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work or lose the seven millions. The report of a meet-
ing of the corporators, held at Washington in March, 1840,
was read by Mr. McK., at which a resolution, offered by
Mr. Key, to continue the work by the issue of scrip to
the contractors, was passed, the State of Maryland, which
held seven millions of the stock, voting in the affirmative.
A committee was also appointed to take proper measures
to secure a continuance of the work by the issuing of the
scrip, and a provision limiting the amount of scrip to
$250, 000 was, on motion of Mr. Key, struck out. This
was thus the act of the State of Maryland, through her
agents, it being stipulated that the bonds of the State of
Maryland should be deposited as a guarantee of the pay-
ment. The State had taken $875, 000 of the labor of these
poor men, (the contractors, ) had taken possession of the
canal in order to save its seven millions, and told them to
go. This work which was done by these contractors
enured entirely to the benefit of the State, and after it
was done it was found out that they were to get noth-
ing; that Maryland repudiated the debt. Would any one
say that this was honest ? No private individual would be
allowed by the courts to do such a thing. But he would
show that Maryland had no such intention. Mr. Shriver,
of Carroll county, had offered a resolution in the Legisla-
ture that all work should be stopped until such time as
the Legislature should direct, thus recognizing the fact
that these poor men should not go on working until it was
found that they could be paid. His honorable friend, (Mr.
Jones, ) had called the yeas and nays on the resolution and
it was defeated by a vote of 45 to 12. The Legislature de-
cided then that the work should go on, and this was a
plain ratification of the acts of the State agents and made
the State responsible for the scrip which was issued. He
had seen Mr. Gorman, one of the contractors, who had em-
barked his private fortune in the work, sent to jail for a
debt of $4, and with $80, 000 of this scrip in his pocket.
There was a member of this Convention who had put his
whole fortune in it, and had succeeded in paying off every-
thing, and now had his pocket full of the worthless scrip.
There were thousands of it held all over Allegany county.
The merchants of Baltimore had come into possession of
much of it, and innumerable suits had been entered
against the company by them. When the State refused to
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