The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-17

venienee to which it would suDJecI tue
railroad company.
Mr.. Bell moved to amend the pending
bill by striking out the paragraph which
was obnoxious to him. This brought Mr..
Mudd to his feet in opposition to Mr..
Bells motion.
Mr.. Mudd said:
'Mr. Chairman, should like to be rec
ognized in opposition to the amendment
offered by the gentleman from Colorado. In
the first place, desire to call the atten-
ton of the committee to the fact that the
gentleman has not fairly and accurately
stated the contents of the report from
! which he undertook 10 read, as to the
| commerce Of this place which forms the
subject matter OF the present controversy
The Information which have before
me, and which the gentleman had before
him, came, it is true. from the president
or the steamboat company, but it is adopt
ed by the Engineer Department of the
Government as being reliable as l sub
nit that it is, and 1t states the incoming
commerce of that point to be S75, 600 and
the outgoing to be $4,000. which 1 take
| it will be conceded even by the gem
tleman from Colorado, amounts. when
taken together, 10 $50, eco, which is
very different showing as to ;he commerce
of this river at Chis landing of Bristol
gentleman.
Now. Mr. Chairman, I admit that that
is not very great amount of commerce.
| admit that this is not a very wealthy
section Of country but there are a great
many people in this locality who are de-
pendent upon this place for shipment to
the only market which they have, which
is Baltimore, of all the crops they pro-
duce, and all the things they have TO sell
to gain their livelihood
THE gentleman has made statement
that the railroad company since its con-
struction across that river has taken
away nearly all of the business that had
formerly been given to the steamer This
is entirely erroneous. The market for
these people Is Baltimore. None OF their
produce comes TO Washington; they do
not want it to come to Washington, and
it does not suit them to send it here. and
the railroad furnishes no adequate or
practical method of transportation to Bal
timore.
Now, the gentleman somewhat sur
priSeS me, as ! am sure he does the House.
when he comes here and asks this com
mittee TO refuse an appropriation unani-
mously recommended by the Committee
on Rivers and Harbors, for the small sum
of 6.000 to promote and to continue nav
igation to supply the needs OF a large
rural section, because a railroad corpora
ton asks him to save to it the expense
of hiring a man to keep the drawbridge
on the river. 1t is refreshing, indeed, 10
find this gentleman here, thousands of
miles away I. ON his own homo. where he
appears in a very different l;gh., poslhg
as the apologies. and defender of railroad
companies. against the intereS- s OF tHc
people. I understand the gentleman frank
ly states that the money to baud tlls
railroad comes from his State. Evidently
the gentleman here in Washington.
great distance away from his own baili-
wick, against the interests of these people
down in Calvert and Anne Arundel Coun-
ties. in Maryland. is willing to set up the
claim of a few dollars of expense to the
railroad company. 1t is evident that the
gentleman here in Washington City is
even willing TO give some tolerance to
the doctrine that we have heard berated
in another form and in another field Of
discussion. with which he is familiar. of
putting the dollar before the man If
1t be true that the railroad company is
dividing the traffic of this section-and no
one can pretend it is doing more than
that-then it Inay be fairly conceded that
il is producing competition, which the
people of that rection ought to profit by.
| do not apprehcnd that the gentleman
from Colorado Will want to stand up here
and place himself III the category OF OPP
posing competition. and of being the
especial representative and champion of
monopolies and trusts. l do not think. at
least. that he wants to bear that reputa-
ton at home whatever he may be willing
TO do as to my district here in the State
of Maryland several thousand miles
away from his home.
Now. Mr.. Chairman, want to say that
the president of this railroad company is