848 JOURNAL OF PORCEEDINGS [Mar. 30,

It is certainly a cause of great satisfaction to your Com-
mittee, that in concluding a duty which has been attended
with great labor, it is able to say that the State of Maryland,
if it wisely uses its power to prevent the Chesapeake and
Ohio Canal Company, from being deprived of its proper share
of the coal traffic, will within a few years, derive a large
annual revenue from that work.

But, as your Committee has said, to ensure this result the
Canal must be protected by such legislation as will secure to
it the right to its just share of that business, which it was
incorporated to promote.

EDWARD LLOYD, Chairman,
B. S. FORD.

Which was read.

Mr. Newcomer submitted the tollowing minority report of
said Committee:

The undersigned, a minority of the Committee appointed
in accordance with the resolutions adopted by the Senate,
January 20th, 1876, in reference to the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal, begs leave to respectfully report, that while he coin-
cides with the report of the majority in regard to the general
results attained by the examination made by the Committee,
yet he cannot join in the denunciation contained therein of
all those who have felt themselves called upon to doubt the
policy of the management of the Canal, and the motives
prompting some of those who are in charge of the same.

Further, he does not know and cannot believe that the
complaints made against the management of the Canal, pro-
ceeded from anything else but an honest desire on the part of
at least many, to prevent an extravagant or improper use of
the revenues thereof.

He also doubts the propriety of advising that the State use
its power to prevent the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Com-
pany from being deprived of its proper share of the coal
traffic, inasmuch "as this would seem to imply suggestions
that legislation should be had to repress, trammel or inter-
fere with other means of transporting coal from the coal re-
gions to the great market where it is in demand. The in-
terests of the people are involved in securing coal at a low
rate for their consumption, and should not be prejudiced by
any supposed interest that the State may have in any of the
great works of internal improvement.

Further, it is not the duty of the Legislature to interfere

with legitimate business competition in coal or any other

traffic, or to legislate either for or against any corporation

but in such a manner as will promote the interests and enure

to the benefit of the people of .the State; therefore the under-