Evening journal., 1906-11-06
Editorial Opinion
A Noble Wife eeatsr.


edness in her present plight will cor
mand for her the widespread sympath
Of her countrypeople. It would see
as II Anna Gould had drawn the ui
luckiest number in the whole lottei
Of international marriages. Never be i
ter than in the case OF Castellane wer
the words OF Tennyson exampled:
Here and there the cotter's babe
royal born by right divine;
Here and there my lord is lower tina
his oxen or his swine.
A count come down a long descent
a leader in the society Of the Freno
capital, and yet one of the lowest
human creatures-spendthri profit
gate, blackleg and wife-beaterl Thi
was what Anna Gould drew FOR tn
prize Of her bright young dream. Ths
most becoming thing the wretch coul
do would be to fall on the sword Of !
wronged husband; but neither the char
acter OF the Count de Castelnnc no
the degree OF ferocity that marks thi
French duel warrants the hope that hi
wife will find her deliverance that way
A Great Railroad.
The eightieth annual report OF the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, giving an
account OF the transactions OF the COM
pany for the year ended June 80 last,
has been published. The Baltimore and
Ohio is the only railroad in the United
States, we believe, and the only one In
the world, except one or two in Eng
land, that has been publishing reports
for so years. This company has a
t.lr -, 90
markable feature OF its history is the
fact that a charter written for the in
corporation Of a railroad before loco
motives were invented, and framed
with the idea that the road might be
a toll road, operated on the method Of
turnpike roads mas beenfound adequate
for the government OF a road whose
annual income is now many times
greater than the original capital stock
More than this. the charter written by
Mr. Mcmahon is still the model for
railroad charters In the United States
The Baltimore and Ohio Company now
has 44S5 miles Of track. It's gross
earnings last year were sS2.50S,719 and
its net earnings were s29, ,166.799 over
the previous year there was an in
crease OF about $4,000, 900. coming en-
tirely from the freight traffic, as the
receipts from passenger traffic were
less In 1906 than In 1905 by s1i5,44s
those OF 1905 having been exceptionally
large, because OF the st. Louis Fair.
More than one-third of all the freight
traffic or 39.77 per cent. OF the whole
was soft coal. The company trans
ported during the year the prodigious
amount of 55.335,102 tons Of freight, an
amount many million tons greater than
was ever carried in any one previous
year. The number Of passengers car
ried also was greatly I'm excess Of the
humber ever carried before. In 1905,
however the passenger receipts were
greater because Of the long haul Of
passengers to ST. Louis. The net earn
ings OF the Washington branch were
sS75,S94, a decrease Of s65,695 compared
with the previous year. This amount
Of earning is equal to about per cent.
on the stock at the valuation at which
the State sold its stock to the COM
pany. The decrease in the net earn-
ings Of the branch, and the further de-
crease which may occur when the traf-
fc between Washington and the West
is diverted from it and a portion Of the
enormous cost Of maintaining the
Washington terminal is put upon II,
would seem to indicate that the state
sold the stock at a fair price.
The recovery OF this splendid prop
e-ty from the condition of wreck and
ruin which destroyed it's capacity for
carrying traffic and led to the receiver
ship, has been almost without parallel
in railroad history. In the rehabilita-
tion OF the road the present president,
Mr.. Oscar G. Murray, was one Of the
two chief agents. He was co-receiver
with Mr. owen and had In charge more
espec ally the material condition and
the transportation department. while
Mr.. Cowen devoted himself TO the legal
and financial affairs. Since he became
president Of the road. Mr.. Murray has
steadily pursued the policy Of improve
ment. adding facilit es, Strengthening
and improving tracks, building better
bridges and double tracks and buying
more cnrs and locomotives. The fact
that the road is prospering more than
ever before Under Mr.. Murray's pres
ent administration would seem to in
dicate that IL Is no disadvantage to the
road TO identify its interests with those
OF the city Of Baltimore rather than
with some other city. Mr.. Murray
treats the city Of Baltimore as the
home of the Baltimore and Ohio Com
pany and as n the interests Of the city
and road are identical, as. in fact, they
arc.
When the railroad was opened to
Wheeling a great majority OF it's COM
mon stock was owned by the state of
Maryland the city OF Baltimore and the
city Of Wheeling. The sale Of the
Washington branch stock ends the
states representation in the board Of
directors. But IT Is most gratifying to
note that two non residents who have
resigned have been succeeded by two
Baltimore -Messrs. Brent
Keyser and Joseph r. Foard-both Of
whom are deeply interested In the
prosperity OF this city. ..
Mr. Murray, in his report. refers 10
the completion and occupation OF the
lcompany's great ofice building I'm Bal
timore and to the approaching complies
tion Of the Washington terminal. which
he says win be IN use within the next
fiscal year.-Baltimore Sun.