Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-01-11
BOO-HoO FROM BALTIMORE.

We have all heard of the sentimental servant
girl who was found boo noo-ing IN the kitch-
en-, and whose agony of grief was found 10
rest upon no more solid foundation than the
vivid picture she had formed in her minds
eve OF what might be, should she get married,
and have a baby, and the baby should creep
into the oven, and get baked 10 crisp. The
Baltimore Sun INDUCES in the same gloomy
forsbodings as to what may happen should
Mr.. Sherman's bill pass Congress. Tue sun is
compelled to admit that not penny o! Gov
erpmert aid is a ked in behalf of the proposed
roads from Washington to New York. Pitts
burg and Cincinnati, but processes TO see in
this charter the picture of a wedge. which
wedge 1t seems has the singular properties of
thickness at one end and thInness at the other
and the Sun breads that if the thin edge of this
wedge is once introduced ii will be followed
by "a demand for something solid' Ia the
shape of Government subsidies. Exceedingly
unhappy is the Sun over the prospect that the
CITY OF Washington may over-tax itself TO build
these rOsds, and may IN the end have 10 apply
to Congress for relief. The Sun is sure that
they can't he built and thst if built they won't
Pay, and that the people of Washington will
find 1t a ruinous investment.
We trust that the Sur will not make itself so
unspeakably miserable on our account. We
will try and IVORY through" even under the
unparalleled harpships of having few more
railroads We appreciate the unselfish motives
of our Baltimore neighbors in dreading all
these things III our behalf, but let them wait
until the husband is achieved, and the babe
bern, and the oven heated, before they borrow
trouble over what mGy happen. Meantime,
we can assure them, again and again, thar not
dime of Government aid is asked or expected;
and if we not able to build the roads, so
much the better for the Sun and its clients, the
monopoly interests that have managed so sue
cessfuIly heretofore to isolate Washington from
all access By competing roads. As for the
.St.1s, II il rather overriding The business by this
affeciatioI of looking after the interests of the
taxpayers OF Washington. 1t is as tran sparent
as daylight that what the Sun and IFS hackers
dFead of all things is that the roads ,riH be built
and Will accomplish for Washington what We
hope and expect Now picture of the wedge
Is rather a bright one. We see III its sharp
edge the entering point that shall lead 20 the
construction OF system of railroads radiatinE
from Washington such the capital city of
every country should have; system OF rail-
roads hat shall be dominated by the business
interests Of this District, and not 5y val busI-
ness interests in neigh boring States. We hope
great things from such railroads for tn benefit
of Washington, and our citizens appreciate thar
their tax-paying capacity will be quadrupIed
10 the extent Of every dollar put in such roads
The good effect of little Congressional
suasIon to bring monopoly railroad III .erests 70
terms is shown IL the history If tha la5oriOus
undertaking 10 SET an air line road bet vy--n
New ICrk and Boston. There are r1O rat
reads between those points. out prooably most
travellers have noticed that both are eIbD7-
Ines. Thus when tEs railroad - Boston rtr
Springfield leaves New Haven, u forms n. n a
isht angle At the former p!acg, and - Shore
LlLe goes about the same di stance cut of "a d..
rect course and forms u right angle IN ;se
yICiLitN Of StcnInxton. The business men OF
Boston and New YORK have for years lei: that
This roundabout m d. Of transit between two
cities e such ImportaEc % was an intoisra5Ia
nuisance and efforts have been made tor the
last twenty years 10 provide a shorter ~,
but uLti recently they nave all been defeated
by the powerful monopoly interests brough- 10
bear upon State Legislatures. More than
twenty years ago the project of an airline road
was started, headed by such men as EiwIn
Johnston and Charles =. Aisop; but lust as We
in Washington have had 10 cOutend with H.
narrow-mInded opposition OF Baltimore
and Of the Baltimore and OHIO railroad IN
cur attempts to improve our railroad facilities
the airline enterprise from New York %
Boston had TO encounter lot only opposing
railroad interests, but the city of Hartford IN
New IorK to Boston except by paying tribute
10 me- at elbow increase OF tvventy-sevau
miles in the distance. Hartford AMI the mo-
nOpoly interests made up powerful lobby
with pockets full Of money, and the an rooms
Of the Connecticut Legislature swaTI1ei Wi D
them almost 10 the same extent that the IN a.
rooms OF Congress now swarm with rnonopoIv
lobbyists against the Sherman railroad Dill.
They made II theiI sole business to defeat every
attempt TO obtain legislation in favor OF he
aIT-hne project, and with such access that mo
parties then concerned in the latter enterprise
got dlsneaTtened and aolndoned Il. O.ner -:
forts were made with the same future 70 con.
tend with the powerful and wealthy moaopoIy
organizations in possession, ana who we're
able 10 control legislation in Connecticut much
as the railroad monopoly interests have an
New Jersey and Maryland
In 1867 David Lyman and other enery-.i.
and public spirited gentlemen made flesh
effort 20 break down this powerful monopoIv
In May, $50, Mr.. Lyman appeared before the
Connecticut Legislature win petition for the
charter of an airline road and for rt,ht D
build draw-bridge across the Ccnusc.icut a.
MiddletowE. But the moment the rari-ion
wa presented t0e monopoly lobby. COM
biEIrg the HC lloyd influence aud .he infin-
ence q the TWO elbow roads. was set in active
neEt N public trSyeL Mr.. LYMAN found. like
lis predecessors, that the monopoly influence.
with us money and Its blarney, was 100 strong
for him and, Departing OF getting an available
charter, with The right 10 build a draw.hridre
nj Midcjeiown, from the Connecticut I,acis-
iatuTe, he determined 10 fight IL out on new
Ire Ee did what the people of Washington
are dong now, applied To Congress "a the ouly
power that could supply remedy. In Nav
leee, he came 10 Washington and p,ead.d
the case before the Congressional Cammitts.
on Roads and Canals, and after a tuu
nearing II was unanimously agreed 70 repo-t
ia mas favor- Simultaneously the Issua wa
forced upon the new Legislature then in session
AT New Haven, and rather than hay. me ma,
Ter taken out OF their hands wholly bv Con.
Rressiohai action, they passed tue charter-h
win night to build the draw bridge AZ the
poiEt requisite for the airline. THIS who'll.
some dread OF CongreS sional action bv thu
rnonopolists shows that they Appreciate ,,s
fsct that IN Congress they have a BODY Ia ds,,
win not quite so tractable as a State I,,visl.-
ture III ever the States OF New Jersey ana
Msryisnd abandon their selfish restrictive
policy !. will only be through e wholesome
dread o:the Congressional paw.
The lates, speculative operation reported in