National Republican., 1888-04-21
The Georgetown Barge. Dock, Elcva-
tor ana Railway Company.

EnlroR NATIONAL REPrBLi.>N: | have
read your comments ON tie proposed
charter Of the Georgetown Barge, Dock,
Elevator, and Railway Company. The
section Of the hill you printed and the com
mcuts made upon it induced me to go to
the capitol and secure copy of the bill as
1t passed the Senate, and Of the report made
on it 10y Tie District committee.
read the hill with extreme care and
found that It gave every power that you
said II did, and was even more objection
able than you declared IL to be. 1t was
therefore with some astonishment that |
read in Mr. Tcnney's letter this morning the
statement in which he says "Now all we
ask of Congress is the privilege of buying
dock TO land our cars on % to
lay track on said street Water so the
cars can he unloaded at our mills, ware
houses, lumber and coal yards without any
hauling
If that is all that Mr.. Tenncy and his as
sociates want they had better have the bill
which has passed withdrawn and one Civ
ing these privileges, aad no more, substi-
tuted for 1t.
must confess to being somewhat aston
ished at finding that this bill, which was not
introduced in the Senate until the 9TH Of
March, when II was referred to the District
committee, was reported back and passed in
but little over a months time without, so
far as ! know, the slightest examination.
And | was still more astonished this
morning when | went to the House District
committee room to find that this bill, which
passed the Senate last week, had been taken
up, acted upon, and, with few verbal
amendments, reported favorahly by the
House committee. This looks Ike indecent
haste
Now, rs to the value of the franchise, Mr..
| Tcmey may not know it, but If this bill
passes he and his associates have their
| hands with Il firm grip upon the jugular
| vein of the commerce, present and future, of
the entire District. They can control it,
| absolutely, because they can levy any toll
they please upon II.
This railroad is the first step to railroad
% connect, through Virginia avenue, with
Long bridge That would destroy the city en-
trance to the Memorial bridge. 1t would
damage all that section Of Washington. 1t
would pass through the monument grounds.
At the other end, west Of the AQucduct
bridge" it would hc open for connection
with ihc baltimore and Ohio or any other
railway
1t is fair to presume that Mr.. Tcnney and
his associates had Il draft made of the bill
they wanted passed, and that their bill be-
| came Il law. If this is 50, and the intention
| was to have only "a little railway for
cent" extending from Rock creek to the
| AQuCduCt bridge, why was that clause put
| in 1t requiring is gauge to correspond Nth
that o. thc Bdhimoro ant Potomac and the
| baltimore and OhiO!
agree with you that there ought to he q
| belt railway ON the cntire river front, hut it
| should lc free TO every road upon the pay
mcnt of fair tolls. This proposed road Is
| not.
Again, Mr. Tcmcy says they only want u
| dock TO load their cars on. Why, then,
does tie bill give this company the authority
"to build and maintain dock or docks on
| the Potomac river, west Of Rock creek, and
! To receive therein and send thercfrom barges,
| vessels, cargoCs, and railway cars from and
| 10 any point on the Potomac river and It's
! tributaries and COastwisp,' and then give
| the same company the authority to cover the
| whole deep water front with u standard
| gauge railway that no one can cross TO this
| point
| Wanting % little. q, Mr. 1cnncy says 1t
| does, the company asked for great deal
think If this franchise was put up at
| public auction II would bring more money
| than the proposed capital stock, which
| seems to me TO have been placed at the very
| low figures used 10 k"cp from drawiHg W,cR-
| h0a n the UiUc 0f me franchises 0skcd for.
| II Is q matter Of great aStonishment TO me
| that the Congress of the United states
should grant franchise that takes up fully
half u mile uf.Onc Of the Lest granite paved
! streets IN the city without compensation to
the property holder, Orto the city, and with
out restrictions, If such road is needed II
should follow the river front; switch could
reach any Of these mills, warehouses, lum-
Der or coal yards, and Water street would
not be destroyed The council of a city with
10000 inhabitants would hardly dare TO
grant such a franchise
But enough for the present ! shall ask
the privilege of dis,ccting this bill still
further. ENGIEEER.
WAsHlNGToN, Apr 90.