11

between the Northern Central Road, through its connection
with the railway lines in Pennsylvania, and the Baltimore &
Ohio Road; and a moment's reflection will convince you,
that this branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Road from Knox-
ville to Washington, will take off most, if not all, the pas-
sengers for Washington, who now come from the West and
Southwest of Pittsburg on the Pennsylvania and northern Cen-
tral Railroads via Baltimore. Passengers who now go to Wash-
ington from Cincinnati, from Lousville, &c., &c., travel in-
discriminately upon either the Baltimore & Ohio, or the
Pennsylvania roads, and all are placed upon the Washington
Branch road; but after the completion of the contemplated
branch from Knoxville, the Baltimore & Ohio Road will not
supply to the Washington Branch Road a single passenger west
of Frederick, and none will be furnished by the Northern
Central Road, except such as come by the Pennsylvania
roads from Middle, Western, and Northern Pennsylvania,
and from Western New York, the Lakes, and Canada. The
undersigned will not omit to ask your attention to a single
instance of the deep interest always evinced by the Baltimore
Road in fostering the resources of the State. When tiie Act
of 1865, chapter 70, was under consideration, some members
of the Senate and House of Delegates who saw that every
passenger who traveled on the road thereby authorized,
would lessen the aumber of passengers on the Washington
Branch Road, offered an amendment giving to the State the
one-fifth of the receipts on the proposed road as an equivalent
for the loss of travel thereby diverted from the Washington
Branch Road, and the consequent loss of revenue. No super-
visory care of the State's income was then attempted to be
exercised by the Baltimore Road. The amendment was re-
jected, and the State thus deprived of all the income which
she would have received on these passengers on the Wash-
ington Branch Road.

With all the respect which may be felt by any one for the
management of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the under-
signed submits, that whenever a corporation professes to op-
pose a rival Company, not because of loss to itself, but to
"protect the revenue of the State;" when it bases its opposi-
tion, not upon its own interest, but upon the interest of the
public, that all such professions will be received with some
degree of incredulity. It was necessary to the interests of the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company to obtain the privilege
of making the branch road from Knoxville; it was against its
interest that the per capita tax should be charged, and it very
properly advocated that legislation which would best serve its
interest, bat the opposition to the charter of the Baltimore &
Potomac Road, "because it would lessen the revenue of the
State," or because it is to be built with foreign capital, or be-