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1578 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Apl. 3,
Third. What disposition has been made by said Southern-
Maryland Railroad, or any officer thereof, of said sum of one
hundred and sixty-three thousand dollars?
Fourth. Whether any other stockholder than the State of
Maryland is a bona fide stockholder of said Company, and
what is the best course for the State to pursue in connection
with its interests in said Company ? Although these resolu-
tions were passed as early as January 25th, 1876, the Com-
mittee has only examined four witnesses, viz: A. C. Tennison
and A. A. Lawrence, formerly County Commissioners of St.
Mary's county, and Samuel S. Smoot, President, and Hamil-
ton G. Fant, formerly Treasurer of the Southern Maryland
Railroad Company.
A list of witnesses, (copy hereto annexed marked A,) who,
in the opinion of the undersigned, could have given most im-
portant testimony, was laid before the Committee, who de-
clined to summon most of them, and the Committee resolved
to discontinue the investigation against the protest of the un-
dersigned. The Committee failed to procure the attendance
of the Comptroller of the Treasury, or of the late Treasurer
of the State, the officials entrusted by the law of 1868, with
the subscription to the stock of the Company, and the pay-
ment of the money to the same, and only examined in rela-
tion to the charges against the officers of the Company, those
very officers themselves.
In view of these facts, the undersigned are constrained to
repert, that in their candid judgment, the thorough investi-
gation contemplated by the resolutions, and demanded by the
people of the State, has not been had,
The undersigned, however, from the meagre testimony
taken before the Committee, have arrived at the following
conclusions: The General Assembly of Maryland, at its Ses-
sion of 1868, passed an Act, (chapter 454,) appropriating the
sum of five hundred thousand dollars, for works of Internal
Improvement in St. Mary's, Charles and Calvert counties, of
which amount, the sum of one hundred and seventy-three
thousand dollars was for the purpose of aiding the costruction
of a railroad in St. Mary's county. At the same Session an
Act (chapter 310) was passed appropriating ten thousand dol-
lars of the above amount to make a survey of a railroad from
some point in Prince George's county, through Prince Geor-
ge's, Charles and St, Mary's counties to Point Lookout. The
Southern Maryland Railroad Company was chartered March
20th 1868, (chapter 150,) for the purpose of constructing a
railroad from some point in Prince George's county to Point
Lookout. By Section 10 of this Act, the sum of two dollars
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