Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-01-12

temp )rary structures, and we caunot expec
that citizens will in vest money erecting cost
ly warehouses that may be rendered valuslsss
al any moment. The part OF the city so occa-
pied nov Is better adapted to railroad pur-
poses than any other IN the city. Its for the
most part an unh-altby, broken ravine, tina,
derives all its i'm Importance from its railroad
track. The talk by the spectators that the
"desertion and desolation aud nuisance there
existing IL due to the railroad Is the puress
nonsense 1t might Just as well be claimed
that the "desertion and desola,ion and nui-
eance" further sown the valley. along james
Greek, Is due TO the railroad! II this city ex-
lets thousand years from now, this 10 W. ma
larial ground along the Tiber. towards the
boundary. will always be deserted for any
other than business purposes. such as a rail- !.
read only can create. IL affords q natural
path for railroad. and is fit for little else
than railroad business. f.. '. D.
As regards the bill before the City Councils
we presume that the occasion for its massage
is fully understood. The Railroad COMPANY
had determined not to enter the CITY bv a nj.
rect route from Rockville, but to intersect the
Washington branch at or near Bladensbure
entering this city by their present track from
that point, thus saving q large outlay in road
construction, and avoiding the delay Of
getting right OF way from this Corpora.
ton. To this eelbow route very serious
objeciens were felt by the people OF this city.
who desired the most direct possible con
nectIon with the West and who dreaded
that If the Metropolitan Road, instead OF
coming direct TO the city, snould diyerge to
intersect the Washington Branch at Bladsus
burg or Laurel, that the trade CO ming over the
road would be diverted to Baltimore In stead O.,
coming to Washington Indeed the charge
was made that the proposed divergence of
route towards Baltimore was intended for the
benefit OF that city. There was also the very
important consideration that the construction
of a new road directly into the city would
cause very large expenditure of money IN
orr midst, besides affordng employment to a
large number Of our people.
lnfiue"csd by these considerations, Mayor
Wallach and some Of the prominent business
men OF the city made urgent representations tn
the management of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, asking that they would abandon the
plan of diverging to Bladensburg. and come
direct to Washington. Upon these representa-
tons the management OF that road reopen
the question, and after some consideration of
the subject, and the running Of some addi-
tional surveys, consented to adopt the
direct route, If enabling legislation by
the Councils could be had seasosablv
They very Justly asked that if they made IN 8
change of plan to subseI We the interests Of
Washington that sufficient OK tension of time
of the privilege Of entering the city should be
made TO justify them in constructing the rsoui
site depot buildings, and in the large additional
outlay for the construction of the road re.
guired by the change. This is the plain his
tory of the whole proceeding.
now remains to be seen whether the same
blighting influences that have killed every
great public enterprise ever started for the
benefit of w ashingten shall defeat this i'm port.
ant measure We think that a very heavy re-
sponsibility will rest upon those who cause its
defeat.