340 Meyer—Early Railroad Legislation in Wisconsin. 
Maryland enacted laws on accidents, injury to railroad property, 
and so on, but passed no general law. In Illinois general legis¬ 
lation made its appearance in 1849, and previously granted 
charters had indicated a tendency in that direction by simply 
referring to earlier charters. In Michigan a general law was 
not passed until 1855; but as in case of other states, a number 
of subsequent charters are as long and involved as if no such 
laws had been enacted. Massachusetts began early. In 1833 1 
an act was passed "defining the rights and duties of railroad 
corporations in certain cases. ” This was included in a larger 
act on canals, turnpikes, and railroads. The law also incor¬ 
porated the idea of a preamble by demanding that the " peti¬ 
tion ” should be accompanied by the report of a competent en¬ 
gineer. New York had its crop of special laws like the other 
states, but very early drifted into general legislation. As in 
case of Maine, Maryland, aud Illinois (and no doubt the same 
could be traced in the legislation of other states), New York 
charters were abridged by reference to an earlier charter. After 
naming the commissioners and stating the name of the corpora¬ 
tion, capital stock, and other purely individual matters, the 
charters grant to the corporation thereby created the powers and 
privileges, and subject it to the restrictions and limitations, 
prescribed in the charter granted to the Attica and Buffalo Rail¬ 
road Company. 2 The Attica and Buffalo charter was granted 
May 3, 1836, 3 and a charter granted May 9, 1836, was the first 
to receive the abridged form, while thereafter there is a break 
now and then, by granting a charter written out in full, the 
great majority of them are shortened by reference to the Attica 
and Buffalo charter, until that is superseded by general legisla¬ 
tion. The same custom can be detected in legislation on other 
subjects, but my examination has not been searching enough to 
say to what extent this was practiced. But the interesting fact 
is to notice how such a custom would almost unconsciously drift 
1 Laws 1833, Ch. 187, and Rev. Stat., p. 342. 
8 In Maryland like reference was frequently made to the charter of the 
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The Attica and Buffalo road is now a part 
of the New York Central Railroad, and was the last section of the line be¬ 
tween Buffalo and Albany. 
3 Laws 1836, p. 319. 
