Further to show that the city of Baltimore,
could not throw upon the State of Maryland,
the want of sagacity in commencing the Chesa-
peake and Ohio canal, he would read the resolu-
tion passed and amended by one of the Baltimore
delegation:
"Resolved, That it will be expedient to address
a memorial to the Congress of the United Slates,
requesting a subscription to the stock of the said
canal, and a like memorial to the legislatures of
Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and that
an application be made to the cities of Washing-
ton, Georgetown and Alexandria, to aid by simi-
lar subscription, to the stock of the said com-
pany."
And lest Baltimore city should be excluded.
this resolution was amended on the motion of a
member of the Baltimore delegation, [Mr. Et-
ting,] by inserting "Baltimore," after "Alex-
andria;" so whatever injury the Chesapeake and
Ohio canal may be to Baltimore, as some of her
citizen now appear to think it will be, it cannot
besaid this work was undertaken without her
consent, or without "aid and comfort" being ren-
dered thereto by some of her leading and most
eminent citizens.
But, it was said, Maryland had lost nothing
by a connection with works of improvement
running out of the city of Baltimore. He would
like to be informed how many years after the
State had subscribed to the Susquehanna rail-
road, passed away before any dividends were re-
turned, and he believed it had not yet fully paid
up the current interest in full, and he should like
to know whether there were not still due large
arrears of interests from that work. So with her
great work, the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, of
which Philip E. Thomas, a native of Montgomery,
as he had before intimated, was the founder
and projector. Many years had elapsed before
dividends were received by the State and he doub-
ted much whether the arrears had yet been
brought up. The State had been the loser, if in
no other way, by the amount of dead capi-
tal thus invested, from which no interest what-
ever was derived. But how was that work now
paying Maryland? Indollars and cents? No;
it was either by promises to pay, or by additional
stock dividends—a doubtful expedient at best
Now, there was the Susquehanna and Tide Wa-
ter canal. It was a long time before it had paid
the annual interest due the State, if even yet in
full the interest; and it was several years before
there was any dividend. The gentleman, there-
fore, was not correct in the statement that Mary-
land had not lost from such internal improve-
ments as centred in Baltimore
Again, Baltimore had not an interest with the
counties of Maryland. She had like a mighty
giant stretched not her arm in one direction and
seized upon the trade of central Pennsylvania.
In another direction, the trade of the Ohio and
the Mississippi was reached. A line to the south
directly through the State, and another to the
north connected with Philadelphia, increased the
external interests of Baltimore Lines of steam-
ers and coast vessels were fitted up to run in
every direction out of the State of Maryland. So |
that if the whole counties of Maryland were blot-
ted out to-morrow, Baltimore would still grow
in prosperity. He urged this as an argument to
show the dissimilarity of interests between Bal-
timore and the counties, and to show that her
sympathies were not with the counties. On the
other hand the counties were dependant upon the
city fur their market, both for sale and supply,
and by any act which would injure or impair the
prosperity of the city, they would injure them-
selves. Go to Baltimore and ask the man of
business where his commerce extended. His
answer would he, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New Or-
leans, England, the Rocky Mountains, or down
the shores of the Pacific to San Francisco, or up
to the lakes. Baltimore was the emporium and
it would be built up whether St. Mary's or the
Eastern Shore, Frederick, or Washington coun-
ties prospered or not. The honeyed words used
to the Eastern Shore, a few years ago, to urge
her to build a railroad by the side of her naviga-
ble streams were now heard no more.
I recur to a fact to which I have already allu-
ded. When the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
was commenced, the city of Baltimore had pledged
itself to pay a million of dollars to Washington
county, because that county would be material-
ly injured by the diversion of trade and travel
through that county. The result proved that she
was injured as the argument in court would
show, but the million of dollars was never paid.
Mr. PRESSTMAN inquired whether the city of
Baltimore had by its own action repealed that
provision, or whether it was the State of Ma-
ryland
Mr. DAVIS said that he took it for granted that
the city of Baltimore exercised a pretty potent
influence upon it.
Mr, PRESSTMAN inquired whether in speaking
of the injustice that was done to Washington
county, that gentleman meant to convey the
idea that when the penalty was repealed by the
Legislature of Maryland, the penalty which
compelled the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to
pay a million of dollars to Washington county—
the city of Baltimore had a controlling influence
in that Legislature. He had already disclaimed
the power of six men to do in that Legislature
what Capt. B. said that he could do. Capt. B.
said that he would surround five thousand people
in his own person. He did not understand how
the six representatives of Baltimore were to sur-
round the whole Legislature of Maryland. Ev-
ery man from the Eastern Shore of Maryland
had voted for this law.
Mr DAVIS. The gentleman says Baltimore
had but four delegates here and how could she
control the legislature? He could only say in
In reply, that when the interest of Baltimore was
concerned she always sent assistance to her delegates
here, whether from distrust or not in their
ability he would not prelend to say, to give in-
ormation to the members of the legislature upon
he subject of her interests. Sometimes it was
difficult to get the ear of members. They were
too much engaged at the sessions of the legisla-
ture, or on committees or sometimes in visiting |
