Year: 1860

| not be entertained by the Baltimore and Ohio
Company. If they are disposed to throw OBJ
/ structions OF that sort in the way, the whole
thing will fail; shall not bring It up again.
| Inc Georgetown people say that the Long


Bridge here will by this means be made per-
manent bridge. think that bridge now is a
mere continuation of a street out of the city of


Washington, which can hardly be removed
| without breaking up and disturbing vested
/ rights on the other side of the river The
public convenience of the whole city il very


much interested in the permanency of that


bridge, and / feel sure that it will not be
| taken away. At all events I am willing to


say for the Baltimore and Ohio Company, that


they will consent to provision being put in


this bill, providing that, if the bridge shall


ever be taken away, they will abandon the


whole thing. They will build their road along
| SIDE OF the bridge, with the risk and chance Of
| the bridge being broken down. 1t is the short
est, the cheapest, and the most feasible route,


and the only one that they are willing to ac-
eept.


Mr.. Cameron.-Mr President, have great


respect for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad


Company, because L think they have done
| wonders for the internal improvement of the
country. Theirs was the first railroad started


In this country, and it was completed amidst
| great difficulties


The Presiding Officer, (Mr Foster in the
| chalr will the Senator suspend his remarks


for a moment, so that the first amendment re.


ported from the committee may be read, in
order that the question may be distinctly pre-
| sented before the Senate.


| The Secretary read the amendment which


is, In the first section, to insert after the word
| pile" in the eleventh line, the words cor


other suitable" so as to read


To extend said line of railroad across the


river, by means of pile or other suitable


structure, adjacent to or connected with the
| Long Bridge.


Mr.. Cameron desire TO say, without any


more preface, that there are two or three
| amendments which desire to propose to this
| Dill While give all credit to the Baltimore


and Ohio Railroad Company for their great
! enterprise, which has done a great deal of good
L must say that L do not believe they come
| here now exclusively for the purpose of serving


the public. think they come here to get a


great benefit from Congress; one which will be
| OF great service TO their stock, and which will
| enable them to derive great advantages. If
you give them this right, without some altera-


ton OF the bill, you destroy private rights
| which have been recognized by Congress; and
you destroy the interests Of private individuals
| In this neighborhOod, who have invested very


large sums OF money for the benefit Of the pub
| Iic railroad has been made within the last
| few years FROM the city of Alexandria to this
city, under the sanction Of Congress, and in the
| oenet, on the part OF the gentlemen who in
i
| were going to be protected according to their
charter. If you give this company the right to
| pass over the Long Bridge now you destroy
the vested rights of that company, from the
| Long Bridge to Alexandria.


| Mr.. Kennedy The honorable Senator will
allow me TO say to him, that think this bill is
| now drawn in entire concurrence with the
views OF the Alexandria and Washington road
The Baltimore and Ohio branch will Join that
road at the other end of the Long Bridge.
Mr.. Bruwn--I will say, with the indulgence
| OF the Senator from Pennsylvania that in that
conclusion my colleague on the committee, the
senator from Maryland, is entirely mistaken
| The Washington and Alexandria Railroad Com
| pany are necessarily very bitterly opposed to
this whole scheme. They asked the same
franchise which is now proposed to give to this
company, and Congress refused it.


Mr.. CsmerOn.-l was going to say that the
principal owner Of this stock called upon me this
morning to say that he had not been able to
make any arrangement with the Baltimore and
Ohio company. The Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
| road Company, with its millions of capital is
disposed to treat these people, who have invested
| their one or two hundred thousand dollars as
| nothing, because millions have great power over
| hundreds. These men have expended at least a
500, 600 in making railroad from Alexandria
| TO the end OF this bridge, and they have been
| anxious from the commencement to cross the
| bridge or make any connection with the Balti-
| more and Ohio Railroad that Congress would
authorize them to do; but they appealed in
vain. Now you propose to DESTROY their rights
| for the result of this bill will be- in nv iudg-
ment, that the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company, instead of crossing the Long Bridge
so rs to connect with the Alexandria railroad
| will go down on this side Of the river and make
| a connection Of their own. Within the last
year, one hundred and twenty-five thousand
passengers have been carried between Alex2n-
IN
| mense number of people-and yet scarcely
anybody In Washington knows anything about
| the road Instead of permitting these people
TO take their road directly across that bridge
| and connect with the Baltimore and Ohio rail
road, you have compelled them to land at the
bridge, 60 around by the wiDdings of the river,
and take circuitous route to the depot here
occupying an hour for a journey which ought
not to occupy more than ten minutes and all
becazse this great corporation desires to eat up
that little one.


have one amendment now to PROPOSE and
then have several others; because tell you,
Mr.. President, this company is interfering with
travelling and communication between the dis
tant connections of this country in such way as
no corporation ever has done. When go home I
have to wait four or five hours in Baltimore, be-
cause the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Compa-
ny is afraid that /, or somebody else, may pass
over to Harrisburg, and thence to Northumber-





great Northwest; or from Harrisburg to Wilkes
barre, and thence to the great Northeast, with
out paying toll to the city of Baltimore They
will not check my baggage through; and il
their cars happen to be FIVE minutes behind
time in getting into Baltimore must wait
FIVE or six hours, instead of taking the train
which leaves half an hour after they Get there.
They will not check baggage for me or any
body else, except those going directly between
New York and Washington. The whole travel
from the South is compelled, by the arrange
ment of this company, to 90 three hundred
miles out of the way to get to Niagara Fails,
in place of going directly up. Mr. President,
the Niagara Falls are thirty miles nearer to
the city of Washington than they are to the
city of New York; and yet, all travellers from
the South are compelled to go by Philadelphia,
and thence to New York, and then to Albany,
and around to Niagara because this company
will not make the other connections That is
what complain Of particularly. But the first
amendment propose, is to relieve these people
down at Alexandria, who have built their little
road; put in their little means to make road
between these two cities, which is now to be
eaten up by this great corporation. My first
ameDdmenf * m fhaxa words. nd then Tprin