Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-07-02
COMMUNICATED.
Railroad Matters.

& Its satisfactory to know that the Common
Council has appointed a Committee to inquire
whether the Washington, Alexandria and
GEORGETOWN Railroad Co., has contormed to
the conditions Of the act of the Corporation
which grants them the use Of ST. Asaph street:
(, tits believed, that the Committee Will hnd
that this company has paid very little regard to
the conditions Of that act.
The condition of the rails on the unpaVed
portion Of St. Asaph street, IS serious null
sance to carts and other vehicles which have
to pass over them, and the Superintendent OF
Police has called the attention of the officers OF
the Company divers times without effect.
When the Committee takes up this subject,
it is to be hoped, they will make thorough work
If i. and look at every branch of the business.
The Railroad occupies something like mile
of ST. Asaph, and more Of Henry street, grad
ed to their use, without its costing them DOL
lar for grad uation, and without paying to TINS
community one cent for the privilege or using
it. ',
The report Of the Receiver, appoip.ed oy
the Court in Washington IN the suit 81 DaYld-
son VS.. the Lessees, shows, L am autleltlcaly
advised, that the receipt amounted IN one quarter
(3months)to SIS, $50 for that half which came
into bis hands that is 37, 500 tor the whole or at
the rate Of $150,000 per annum. LIZ IS wei
known the charges for through passengers ana n!
freight to the Orange Railroad are exor1l.
ant and thew take advantage of being the
G onnecting link Of about six miles, to charge
nrohablv four times what the Orange road
would t this scrap of road were Its own
For Instance, this Company carry local
passenger to Washington tor 10 cents Two
tickets to 90 and return cost only % CENTS while
every Myouqh passenger, the Orange road has
to pay 50 cents, and it is fair to presume the
charges on through freight are equally exorbl'
tant, and have to be submitted to. because this
is the connecting link between the North and
South and only mode of conveyance, by rail-
The writer has no connection with the orange
road and cannot say what is annually PAID, put
it must amount to pretty large sum:
The Corporation of Alexandria IS largo
stakeholder in the Orange road, has recently
transferred its stock in the Manassas road
gratis, and our citizens generally have an IN
tcrest in the Orange road, either as stockholders
or bondholdcrs. Individuals and the Corpora
ton have invested in these two roads at least
half million of dollars, and any extortlon prac-
tised on oar road, is practiscd upon US;
1t therefore becomes the duty OF the CITY
Council to look into this matter and protect the
people from extortion, and the Committee by
applying at the office Of the Orange road can
readily learn the amount paid by our raalrodd
to this foreign Corporation and the extent OF
its cxtoIton.
1t was strange oversight in the City Coun-
ell, when this valuable privilege OF using two
well graded streets was granted to strangers,
pbo If" h,1rtb pDDSlU-
Grafton was required Of them for the use OF
these streets. .#
Had that Council demanded the payment oi
only one cent per head for each passenger, and
but two cents per ton on freight, 1t would have
been submitted to by the Company without
hesitation. ......... ......1
What sum this would have produced, none
but the managers Of the road can tell. Sup
pose it would reach $4,000 per annum; this
would be equivalent to an addition Of half a
million to our annual assessment +!
TO community that is ground to the dust,
by payment of taxes, TO the United States the
Commonwealth of Virginia, and for city taxes,
this, even the half it, would be a most vel
come relief, and the Committee would do we'll
to look into this matter closely and see II this
one sided bargain cannot be cancelled and some
compensation required Of this Railroad Com
pany for such, to them, important privileges.
Small economies often lead to large losses,
and liberal fee to able counsel for legal
opinion and advice night be money we'll laid
cut.
The people are gratiicd by the appointment
of a Committee to investigate this subject, and
hope it will act promptly, energctically and 81
gaciously in the matter under its charge, and
not as has tccn too often the case, let it sleep.
Such at least are the sentiments OF an Old Citi
zen aud large Tax payer.