ART. 23] RAILROAD COMPANIES. 651

holders of a majority of the stock of such company, and if
sanctioned at such meeting by such holders of a majority of
the stock, shall be filed in the office of the secretary of State
of this State; and provided further, that such agreement shall
contain no provisions in conflict with the provisions of this
article or which shall exempt such railroad so far as it lies in
this State from the operation of the laws of this State, and
nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the
consolidation of any railroad companies owning or operating
competing or parallel roads, or parallel lines of railroad, which
is hereby declared to be unlawful and expressly prohibited
without the special consent of the general assembly being first
obtained therefor.

State use of Dodson v. Balto, and Lehigh R. R. Co., 77 Md. 491.

1888, art. 23, sec. 179. 1876, ch. 242, sec. 23

266. Every railroad company in this State shall cause all
its trains of cars for passengers to entirely stop upon each
arrival at a station advertised by such company as a station
for receiving passengers upon such trains at least one-half of
one minute; and every company, and every person in the
employment of such company, that shall violate, or cause or
permit to be violated the provisions of this section, shall be
liable to a forfeiture of not more than one hundred nor less
than twenty-dollars, to be recovered in an action of debt, upon
the complaint of any person before any justice of the peace of
the county in which such violation shall occur; and in all
cases in which a forfeiture shall occur under the provisions of
this section, the company whose agents shall cause or permit
such violation shall be liable for the amount of such forfeiture;
and in all cases, the conductor upon such train shall be held
prima fade to have caused the violation of this section which
may occur upon the train in his charge; said forfeiture to be
recovered in the name of the State of Maryland, for the use of
the common schools.

Ibid. sec. 180. 1874, ch. 333, sec. 1.

267. Whenever freight, forwarded upon any railroad to any
point in this State, shall remain unclaimed, and the legal
charges thereon unpaid for the space of three months after its
arrival at the point to which it Shall have been directed, and
the owner or person to whom the same is consigned, cannot
be found upon diligent inquiry, or being found and notified of