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

the officials of the canal, diverted trade
from the canal and made it impossible
for it to make sufficient to pay its cur.
rent expenses.
"The political fight became fiercer
and more open upon the part Of the
railroad interests in 1895, when they
made an open alliance with the Re
! publican party and elected Lloyd
Lowndes, Republican, Governor, and
with him secured majority of the
board of public works. The railroad
company, in addition, as it now ap.
pears from the report of Mr.. Little
who examined it's acts, bought up a
majority of the preferred bonds of the
canal company. 1t then sought and
succeeded in placing the canal com
pany in the hands of receivers, and the
receivers were practically the agents
Of the Baltimors and Ohio Company
the bondholders the Baltimore
and Ohio-alleging that if they were
permitted to manage the canal they
could make it living, going concern
and a paying concern.
"Miss Mary Garrett became the
bondsman of these sub-agents. The
four years expired, with no results ex
cept that the canal was deeper and
deeper in debt, the indebtness of which
was held by the B. and O., and a
Mary land court was again induced to
extend the time in which the company
should manage the canal until 1901
The railroad interests now have it un.
der their control, and there is no means
by which it can be taken out until the
expiration of that period.
"The board of public works has
elected president and directors of the
canal company, who were named by
Mr.. Cowen, the dominating spirit OF
the B. and o., so that the possession
OF the work, its management and its
officers are to all intents and purposes
b. and U. agents and under the direc.
tion of Mr.. Cowen. In this condition
the board of public works, as it has
the power to do, has advertised for bids
for the stock and bor ded interest ol
the State of Maryland, which is the
controlling interest of the work, and
will receive bids until the early part
OF February. The inevitable effect oi
this must be to exclude all bidders ex-
cept the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company, for no outside party can af-
ford to buy the States interests two
and one-half years in advance of the
time when it would be possible for the
purchaser to get possession of the
work.
During these two and half years
the B. and O. could increase the ex.
penditures to any extent it might see
proper and thus pile up the debt, gen.
uine or not, which would bankrupt
any outside purchaser.
In addition, all the legal questions
growing out of the preferred bonds OF
1874 Of the canal bought by the B. and
0. at the rate of 80 or 40 cents on the
dollar, namely, whether they are lien
on the corpus of the canal or only on
the revenue, would have to be deter
n.ae,l by decision of the court. In
other words, the conditions are such
as to make the B. and 0. the only pos
sible purchaser, and it will give the
State whatever its liberality or patri-
otto emotions may dictate"
From this interview, the statements
of which have never been challenged,
it appears that there is close alliance
between the Allegany Ring and the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the
alliance means a worse than steal of the
canal, the suppression of competing
transportation line in Western Mary
land, the retarding of developement in
that section, loss to boatmen and la
borers on the canal, and continuation
of an oppressive railroad monopoly.
j Ohm X. Cowen controls the Allegany
Ring, and the Allegany Ring in turn
is absolute boss of the Republican par
ty. The bossism is the most mercen-
ary and disrcgardful of public interest
of any in this country. There is none
anywhere, admitting the worse charg-
ed, that is so glaring and corrupt.
Another Republican success will make
it more audacious, and the people are
warned against the rule ofthis souiless
corporation through as rotten ring as
ever attempted the control of State.
A Democratic Legislature, during the
term of Gov. McLane, passed several
acts designed to protect wage-workers
from corporate oppression. With the
Allegany Ring in control of the State
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad would
have no difficulty in having these laws
repealed and have it in its power to
Cypress its employees at will
The Impecunious Son=It was rath-
er hard for yon, father, not to send me