The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-11-03

the claims, judg gments, &c, from 1871
to 1890 shall have priority over those
prior to January, 1877.
Section 5 provides that claims and
judgments shall be proven prior to
September lst, 1896.
Section provides that the assiynee
Of claims and judgment shaNh haze ali the
benefits Of this act as the original opner.
Who owns the claims in favor of
which the State waived its claims by
the act of 1906? 1t is true that the
State will get only about 100000 out
of the proceeds of the sale of the canal,
and that 100000 will go to Baltimore
and Ohio interests and the other $780,
600 to persons who bought up the
claims at a heavy discount? If these
claims have been bought up and are
now held by assignees, was not the re-
cital in the preamble to the waiver of
claims act that "a large majority OF
said claimants are poor persons' a dec
laration intended to deceive? In fact
was it not deliberate falsehood?
There is another phase to this canal
business. apart from the inadequacy OF
the bid, the bar -;liii b.tw,rn the ALE
gany Ring and the Baltimore and Ohio
and the question Of the waiver OF
claims. The proposed lease OF 1890
provided for the building of railroad
on the line of the canal. and the
amended charter. chapter 66, Acts OF
1890, forbid any parallel or nearly par
allel railroad from acquiring possession
or control of it or acquiring any of its
stock, thus insuring the maintenance
of a competing transportation line to
the rich and populous counties of
Western Maryland where the canal
runs. The building of that road would
have enhanced property values along
the route, developed all contiguous
property, increased trade, and the
property of the railroad would have
added a million dollars to the taxable
basis for State purposes and a large
amount to the taxable basis of every
count where it was built. Further,
by connection of the Western Mary
land railroad with the Washington and
Cumberland railroad at Williamsport
the trade of Baltimore city would have
been greatly benefited, and the West
ern Maryland railroad, principally
owned by the city of Baltimore, would
have become, most likely, a self-sus-
tanning road instead of being charge
on the city for interest on bonds guar
anteed by the city. AS above noted
Enoch Pratt was one of the incorpora-
tors of the Washington and Cumber-
land Railroad. In the issue of Febru-
airy 9Th, 1890, of the Baltimore Sun,
Mr.. Pratt is quoted as saying THAT he
was in the enterprise to protect Balti-
more's interests, and that if the pro-
posed connection with the Western
Maryland should be made at Williams
port this end would be served"
By the proposed sale by the present
Board of Public Works, the Baltimore
and Ohio would have continuation of
the monopoly of the freight and pass
engcr travel of a rich and popu'ous
section of Maryland, with the power
to fix such changes as it pleases; pro-
gress and development would be re-
tarded; the taxable basis kept at a
standstill or decrease, and railroad
company with tax exemptions and un-
usual charter advantages be further
aided in its ruinous policy toward de-
velopment of the State.
In the Baltimore San, of November
2Sth, 1898, 4 special Washington dis
patch contains an inteivie with "a
prominent Marylander" on the p:o-
posed sale of the canal by the Allegany
Ring to the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road. The interview sketches the his
tory of the canal from 1926 90 to the
presidency of James Clarke, and pro-
ceeds:
Following Mr.. Clarke, Senator
German became president, and under
his manac ement the trade of the Balti-
more and Ohio was still further en-
croached upon. so that the canal surplus
of the first four years of his admins
tration was abou. a million dollars.
The condition challenged the attention
Of the railroad company to such an ex-
tent that it determined to control the
politics of the State so as to con rol
the management of the canal.
"Mr. Robert Garrett, then presid mt
of the railroad, acting under the in
struction of John X. Cowen, his coun-
sci, began systematic attempts to get
possession of the canal through the
politics of the State. About that time
the canal met with great disaster by
the floods of 1878 and 1879, which des-
troyed the works to such an extent
that a new bonded Indebtedness of half
million Of dollars was necessary to
repair the damage. These boEds were
made the first lien upon the corpus of