that commerce which it would otherwise possess
through the Baltimore and Ohio rail road. That
such a rivalry would be, in a great measure, ru-
inous to the rail road, most destructive of the im-
portant interests of the city of Baltimore and the
State at large; and, also, of the State's interest
in the Chesapeake and Ohio canal company.
When he, (Mr. Dorsey,) took an impartial view
of all these circumstances, in connection with
the transactions of the State's, agents since May,
1850, be was Inextricably involved in difficulties
in satisfactorily accounting for the acts of the
State's agents. He did not, he could not, for
one moment, suspect they, knowingly and wil-
fully, had designedly sacrificed the paramount
interests of the State, to promote those of Alle-
gany county, the district cities, or of any other
place or persons. His personal knowledge of
those gentlemen, their elevated positions in so-
ciety, and their unblemished purity of character
had never permitted him for one moment to en-
tertain such a suspicion. As for the gentleman
from Montgomery, [Mr. Davis,] he had known
him from his boyhood, and if he had a highly
valued and confidential friend on earth, he was
the man; he bad always reposed the fullest con-
fidence in his purity of character, incorruptible
integrity, and soundness of judgment, and was
allied to him by family connections, the most
confidential and cordial associations, and by en-
dearing reminiscences which would endure as
long as life lasted. Yet, standing here as a re-
presentative of Maryland, as one of the guardians
of its rights and interests, he was bound, faithful-
ly to discharge his duty, without being influenced
by partiality for friends or hostility to foes. He
could not refrain from saying, that to him, the
conduct of the State's agents was inexplicable,
unless it could be accounted for by supposing
that they have been insensibly misled by the fol-
lowing, with other accompanying, circumstances.
The only work of internal improvement which
gave them any concern, to which their atten-
tion and labors were at all directed, and for
the completion of which their deepest solicitude
had been excited for years, was the Chesapeake
and Ohio canal. That work monopolising too,
all their valuable and meritorious services in ef-
fecting its completion, because their pet and fa-
vorite, they identified themselves with it, regard-
ed it as measurably their work, and in indulging
their partialities and self congratulations, they in
a great measure lost sight of the fact that the
State had other interests which required their
consideration, besides those immediately connect-
ed with the Chesapeake and Ohio canal company.
They, too, perhaps, were under the influence of
that strong prejudice which was very generally
excited against the Baltimore and Ohio rail road
company, when, at a time that the canal compa-
nies were importuning the Legislature for farther
advances to aid in the completion of the canal, it
offered to contract, and did contract for the trans-
portation of coal on the rail road from Cumber-
land to the city of Baltimore for one and one-
third cents per ton per mile. This offer by the
rail road company was then denounced, in the
harshest terms, by the friends of the canal, as an |
insidious and dishonorable effort on the part of
the rail road to deceive the Legeslature and in-
jure the canal company. That the officers of the
rail road company well knew that the rail road
could not, without heavy loss, expect such a con-
tract. And a call was made upon the rail road
company, I believe, by the Legislature, to ex-
plain the grounds upon which it was enabled to
transport coal at so low a rate. He well remem-
bered that the impression made upon his mind at
the time was, that the rail load could not afford
to transport coal to Baltimore at so low a rate)
yet, he did not for a moment believe that the
foul and continually reiterated expressions upon
the officers of the rail road company were merit-
ed, and so he stated to some of the distinguished
advocates of the canal from Allegany county
and other portions of the State,
Being desirous of forming a correct opinion as
to the ability of the Railroad Company, consist-
ently with its interests, to transport coal on the
terms proposed, he at that time read with great
attention, the able and detailed reports made by
the appropriate officers of the company, and was
perfectly convinced that the Railroad Company
made no pecuniary sacrifice, but nothing by its
entering into contracts upon the terms proposed.
In those reports of the engineer and other officers
of the Railroad Company, it was not pretended
that the transportation of coal was highly profit-
able; or yielded any thing like the ordinary pro-
fits for such service; or that like other charges
for transportation, it would contribute its propor-
tion of interest on the capital expended in the
construction of the railroad; but that the railroad,
being already constructed, and the interest on
the capital expended, being provided for by the
other income of the company; the transportation
of coal on the road on the terms proposed would
not be a losing business to the company, if the
tolls imposed would pay all the additional costs
and expenses induced by it; and would pay for
the wear and tear of the road incident to such its
use, and would contribute its just proportion of
the fund for the reconstruction of the railroad
when it became necessary. All this, it was sat-
isfactorily shown, would be fully provided for by
a toll of one and one-third cents per ton per
mile. From that moment the friends of the canal
have regarded the Railroad Company as its ene-
my and rival; and under the influence of this
feeling and opinion, the State's Agents must have
been acting, indeed my friend from Montgome-
ry has shown me astatement where the railroad,
coming in competition with the canal, have not
charged more than one-half or a third for trans-
portation per ton, of what was their accustomed
charge, for like services, where no such competi-
tion existed, and this I understand him to regard
as evidence of unjust rivalry on the part of the
Railroad Company towards the canal and war-
ranting the great reductions in tolls on the canal
and the other acts of the State's Agents relating
to the canal. But these acts of the railroad com-
plained of, appeared to me as purely defensive
and self-sacrificing; rendered indispensable to
counteract the baneful influence of the measures
pursued by the Canal Company. |
