468 



MARYLAND. 



burg Railroad. The importance to the State 

 of Maryland of completing this line is shown 

 in the majority report of the Committee of "Ways 

 and Means in the City Council of Baltimore, as 

 follows : 



The staples of the South are articles of equal ne- 

 cessity in modern trade, and experience has proved 

 the inability of any other region to compete in their 

 production. Cotton alone, oefore the war, formed 

 the basis of foreign commerce, and preserved the 

 balance of exchange. How rapidly it is regaining its 

 influence, is known to all. Add to this item the im- 

 mense product of tobacco, and the importance of this 

 trade is at once apparent. The rapid transportation 

 required by modern commerce demands railroad fa- 

 cilities for the moving of Southern staples. Their 

 capacity for supporting railroads is sufficiently shown 

 by the comparative value of the productions of the 

 Southwest. Sixty pounds of cotton are worth $14 ; 

 sixty pounds of wheat are not worth $1.40 ; sixty 

 pounds of Indian-corn are worth about $1. What 

 becomes of this trade ? The bulk of it is carried by 

 water to the Northern ports and Europe ; some of it 

 reaches Baltimore by the same means, and a still 

 smaller amount by the existing railroads. It is be- 

 ginning to be especially attracted to us by our facility 

 for freighting it to Europe by the line of steamers 

 recently established. One of the most cogent reasons 

 for striking for Southern trade is the great increase 

 that must tollow, in our Western and European com- 

 merce, from making Baltimore a great depot for cot- 

 ton and tobacco. But how are we to obtain it ? Clearly 

 we must preserve our coastwise connections. But it 

 is patent to all that, when this trade once reaches the 

 coast, we then meet our rivals the Northern and 

 European ports. Any plan, then, which would divert 

 this trade from the sea-coast, and bring it directly to 

 us by an interior line, should receive our support. A 

 remedy is at hand. A glance at the map will shqw a 

 vast system of railroads permeating the Southern 

 countiy, and converging at Danville, in Virginia. 

 Another glance will show a continuous line of rail 

 between Baltimore and Lynchbur^. Between Lynch- 

 burg and Danville there is a gap in our communica- 

 tions with the far South. This the Lynchburg and 

 Danville Eailroad proposes to fill, thus opening to 

 the city of Baltimore a direct communication by the 

 shortest route, almost an air-line, to the richest to- 

 bacco region of Virginia and North Carolina, and the 

 cotton country of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama, 

 besides opening to us the shortest route for travel and 

 freight with the cities of the South Atlantic and Gulf 

 coasts. Nor must we overlook the almost incalcula- 

 ble benefit to be derived by our merchants from the 

 consequent investment in our city of the proceeds of 

 the sale of cotton and tobacco, in the various articles 

 of consumption sent to the Southern country, and in 

 the different kinds of fertilizers, which have become 

 the subject of such lucrative traffic. It is such a 

 communication, in fact ; that, were there no railroads 

 at all connecting by this route witli that region, we 

 should esteem it the best policy of the city, looking 

 to its future prosperity, to expend millions in ad- 

 vancing a great trunk-line, believing that such outlay 

 would realize even greater results, and in incompara- 

 bly shorter time, than those achieved by the Balti- 

 more and Ohio Eailroad. 



An ordinance was passed by the Council, 

 granting the aid of the city by indorsing the 

 bonds of the company to the amount of $750,- 

 000. This ordinance was subsequently sub- 

 mitted to a vote of the people, and failed to 

 receive popular approval ; but, owing to its 

 importance, it is probable that further efforts 

 will be made in favor of the enterprise. 



Early in March the City Council of Balti- 



more passed an ordinance for the indorsement 

 by the city of the bonds of tho Western Mary- 

 land Eailroad Company, to the amount of $1,- 

 400,000. The ordinance was subsequently sub- 

 mitted to a vote of the people and ratified. The 

 construction of the road was at once begun, 

 and" at the end of the year had been completed 

 to > Mechanicstown, distant sixty-two miles 

 from Baltimore. Another project, having an 

 important bearing upon the local interests of 

 the State, was that of the Maryland Central 

 Railroad Company. This company petitioned 

 the city of Baltimore for aid to the extent of 

 $400,000, to enable them to raise the sum 

 of $1,500,000 for the purpose of building a 

 road from Baltimore to the junction of the 

 Philadelphia and Media Railroad with the Port 

 Deposit road, at a point near the Susquehanna 

 River. This road will pass through the most 

 populous and fertile sections of Harford and 

 Baltimore Counties, and will open a direct 

 route to the Reading coal-fields. The aid of 

 the city was also asked in behalf of the Kent 

 County road, which is to extend from Rock 

 Hall, on the Chesapeake Bay, twenty miles 

 from Baltimore, to Chestertown, thence via 

 Kennedy ville to Massey's Cross Roads, there 

 to form a junction with the Kent and Queen 

 Anne road leading from Centreville, and con- 

 nect the Delaware road at Townsend Station, 

 a point twenty-nine miles south of Wilmington, 

 Del. It is estimated that the completion of 

 this road will bring Baltimore about two hours 

 nearer the southern counties of the Eastern 

 Shore than Philadelphia now is, and will make 

 the former city the market for most of the 

 Maryland and much of the Delaware trade. 



A subject much agitated by the people, and 

 which occupied a large share of the attention 

 of the Legislature during nearly the whole 

 session, was the relation of the State with the 

 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, which 

 was finally carried into the courts. 



The election held in November was for 

 members of Congress, and resulted in the 

 choice of the following candidates of the Dem- 

 ocratic party : first district, Samuel Hamble- 

 ton ; second district, Stevenson Archer ; third 

 district, Thomas Sevan; fourth district, John 

 Ritchie; fifth district, William H. Merrick. 

 The whole vote for Congress was 134,108, and 

 the Democratic majority 19,015. This elec- 

 tion was noteworthy as being the first time 

 the negroes of the State exercised the elective 

 franchise granted them by the fifteenth amend- 

 ment. A celebration was held in Baltimore 

 on the 19th of May in honor of the passage of 

 this amendment, when, among others, the fol- 

 lowing resolutions were passed, which may 

 serve to indicate the views of the newly-en- 

 franchised voters on public affairs : 



Whereas, This mass meeting is assembled to cele- 

 brate the ratification of the fifteenth amendment; 

 therefore, 



Resolved, That we offer our united thanksgiving to 

 Almighty God that by His wonderful providence we 



