t once to do. It was evident that as soon
as the two new roads would meet at New Brunswick, an understanding would
be reached between them, by which another through line would be created
between New York and Philadelphia, which would have the advantage over
the Camden and Amboy road that it touched the capital of New Jersey and
could thus make itself serviceable to members of the legislature,
officers of State and influential politicians.

The Camden and Amboy Freight Company soon arrived at the conclusion that
it could not permit such rivalry. It appealed to the legislature for
protection. Resolutions were passed in its favor, but the Philadelphia
and Trenton Railroad Company paid no attention to those resolutions, but
quietly continued to lay its track. Mr. Stockton and his friends did not
dare to invoke the aid of the courts, because a judicial investigation
might have resulted in the destruction of their own charter. The
situation was critical, but Mr. Stockton was equal to the occasion. He
bought quietly a sufficient number of shares to control the management
of the Philadelphia and Trenton road, and, in April, 1836, secured the
consolidation of the Philadelphia and Trenton and the Camden and Amboy
railroad companies.

The canal of the company was not completed until 1838. It had consumed a
sum of money largely in excess of the original estimate. To connect the
two lines of the consolidated company, a branch road was constructed
from Trenton to Bordentown. Later the road from Trenton to Brunswick was
completed and an agreement entered into with the Jersey City company for
a division of the traffic of the two roads. The large cost of these
improvements suggested to the company the advisability of increasing its
revenues and of decreasing its expenditures. Its charter provided for a
payment to the State of 10 cents for each through passenger. By an
artifice the company avoided the payment of this tax. It compelled its
through passengers to walk over the bridge at Trenton and then continue
their journey by rail via Bordentown to Jersey City.

The company's charter also stipulated, that the fare between New York
and Philadelphia should not exceed $3 per passenger. Its officers
interpreted this stipulation to apply only to the intermediate traffic
and proceeded to collect $2.50 for the trip from New York to Trenton,
and $1.50 from there to Philadelphia, thus increasing the fare for the
entire journey to $4.00, one dol