Mr. FTHOMAS. Mr. Speaker, the House knows enough of my personal practices to be aware thatI reluctantly take any part in the discussions of this House unless there is a stern necessity for so doing. They know.very well that I leave the general debate to other gentlemen; they know enough of their own inclinations to be aware that no man from choice makes a speech upon such a subject as I am now discussing. They know that upon the immediate Representative of the locality most interested must devolve the whole labor of explaining to members of this House all the bearings of this subject. On that account I accept the offer made by the House, grateful for its kindness in allowing me to make avery few more observations. I am never personal anywhere. I can dif for substantially and fundamentall and radically with any man, even if it shal be upon a question involving the principles which lie at the foundation of a Government that I love with such deep enthusiasm as I do that under which I havegrown up to manhood, withoutper mitting those differences of opinion to degenerate into anythin like personal animosities and discussions. I know‘ or; difficult it is to form acometely im artia ju gment upon an subject. I)I know lihw difficult it is Bwherg self the wavering balance shakes to have it right adjusted.” I believe the gentlemen urging the passage of this bill have honest convictions, and I hope they will tolerate m zeal and car nestness in resisting what ical practically a robbery of my constituents in a matter so vitally important to them in the present, and promis inito be of so much value in the future. ct me here refer to one more point. persons seem to be amazed that Maryland should have made so enormous an expenditure as $17,000,000 with a view to open communication with the coal regions of Alleghany. It grows out of the fact that the Legislature as sumed that to be done which can be done. They assumed that 2 million tons of coal would be forthwith fioatingon the Chesapeake and Ohio canal when itshould beo ened up to the town of Cumberland. They did not stop to estimate how long it would take to locate a opnlation there, to take them away from other inviting adventures and enterprises to mine so much coal there; they did not see how long it would take to make the necessary railroads, to make the necessary shafts, to put up all the necessary dwellings. In short, they did not foresee what a length of time must elapse before that investment would become valuable. But now the gentlemen seeking this charter know perfectly well that an annual trade which has recovered from the pressure of the war in 3 cars from 94,000 tons to 346,000 tons, will not be very long in reachin 2 million tons, and then not reach the fa l capacity of the Chess cake and Ohio canal for transportation. They now that this city is growing with great rapidity. I assume that they know, for they are shrewd and intelligent gentlemen, that the coal consumed in the DistCol is about 130,000 tons annually. They know that now, by reason of this obstruction in Georgetown to the coal trade of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, one '100,000 of those 130,000 tons are brought from the remote mines in the State of Pennsylvania, comiu" in competition with the Cumberland coal. '1‘ cy know that every ton of coal landed on the banks of the canal in Geor etown costs $1 50 additional for cartage into this city, whether it be needed at the navy yard, the arsenal, or other public buildings, or by private individuals. They see that when that policy shall have been accomplished which was inaugurated in the last Congress, of elevating those bridges and allowing the free passage of the loaded boats underneath the bridges into this Washington canal, and allowing them to unload at the navy yard, near to the arsenal on the banks of the canal, in less than 2 years thereafter the coal furnished by the miners of the county of Allegheny, instead of furnishing 30,000 put of the 130,000 ions now consumed in this city, will, perhaps, monopolize the whole business of furnis ling fuel for this great city. For this reason they new step in with this proposition. Do they propose to.1 interest on past expenditures? No; uota o lnr. Do they propose to remunerate the corporation of Washington for the $377,000 of dead capital invested in the canal? NO1;a dollar. They are to obtain their privileges by an absolute grant, which any court in this country ought to rule as a nullity; for in a Government like ours, a Government of written constitutions containing guarantees of vested rights and private rights, no judicial authority, I hope, wrll ever carry into effect any law that proposes to absorb $377,000 worth of property Without a trial, without a hearing, an to give it to individuals for theIir own private advantage. will not dwell longer on that subject. I will on] say that I look forward to the day when Washington shall have a greatly increased poulation; when the Government of the U.S. will need, even more than it now needs, fuel from the Allegheny region; when this city will require 100s of 1,000s of tons of coal for manufacturing purposes; when our naval vessels will a preach the wharves here at the Eastern branc for the purpose of getting their supplies, secure from the interference of any foreign enemy. I see all this in the future. These gentlemen see it, too; and I am now endeavoring to stand between them and the attempt to appropriate all these pros pective‘ advantages or their own private purposes, to the very great detriment of the State of Maryland. That State, permit me to say, has acted with great disinterestedness and rent nobilit on this subject; for in making his canal without the aid of the local government, which the Government of the U.S. is for the DistCol, they are pouring wealth into a foreign jurisdiction; they are helping to build up here a city as a rival of Baltimore. This city is, of course, beyond the limits of the taxing power of that State, and every dollar of wealth poured from the counties which I represent the Potomac counties of Maryland is a subtraction from the amount that would be poured into the commercial emporium of our State, thus helpingto fill the coffers of our treasury. Under these circumstances I will leave the question where it new stands hoping that the House will excuse the desultory manner in which I have discussed it unt il I hear from gentlemen on the other side; and I hope that the House will then afford me an opportunity to correct any errors of fact that may occur in the course of the discussion. I certainly should not have trespassed to such an extent upon the courtesy of the House if any other gentleman on this floor felt the same interest in this question which I feel, and would have performed the duty which I feel conscientiously called upon to perform.