Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-11-05

The District Commissioners have addressed a
communication to the Attorney General In
which they say that '.in accordance with what
the Commissioners understood rs q suggestion
from you In . recent interview, they have the
honor to submit for your consideration this
brief of the representations made by them
concerning railroad matters In the District so
that II thought proper the Executive may call
the attention of Congress thereto.
THE Baltimore and Ohio and the baltimore
and Potomac railroad companies were each
lines OF roads into the District with the same
rights and privileges they respectively enjoy
under their Maryland charters The several
with double tracks certain avenues and streets
In Washington city without expressly defining
their rights and privileges along
and unioaSns eign s fss increase Of pfS ns
ness and especially as regards heavy freight,
has been very great within a few years past, so
that Increased facilities therefor have been ur-
gently demanded both by the railroad COM
panies and by the business men of the District
railroads for warehouses and other business en-
Of oso,, loading and and! unloading freight di-
sidering that the object Of the I railroad grant
by Congress was to give railroad accommoda-
1ohs 70 sns pe0PIe Of the District and that
within private premises greatly relieves the
streets from heavy carting, the Commissioners
u
the municipal corporation, as provided by sec
tion 2. or the Revised Statutes for the District
and to succeed to the powers Of the late
years been accustomed to hear and de-
to lay Switches semporaiy trOm the er main
tracks into the adjacent squares. and when
found not seriously TO discommode the neigh
borhood permits for such switches have issued
on condition that they be laid as not TO inter-
Gently to accommodate the public with freight
depot on the west side OF 14th street the Baiti-
more IA and Potomac railroad company
permit to lay track to that square
which the Commissioners declined To
give because they regarded it as going beyond
cause cars to the number contemplated crossing
14th street would as they believed, seriously
obstruct the main thoroughfare TO the free
bridge, along which there is much travel. The
railroad company thereupon appealed to the
courts for declaration of its rights in the prem
Uses. The result of the discussion by the court
has been such that much doubt is raised to
scope and extent of the decision and Of the
powers of the Commissioners i'm such matters.
Without entering upon q discussion OF these
for the present purpose to urge upon the Execu-
tive the consideration that Ii is quite proper
and, as the Commissioners believe, municipal
necessity that there be more definite legislation
i'm respect to railroads within the city
of Washington; that it is extremely de-
sirable that the lines of road, with
business accommodation be definitely deter
mined both for the needs of the present and
the immediate future. The rapid development
OF the city is, as the Commissioners believe, due
largely to increased railroad accommodations,
and the increase in population and business in
turn demand a corresponding development of
to cities as the streets and avenues, and in the
opinion of the Commissioners it is detrimental
to the interests of the people of the District to
allow these important matters to remain un-
settled"