252 A. L. Bishop — The State Works of Pennsylvania. 



from Philadelphia asked for authority to build a railroad from 

 "Harrisburg to Pittsburg. The representatives from Baltimore 

 sought to secure a renewal of the lapsed privileges to extend the 

 Baltimore and Ohio from Cumberland, Maryland, through Penn- 

 sylvania to Pittsburg.* The outcome was the passage of two bills — 

 one incorporating the Pennsylvania Railroad Company by Act 

 of April 13th, 1846 ;f the other, approved eight days later, granting 

 the above-mentioned concession to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 

 Company.^ The latter, however, was subject to the folloAving 

 proviso : — 



"That if the legislature, during its present session, should pass an 

 act incorporating a company with authority to construct a railroad 

 from Harrisburg to Pittsburg within the limits of this state, and 

 $3,000,000 should be bona fide subscribed to the stock of the said 

 sompany, and ten per cent, on each share be actually paid in, and 

 letters patent be issued by the governor, in conformity to the pro- 

 visions of said act, within one year from the passage thereof; and 

 if thirty miles or more of said railroad should be put under contract 

 for construction, and satisfactory evidence thereof be furnished to 

 the governor *on or before the said thirtieth day of July, 1847, then, 

 in that case, the governor shall issue his proclamation setting forth 

 that fact, and thereupon this act granting the right of way to the 

 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company to extend their road through 

 this state to the Ohio river at Pittsburg shall be null and void."§ 



The "pride and commercial necessities" of the citizens of Phila- 

 delphia were now appealed to and after some difficulty the require- 

 ments of the law were met. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company 

 was chartered on the 25th of February, 1847, and thus the con- 

 ditional privileges granted to the Baltimore and Ohio became void. 



When the question of incorporating the Pennsylvania Railroad 

 Company was under consideration, one of the strongest objections 

 raised was that a railway line would divert business from the public 

 works. In order to furnish the latter with adequate protection, the 

 act of incorporation provided that a tax of five mills per ton-mile 

 should be imposed upon all freight received at Harrisburg, Pittsburg 



* For a full discussion of the facts relating to the origin of the Pennsylva- 

 nia Railroad Company see Wilson, Hist, of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com- 

 pany, I, pp. 1-G. 



f Laws of Pennsylvania, 1846, p. 312. 



% Laws of Pennsylvania, 1846, p. 448. 



§ Laws of Pennsylvania, 1846, p. 449. 



