The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-12-08
JUSTICE FROM B. g. o.

State Directors German and
Baughman-Road Acting in
Bad Faith With Washing
ton Branch.
The State Directors of the Bal
timOre & Ohio Railroad Company,
Senator Arthur p. German and
General L. Victor Baughman,
have presented an interesting and
most important statement to the
Board of Public Works, relative
to the treatment accorded by the
company to the Wa h ngton
branch, in which the State of
Maryland is intrusted in a large
sum, and, like other stock holders,
is not receiving one cent in inter.
est. and has not for many years.
Facts and figures of an unex-
pected nature are given in this
statement TO the effect that the
Washington branch has been ex.
cluded unjustly from any partici-
patton in the terminal company
organized under act of Congress
to build the union railway station
in Washington, notwithstan ding
the fact that practically all of the
terminal facilities and all the
property and rights of way in the
city of Washington were owned
by the Washington branch, except
the small amount of property own
ed by the Baltimore and Ohio or
its Metropolitan branch.
Senator German also mainta
that the Washington bra IL C h
should pay dividend of at least
20 per cent. on its capital stock,
and submits a letter which he sent
to the Board of Directors on DC.
tOber 80 requesting that prompt
action be taken in declaring such
dividend and asking that the in
justice aud unfairness with which
the Washington branch was being
treated be Immediately corrected.
He alsocontends that theS1, 800, 600
appropriated by Congress to the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com
pany for the abandonment of its
present site in Washington and in
consideration of the property deed
ed to the United States and the
other rights surrendered shall be
credited to the Was h ington
branch. Mr.. German demands
that the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road Company shall cord
"simple justice" to the Washing.
ton branch and discloses a some
what startling condition of affairs.
Accompanying the statement
are copies of letters exchanged be-
tween Senator German and Presi
dent Oscar G. Murray, of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,
showing that as far back as April
20 Mr.. German made an effort to
get information and facts relating
to the reasons why the States
interest in this road were not bet
ter protected and why dividends
we're not paid, and further show.
ing that on October 80, at a meet
ing of the directors of the COM
pany in New York, Senator Cor
man laid before that body his
statement of what he believed to
be due to the State of Maryland
and requested that simple justice
be accorded the interests which
he and General Baughman repre-
scented in the board.
The statement is somewhat
lengthy and unravels in detail
the facts regarding the States
interest in the branch, tells of
the ownership of the Washington
City terminals, the immense bus
mess done by the line and it's
failure to pay dividends and the
effort made to secure an
accounting with the Baltimore
and Ohio Company.
1t then goes on to show that
the branch has been excluded
from all interest in the terminal
company organized under the
act of Congress, the entire stock
being owned by the Pennsylvania
and the Baltimore and Ohio.
ave regard" they say, "this
action upon the part of the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad as not
only unjust, but clearly in vio-
lation of the spirit, if not of
the letter, of the act OF Congress.
We have no question that the
State can institute proceedings
which will recover to the Wash.
ington Branch its just proper
ton in a project which is of i'm
mense value. To exclude the
Washington Branch road, which
owned all the depot facilities
heretofore used by the Baltim ore
aud Ohio, from participating in
this most profitable investment,
and thus terminating its tracks
outside of the city Of Washing
ington, is an arbitrary, unjust, if
not illegal, proceeding"