Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-27

Il = y. II.
c. 3; jewell, Mr.. and Mrs. A. r. Quaiffe, Mr..
and Mrs. Robert Drinkard, Mr.. Erdman, Prof.
Gin. Mr. Samuel Fowler, Mr.. G. B. Pearson,
MI. and Mrs. E. 8. Burgess, Mr.. Morris w.
Chase, Mr.. and Mrs. Alex. Porter Morse, Mr..
Brandenburg, Miss Lehman, Mr.. De Vim
finckel, Mr.. II. 8. Owen, Mr.. Fred Owen, of
New York; Mr.. E. B. Niver, Mrs. DIR. Wads-
York
Mrs. and Miss Fleming, ITO street, will not
be at home tovisitors on Thursday.
Mrs. Cabell and Miss Cabell will be at home
to-day, assisted by Mrs. Anderson and Miss
Bouldin, of Virginia. and Miss Lottie Hopkins,
OF Atlanta, Ga, daughter Of Judge Hopkins
Mrs. James K. Jones, of Arkansas, will be at
home Thursday evening from to 10 o'clock to
Arkansas friends In the city, and hopes to have
particularly her department friends attend at
this time, her last day of the season.
Miss Carrie Cotterill, of 1899 18th street
northwest, gave delightful party last night,
which was largely attended Among those
present were Misses King, Roome, Topham,
Lilley, Parks, Davis, Bell Balln, Gensler,
Davis, Bailey, Durfee, Gleason, Cornell and
Messrs. Little, hewitt, Cook, Bell, Pennebaker,
White, Sullivan and Hargrove.
The wife of Senator Paddock will hold her
last reception of the season tomorrow. She
will receive from to 6.
Mr.. and Mrs. James R. Young, Of 1906 @
street northwest, have for their guests for the
inaugural ceremonies Mrs. Richard NJ. Howard,
of Baltimore county Md; Miss Annie Wander
bilt, of New York city, and Mr.. Young's sister,
Mr.. Jno. Blakely and Mrs. r. +. Mastin. jr.,
and his niece, Miss Minnie Blakely, of Phila-
delphia.
Mrs. Carlos French and Miss French, of Con-
necticut, held their last formal reception yes
terday. They were assisted by Miss HAYDEN
OF Columbus, Ohio. Representative French and
family will remain at their home ON Dupont
circle for about two months longer.
Miss Grace Perkins, of Brooklyn, is visiting
Miss Edith Gardner, 1913 s street northwest.
Mrs. J. N. Dolph will not receive tomorrow,
as intended, owing to the death of her brother,
Hon. Marion F. Mulkey, of Portland, Greg.
The wife and daughter of Bishop John F.
Hurst, assisted by Mrs. Mark Hoyt and Miss
Hoyt, of Brooklyn, will receive at the Riggs
house Friday, from to 5.
Gen. and Mrs. ]. 7. Wilder are at sOs M
street.
The concert Of the Princeton College Glee
and Banjo clubs at the Rifles armory Friday
evening will be quite society event. The
graduates and friends of the college in WASH
lngton are very numerous, and they anticipate
with great pleasure hearing the familiar glees
and old college songs again. 1t has been sew
eral years since this popular organization has
visited Washington.
Mrs. VIM. NJ. Bass will be at home to her
friends Thursday, February %, assisted by her
sisters, Mrs. A. ID. Frank, Miss Hart her cousins,
Elss Rosenthal, of Cleveland, and Miss Einstein,
OF Philadelphia, and Mrs. l. Sacks, of this city.
Mr.. Riddle and the Railroads.
The attorney for the District, Mr.. A. G.
Riddle, has sent the following communication
to the District Commissioners:
ATTORNEYS OFFICE,
WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb. 26 1889.
Gentlemen: send you this, the last COM
munication Of Messrs. Parker and Dwyer, of
South Washington, in the only form in which
1t has yet reached me, and with it brief re-
sumo OF some OF the official incidents leading
up to 1t. You and your predecessors are fully
aware, and your records will show, that to the
extent of my limited legal powers l have
steadily and persistently labored to restrict
the railroads to the narrowest limits Of the
rights granted to them by Congress TO use the
streets ofthe city. Their presence blasts the
parts of city trayersed or used by them, and 1
have always urged their expulsion from the
city, and especially from the river 'front.'
l pronounced the Johnson permit and the
side track wholly illegal, and urged its ex-
pulsion.
When the Baltimore and Potomac asked for
permit to cross l4th street southwest to con-
meet with their proposed depot, denied the
power OF the Commissioners to grant it. When
the company undertook to lay its track across
the street without the permit, by my advice, it
was prevented by the armed police. You will
remember that the Baltimore and Potomac
then filed bill in the Court of Equity to en-
join your predecessors from so employing the
police, and that the General Term oyerruled
Justice Cox in the court below, and granted
this injunction. That appealed the case to the
United States Supreme Conrt, appeared there,
nd,against the seemingly unanimous judgment
OF the bar that could not be there heard for this
purpose, moved to dissolve that Injunction
and In three weeks time the court disallowed
the injunction, dismissed the BILL and sustained
every proposition for which / had ever con-
tended in the premises. See Justice Miller's
opinion, District of Columbia agt the Balti-
more and Potomac, U. 8. Reps. ia, p. 453.
This gave the advantage ground had sought,
which has since been fully maintained by this
Office.
Passing many matters Of interest may refer
to the building Of its new freight houses
by the Baltimore and Potomac on
square 409, owned by it. Complaint
was made to the Commissioners by South
Washington citizens and referred to this Office
l at once recommended that the permit to build
be cancelled, as it would cut off a public alley,
and was amazed when told that the building
covering the entire square) had been seven or
eight months erected, during which time op-
pressed South Washingtonians had remained ac-
quiescently silent. l examined the question of
the alley, and while there was a question of it's
Legality, told the complainants would never
the less prosecute the railroad company for its
obstruction if any of these men would make
the necessary complaint and try the question.
l explained to them what you so well know
that this Office could only prosecute for the OBJ
struction Of a street, sidewalk or alley, and that
this could only be done on the affidavit of some
responsible party knowing the facts sufficiently
to warrant his making the required OATH No
officer of this Office can do that, and public
policy forbids that any of them should save in
a very extreme case, busy themselves in stimu-
lating public prosecutions. We conduct we
do not initiate, them. They complained that
they were oppressed and that refused to in
stitute civil suits in the name of the District
for their protection, my duty. i was at
much pains to explain to them that the Dis
trict could have no standing in court for such
purpose, that it could only go into court when
its own rights were invaded. would protect
the streets and alleys; that was all the law per-
mitted me to do; that the law regarded the
railroad company a private person, as were
they. and had the same right to ask the Dis
trict to take up for it as had they to ask it to
take up their side against it
No one ever came forward to make the nee
essary affidavit, but in public meeting and in
letters to you, this Office was denounced for in
humanity, in leaving them to fight out their
private battles with the B. and p said also.
that the company could not lay tracks to this
square without special act of Congress. An
exceedingly wise man now triumphantly re-
Plies, why, the tracks were already there
when Mr.. r. so advised" rejoin, had he told
IA ind fhAx- bod