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policy of the State in referance to the subject of internal im-
provements.

Maryland had, prior to 1835, chartered various companies
to construct works of this character, and had, to some extent,
subscribed for stock in all of them. She had chartered the
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Company, the Northern Central
Railroad Company, the Tide-Water Canal Company, and the,
Baltimore aad Ohio Railroad Company, but although these
subscriptions amounted to millions of dollars, the final pol-
icy was sot settled until 1835. It was found that the money
already subscribed by individuals, and by the State, and City
of Baltimore, had proved altogether inadequate to bring any
one of these works to completion, and the question submitted
to the Legislature of 1835 was, whether the system before
entered upon should be abandoned or the State and city make
further advances to aid them in the then disastrous condition
of all of these Companies. You will remember, that by the
Act of 1835, the sum of eight millions of dollars was appro-
priated by the State to aid the completion of the works above
enumerated, and for other contemplated improvements in
other sections of the State, and that by the combination of the
different interests in the various sections of the State to which
aid was proposed to be, given, the bill was passed. It must
be within the recollection of your Honorable Bodies, that this
legislation brought the State to the verge of repudiation, for
the people had not then been taught their capacity to pay
taxes, and the ship of State was with difficulty steered safely
through the elements of discord which threatened bankruptcy
and dishonor.

But the design of the undersigned is to call your attention
to the policy, or object of the State, which induced her to
enter upon this gigantic system of improvement. No one can
look to this legislation without seeing that the great and con-
trolling object was to build up the City of Baltimore as a
great commercial Emporium, and that the development of the
resources of the rural and mineral districts of the State mere-
ly auxiliary to that primary object. Hence, all the Compa-
nies to whom this munificent assistance was extended, except
the Tide-Water Canal, were, by the terms of the law, to have
their eastern termini at Baltimore; and this great design so
overshawdowed all others that, in the Act of 1835, the appro-
priation of the entire eight millions was made to depend upon
the actual subscription of a sufficient sum to complete the
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal from some point west of George-
town to Baltimore. You all know that the terminus of the
Canal is at Washington; how the condition was annulled
can be best explained by the Companies to whom the eight
millions were appropriated. This policy of the State was not
overlooked by the Legislature of 1853, in the passage of the
charter of the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Company. The