Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-12-18
Railroad Matters.
To the editor Of The 4lerondio Ga.efi'
Will you please republish the following ez

procaediogs Of the City Council Of TUESDAY
! last
.IN TIE COMMON Council a communication
from the Superintendent of Police, respecting |
the present bad condition O! Henry street,
north of King, and suggesting the Iemoya! OF
The sewer from the east 10 the west side OF SAID
street. was referred to the COMMITTEE on
Streets.
'sNIr. Harmon introduced ali order aut horIz-
ing a tax to be levied upon the Washington
Alexandria and Georgetown Railroad Company
of one cent for each and every passenger trans
ported by that road, and said that he was IN
duced to offer it because the road was making
free use Of the streets OF the city, but was oil
no accommodation TO the cltlZenS. there were
some seventy FIVE or one hundred mechanics OF
Alexandria who worked in Washington, and
thew had petiloncd the authorities OF the W.
A. 4 G. II. X. to run six o'clock a. IL. tra9
for their accommodation, but had petitloned
in vain. If there was not the proper commu
nica,ioD between Alexandria and Washington,
those mechanics would be compelled TO 90
away, and it was greatly to the advantage oil
the city to keep them here. Another reason
was that the city was frequently put to the cX-
pense of repairing the streets through when
the road ram
The north end Of Henry street is traVerSed
by railroad trains without compensation to the
city, and it seems from the report OF the Super
intendent OF Police, is in 4 'b| coadif'oa -
1t has been so for years, probably ever since
the rails were laid down.
Are the tax ridden people oil this city to
furnish road bed, graded to their hands, Tor
! the use of railroad companies and the money
wrung from them IN taxes 10 be appned TO
keep this street or road IN proper repair
: Mr. Harmon deserves the thanks OF the
community for suggesting the question oil tax
! ing the Washington, Alexandra and George
! town Railroad for the use oil ST. .ASaph street
| This is a foreign corporation, whG.e Object Is
not to accommodate or benefit u, but TO
make money for their stockholders. We are
S now threatened with two others OF the same
! description, who will also use our streets Tor
their own selfish purposes, with 20 doubt the
/ same modest expectation OF having them gra'
tuitOusy.
j The Bernie Bank Railroad on the north,
I and the Fredericksburg on the south.
1t is high time that the City CouncIl or The
people should act on this subject.
y The corporation is burthencd with debt,
the annual interest on which is somewhere IN
the neighborhood OF $4,000 DEBT con
tracted for the construction al great public
works. intended to bring trade and business,
by which we were all to be benefited, hnt
I which seems a long time in coming.
) The Bernie Bank IL to connect with The 4.
r l. e III. r. r ana may divert tie stream OF
t trade from that great work TO our E"d tr'odS
r Of Georgetown, and add iuIther facilities Tor
o the through trade on The Orange and Manassas
to the Baltimore aud Ohio Railroad Company.
p Why should we furnish, without compensa
ton, the road beds Tor these i0EelGn corpora
u tons without compensation when Tor every
: foot of land outside OF our corporate limits
: they hare to make liberal compensation - 'he
; owners Of the land through which they rui
The State OF Maryland when ohar erlne the
n Washington Branch Railroad luposed . lax
|. Of 30 cents per head OH every through paSsen
Ger each way over that road, or e.llth Of
y the fare--the tax il now thirty Cts or the same
u ratio on the present fare. This tax, be it re-
mcmbercd. was a tax Tor the franchise only, n
the company had to pay the full value to the
> land owners beside.
r Why, then, should these roads use Our prop
G erty (street,l without Just compensation
al 1t is to be hoped that Mr.. Harmon will press
his proposition and induce the council to carry
out his views, and at the same time take
= time by the foreIock" and see that the other
o roads are not permitted to use our streets eX-
It cept under a contract which shall! require them
to pay fair ratio OF compensation
a The ownership Of the railroad on Henry
- street, il is believed, is in IN uncertain state.
u Ii is said by some to b. claimed by the Wash
Is ington Company, others say the Orange road
: has some claim ID its ownership, and yet
e Others say the u. s. Government, by whom II
!. was constructed for military purposes las
r never transferred it 10 either party
Would it not be well for the City Council to
ascertain the facts of the case, and il the right
is still in the government, perhaps Congress
" could be induced to vest this right in the cor
norate authorizes of Alexandria when we
\ might require III the roads which use 1t to
# pay the usual price in such cases pr mile Tor
its use
1t has been remarked that the annual interest
on our publice debt is about so GOO. This, for
several years, we have only been able to pay IN
N part the public creditors getting only at the
rate Of tour per cent Tor lessl per annum, belng
~ an abatement OF one third; and the public
u creditors have been exceedingly lndulecnt and
torbearing in accepting so much less than they
l., are entitled to. We cannot expect this Tor
:. bearance to continue Indefinitely, and we
v ought not to wish it. We should endcavoF to
Is wipe our this stain upon cur good name. In
t round numbers one third Of $10,Ooo Is, say
$1,000.
W Would this b. too large a sum to require al
q these roads combined to pay
x Surely not. If contract with these road-
e for the Us; Of our streets could be made with
t. them for this amount, and the Orange roa 4!
t. could be induced to fund the back interest 90
y the preierred stock in that company, and thus
g. pay as they bound to do, legally and
is morally the regular interest on this ''preferred
1t stock, and on the amount thus funded, re
should be able TO pay orr honest debts, and
r the property of the town might be relieved o!
IS the oppressive WEIGHT which now keeps il
J. down, and an enhanced value be given TO real
y estate.
d These thoughts have been thrown tcgathor
e hastily, in the hope that ADLER heads will take
}, up the question and bring it to ! srcccsSiul
issue.
r Whosoever shall successfully prappIe with
this question, will entitle himself TO the thanks
| of the present and future generations. y.
PASSAGE OF THE GEORGIA BILL.-Aaeven-
. ing session Of the Senate was held yesterday at
. half past seven o clock, when Mr.. Davis, Mr.,