Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-19

a Long Wait.


THE OPPRESSIVE ToLLs-IIow THEY EFFECT
COUNTRY PRODUCERS AND WASHINGTON
CoNsUMERs-rHE BEST SITE FOR A BRIDGE
Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR:
FALLS CHURCH, VA, May lth ISL
The free bridge bills I'm Congress seem 10 us
anxious countrymen To be In an ominous
state. have ii from some who have signed
the petitions that the people have been beg
ging of Congress for free brid- across the Po-
tomac into Georgetown for 80 years and still
they are compelled in this age Of the worlds
greatest advancement i'm the wisest most gen.
erous, the best and the greatest things TO reach
the capital of the greatest nation on earth over
atoll bridge built mainly 10y the nation money,
trhe bill introduced by senator Riddleberger
(many thanks 10 him for the earnest efforts
made in securing it, passage at an early day in
the SESSION. seems 10 be the bill needed. The
amount Ii sufficient The bridge company or the
Alexandria Canal company az they want 10
sell have SIX months 10 consider and make
good and sufficient title, n tney can:
but II they fail 10 do this then the Secretary of
War is required or authorized To contract for "A
bridge at the Three sisters" This b.Il viii se-
cure tor us a bridge without question. Mr. Bar
district docs he represent the District i'm relation
To the free bridge?l, notice has bill that ne
proposes TO urge the passage Of. In the House.
which definitely locates the bridge on the
Aqueduct piers. Under this bill ii can't toe
built elsewhere, and then he proposes To boggle
il with a condem nation in case this corporation
and the government do not come 10 terms
This puts the bridge in the control OF a dozen,
perhaps, OF his Alexandria constituents. This
involves IL IN doubt, at best. LII these constitu-
ents canget their price and compel the govern
nent to accept the title they can give then we
may get "A bridge; but IL ii. AT last must go into
court, or other uilatory proceedings, the present
generation may live To see the end, aud II may
not. Thus Mr.. Barbours Interest in the free
bridge Is clearly presented. But this Is more
clearly presented 10y hs political friends here
who declare that Mr. Barbour ha, been and
still Is opposed To the bridge that he killed In
lsI ne ap..l I'm, ktll m
this. But suppose that the bill he Proposes 10
urge In the House should i'm terms be favorable
To the bridge, and that lac SHAH succeed in get
ting II through the House, who thinks that IL
viii get 10 the Senate ia time pass that bodyS
free bridge. We are out OF all patience with
this kind OF favoritism, which has ended here
ioiore as a case, virtually, OF false pretenses.
The site appears To be a question among class
of people. Localities have their sticklers. xvi
IDENTIFY there are axes 10 be ground III possible.
Personal interests pushed without regard
TO the good OF the whole. There are some who
would be glad 10 have all attempts fail until
their individual wishes can be served in the
duct piers would, provided the Title can be
made perfect, give the people bridge sooner
structure could be used 'ng WHIP snper
more durable one was being placed ON the piers.
This would be acceptable 10 "a many country
men, and probably more than any other point
that has been named. The Three Sisters would
be accepted by a majority without complaint
but IL would not be convenient Tor those
coming In On the old trail (called road from
Fairfax and other counties. For the market
men who go TO the Center market, aud all those
who wish To get down on the Ayenae, between
the Treasury aud the Capitol direct as possi-
BILE, "a bridge with District landing at the foot
just the place. But let US have the bridge any
where that il can be obtained, the easiest the
cheapest, and the soonest.
THE BURDENsoME TOLLS
The exceedingly burdensome effect Of the
Aqueduct bridge toll may be demonstrated by
daily. one-horse wagon pays twenty-five
cents TO cross and return, a twohorse, thirty
five cents tor the same, four-horse, fifty cents.
Twenty-Five cents is "A mere tribe, and SO of the
other sums named for any OF Your many
wealthy men, but not SO with the Thousand of
poor men who are crossing from time 10 time,
and who earn Tor a long days work seventy.
five cents per day without board. Repeat the
crossing from once To three, tour and OCCASION
the year, aud then see what the aga regate would
De for these men OF small means and income!
SOME CASES IN POINT.
But another showing. How are the wood
haulers affected? Some one-horse wagons haul
into your city only quarter OF a cord at a load.
The tolls on a cord, IL will be seen, amounts To
81. About as many haulers with one horse
take in one-third OF a cord at load. and here is
a cost Tor tolls per cord of seventy-five cents.
very few with large strong horses haul In q halt
cord at a load; here tolls 10 mount TO a half
dollar per cord. Not many two-horse wagons
haul more than half cord at load and here
the haucr Is out seventy cents per cord for tolls
Now these tolls are paid not by The consumer,
but by the hauler, and reduce bis proceeds the
amount OF the tolls. Ii no tolls had 10 be paid
he would get just as much money for his wood
now, which is - per cord ior pine wood. Les
us how rcmunerative TINS wood business In.
The wood is worth, is held, at SLIPS TO 81 so In
the woods. 1t must be taken from the
woods the day before IL is 10 be hauled TO
the city. That consumes time. Mucn OF the
wood is hauled at least eight miles To the city.
1t requires a day every load 10 do this. That
day Tor man, horse aud wagon is very cheap at
81 80, Is IL not? Leaving out all consideration
Tor time in getting the load ready for market,
how does the account stand per cord when
sold?
Value In the woods. ...................S125
Hauling three loads. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $50
Tolls for three OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. IS
$3.50
The hauler gets % for the cord. Profitable
business. truly, and yet many farmers necessi-
ties compel them 10 do IL. But the farmer ID
no business man and does not sxampte the &C.
couniant in calculating the proceeds. The
hauier Is not always the farmer. but when he
is. the trees standing in the woods are not
taken into the account, nor the time used In