Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-05-22


Mr.. Clsrk.-Certainly
| Mr. Brown am opposed to this bill
| though 1T comes from the committee of which
am chairman; and protested against il in
committee, and L protest against it here 1
| think, with all due Difference to my friend from
Maryland, my colleague on the committee,
| that he Is entirely mistaken in saving that
even this company will not make the connec-
tion by the popular route, if You require them
to do so; but il they do not, somebody else will.
Mr. Cameron.-I will make it myself, if nee
essary.
Mr.. Brown.-It is very much more convent
| ent and less expensive to make it by the route
through the city of Washington and across the
Long Bridge, as they propose, than to make it
somewhere else; but this proposition is in total
disregard of the whole former action of Con
gress on the subject; it is in total derogation of
all the natural rights of the little city of
| Georgetown. 1t is a proposition to allow a
mammoth corporation to monopolize great ad-
vantages, and that under the threat that un-
less they are allowed to do the thing as thew
choose, they will not do it all; and that if they
do not do it, nobody else will
They propose to 90 through the center of the
city OF W ashlngton and across the Long Bridge,
| and why Because TO make that connection
| VIII De less expensive, according to their own
| account, by about four hundred thousand dol
| lars, and they como to tell US that every rail
| road company from Portland, in Maine to New
orleans, in Louisiana, is interested in this con.
| nectlon. SO they are. These railroad COM
Panies have capital of more than two hun
| dred million dollars; and vet they hiople at
the idea of expending S4O0, 900 to make con-
nectlon through this city. They will mar the
| beauty OF the national capital-that thew are
| ready to do, if you will allow it, They seek
| to get perpetual right to run their steam
| cars, their burden trains, through your city,
ana 10 give to the commerce of Georgetown an
L l.,
Long Bridge below the natural harbor of that
city They will break up this little company,
OF which the Senator from Pennsylvania has
just now spoken; and swallow up all these in
| terests, for what In the soulless spirit in
which corporations always act for themselves,
| ana IN total disregard OF the rights and inter
| ests OF everybody else
Suppose ii does cost 500, 900 more to build
the road In the right place; capital will build
", ana IL you will say to this mammoth BaIti-
more corporation, "You shall not make the
connec ton unless you make it as we tell YOU, y
they VIII do 1T. The proper way to make the
| connection is around through Boundary street.
crossing the Potomac at the aaueduct upon
piers built there by the Government; and
tell you that you have scientific reports on
your archives now showing that the connection
can be made in less time in that way than
across the Long Bridge, giving nobody any
annoyance, giving nobody any disturbance.
IL
rights which were given her by the God of ma
ture She Is entitled to the navigation Of the
Potomac unobstructed. You have already
| thrown bridge across the river below her
"hlcn has lnJdred her commerce, dwarfed her
resources, made her little and contemntihIe
when she would have been great and THRIVING
city, but for the interference of this Govern
ment.
Now, il is proposed to authorize this great
mammoth corporation, which wields a capital
OF $40 900 900, to cross the bridge on railroad
| at the same point. My friend from MARYLAND
| talks about your reserviug the right to remove
the bridge, and necessarily to remove the fran
| ehlse Of the railroad upon it. Sir, when did
congress ever move anything when it was
| once established? Let this road cross there.
with its $40, 900, 900 capital, and Its combina-
| tions everywhere that amount, perhaps. to
| $1,000, GOO, 900, and then talk about breaking
| 1t up! You might as we'll undertake to pitch
straws against fearful hurricane as to do any
thing against sucA an influence. That is the
common-sense view Of it. They come here:
| they interfere with members of Congress; thew
talk to them; they go through all the ramifiea-
tionS. do not say that their money is going
TO be used TO bribe or corrupt members of Com
gress. L am very far from insinuating that
| and am sorry that it is even necessary in the
present state OF congressional affairs to put in
protest on that point; but they send their
presidents and secretaries and attaches and
others, to say 1--WE are interested in this
thing; we do not want this connection broken
up" They bring a personal and direct in
huence to bear on Senators and Representa-
tIyeS, and the thing never will be done IL
you allow this railroad company to throw its
track across the river, at the site of the Long
Bridge, you perpetuate the thing, and it will
| stand there to eternity, and never will be
broken up.
l do not want to di cuss the advantages and
disadvantages of Georgetown; but my principal
object In rising was 70 say that all this talk
about their not making the connection, except
1t is done just in this way, has not from the
beginning, struck me with any force. do not
care the snap of my finger whether the Balti-
more and Ohio Company undertake to do it or
not; something else will. You have almost got
your connection now. The Loudoun and Hamp-
shire road have already got the privilege, or
are within an ace Of IT, of coming to George
town. l think the House of Representatives
has some little amendment to that bill of ours,
In which have been notified by the honorable
gentleman who presides over the District Com
mittee in that House that they are going to ask
our concurrence in, in a day or two. am GER
tainly for agreeing to it, and L think the Sen
ate will be. Then lay down your avenue rail-
road from Georgetown to the depot here, and
You have your connection-not so perfectly as
L desire, but certainly railroad connection
through the whole line.
Mr.. Kennedy beg to correct my faiend.
The Loudoun and Hampshire road does not
connect at all with the southwestern lines It
runs in different line
Mr.. Brown.-My friend is mistaken. 1t
runs to Alexandria, and there connects with
the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. The
Loudoun and Hampshire road runs now from
Alexandria to the interior of Virginia; but |
the company propose to run q branch of their |
road into the city of Georgetown, and Con-
gress has given its consent to that. Then, 1 |
say again, when you connect the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad depot, just at the foot of |
Capitol Hill, by your Avenue Railroad with |
that line, you will have got railroad connec- |
ton clear Throughout SO perfect as would |
desire it; but still railroad connection which |
will lead to more permanent results after |
while II will lead TO permanent results with |
out the disadvantages which we ere to suffer |
if We adopt this proposition.
Mr.. Hale.-As the chairman has got pretty
much through with his bills, and this matter |
does not seem to be distinctly understood, I |
move that the Senate adjourn
The motion was agreed to; there being, on |
division-ayes IA, noes IL; and the Senate ad- |
journed