The Washington critic., 1888-03-08
"a RourE ron A noAD.o
NJ should Re On the Line OF the Penn
rylvania Avenue Bridge.

fNlNhHlh ANthWt
EDiroR CRIrTC Under the caption "a
Route for Road" THE Cmrfc Of the 2d
instant misreprescntcd me-doubtless in
advertently but | don't like to be mis-
represented even in that way. ! am not
Maryland land owner nor n citizen ofthat
State, and have 10 pecuniary interest
whatever in the location of the road that
is to be constructed from the eastern
terminus of the Pennylvania Avenue
Bridge, now IN course of erection.
could not have recommended an inter
mediate route" because | have not yet
been advised as TO the route suggested by
the committee of gentlemen from Mary
land who waited upon the honorable
Commissioners of the District of Columbia
few days ago.
Some years ago when few of us, very
few, thought the bridge referred to a
feasible project your correspondent spent
several months canvassing the city and
county and far eastward into Maryland
for the names of representative men pc
ttioning Congress for the necessary APP
preparation, and after meeting with many
rebufls and incurring the eternal hatred
of some ] succeeded in getting up very
every member of the Maryland Legisla-
ture.
Nothing was done, however, during the
then approaching Congress (Forty.eighth)
but TO enter the wedge and let II stick
In that memorial we set forth facts
bearing upon the great importance of q
road in connection with the proposed
bridge that would lead more directly into
the interior Of Prince Georges County,
Maryland.
When the Forty-ninth Congress was
convened ] placed copy of the bill.
which had been slumbering for two years,
in the hands of Hon. Barnes Compton,
and so fully did he realize Che importance
of the measure to his people, as well as
| TO ours, that he reintroduCod il the same
day, and having the courage of his con
| viotions, he worked and fought for it 10
the end. And TO him are we more in.
debted for what is now universally ac.
| knowledged to be an improvement that
| in my Judgment, ut least, has already had
| the effect Of resurrecting more dead prop.
| erty and causing greater changes in the
tax assessors list of the District than any
| other Improvement during the last dc
| Cade, at least
The said road should have been made
| part and parcel OF the Bridge bill; but II
was not deemed advisable, for the reason
that it was very difficult for the few
workers to bring Congress up to the point
fgiying MS the latter, and finally did no
appropriate more than halfmoney enough
to build decent bridge.
After the passage of the bridge bill
! Congress. thought proper at the heel o
last session, to give us $4,000 for thu
completion of the Eastern BranCl
Road" and three other roads in the Dis
trict: The phraseology completion o
the Eastern Branch Road" was very un
| fortunate-not to say nonsensical, becaus,
there is not now and never was as mat
ter of fact, any road of that designation il
the District of Columbia, all the state
ments of many old inhabitants to the con
trary notwithstanding and it was finally
SO determined. In justice however, t
the gentlemen in Congress who favored
| the said 1000 appropriation, 1t has beer
| developed that they had in their minds
| the proper location of the road-which, il
my opinion, is along the line of Pennsyl
vania avenue extended. This is the only
route ever iavorably considered i'm tn,
committee rooms, and 50 far as know
| the only one mentioned, and ! canno
conceive of any good reason why it should
not be adhered TO.
This subject is not half exhausted, EN-
bracing some facts now published, but
fear this communication is already tot
long. W. LEE WHITE.
Floral Hill, d. @. March S.
1 H.