city the. practical advantages Of the termi-
nus, no doubt deeming that viii. her
wharves and other means for handling
freight she could not lose her advantages,
unless disCriminatiye rates were used
against her, and that's eiEeetully perverted
by this section. Tt, sNy.'.
IL GREAT CHANGES
have occurred since the adoption OF that
section. The freight and travel that then
reached the road by. water, is now al
most exclusively by railway communica.
tions reaching to the Pacific Coast and OK,
tending over the west and northwest and
your Committee submit that strict con-
struCtion of atsection would require the
Company to give Wheeling rs low rates to
Baltimore AZ prevail between Baltimore
and Chicago, or Baltimore md other points
west Of the Ohio river.
It is claimed by some that this section
gives authority to fix rates on freight and
passengers !way and through in this State
at the same rata p0r mile that is charged
from Chicago to BALTIMORE. Your Com
mittee do not reach this conclusion, and to
show the impoliCy OF enforcing such rates,
| il legal, will give a single illustration: The
freight en- grain from Chicago to Baltimore,
We understand, to be $40 per car Of 10000
pounds. The distance h0ipg $50 miles,
1 makes S4.7G per one hundred miles, or
IfouE md three. quarter cents per mile
This section, 40 construed, would compel
the Company to TRANSPORT car load Of
grain between stations Ave lntlGg spart for
933 cents, and require them to load, trGna.
port and deliver 1000 pounds like dis
/ lance FOR 81 GaBtg, and for loading, trans.
porting, Re-, i've hunlrRd mounds they
would be entitled to receive q little more
than one-half of one cent,
A""p PRACTICE srorPkp.
4 The,committes haYe no evidence that
A the company charge lGss for ttausDorta-
\ ton and travel between Chicago and OTHER
4 points West OF the river and Baltimore,
than, between, Baltimore and Wheeling,
INT the evidence Mill show that tiie con-
uyuyhaY charged, less between stations
Il West of tho Ohio riyerto intermediate sta
y lions IN this State than IJstween Wheeling
and the game stations. The committee called
the attention Of the company 10 this praG-
tice, and twas at once discontinued, as
will be seen by d Communication trom Nr,
Vi. L. Doherty, General Freight Agent,
marked "a ,n&hioEi accompanies this re.
port. The only statute OK the State OF
West Virginia, restricting railroads in their
charges is In Chapter 22I Acts 1878,
passed December 9Th, 1879, The charges
AUTHORIZED. by{thatSaCt for freight and
passengSfs Gr6 graduated BY distance. A
rroater sum peT mile is fixed for distances
Iinder 20 miles than betyeon 30 and 100
miles, and tho rate DOR mile Is diminished
rs tife distance increases every 30 miles,
The company, through VIM, Keyser,
Second Vice President, submitted q COM
, mnn;oation marked GB" which accompa.
MES this roport, giving their reason ior
not eompiyIng Win DE rates here estab.
Iiished. SeIther do tiioy comply with the
: It'll section Of the act Of lsJ3.3, which
| rends hs follows: "All railroad corpora.
ltions shal! keep constantly postQd, In {
"onso;ouous place, in all their ticket OIL
nos and passaIl ueri and freight depots, q
ln1nfofl aoby OF The 1T "a, 81, 4tltand 5tt
!, ssec,ibns III ihis not, toaath6f With 2 table
, I0f distances between eaGll and every sta
!. t;on Of their road printed in legible typo
4 and ,statament showing the lplaERl Il
which its road belongs. Many Of TN
. "r;ava nces and INEQUALITIES complained oil
: rLen we heoan our duties, have been cor
, roctad hv ne COMPANY NJ tie instance o
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