Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-26

BoDIEs-wHY TIE RAILROAD GETS SOME $40
NATURES AT TWO CENTS A SAMK-THE ouEs-
rIoS OF REMOVING THE STATION.
There have been few additional express
sions of popular sentiment in reference to the
Atkinson bill since last District day. The
South Washington Protective Association and
Citizens Association. No. 1. have secured sddi-
tiOnal signatures to their protest from prop
erty owners in South Washington. That sec
tion il, of course. practically a unit on the
subject. The second protest of the joint as
socIstions SAYS:
I'VE think it would be great wrong to per-
init the railroads to occupy the two most prom
inent avenues and the large reservation at
their intersection in the most valuable part of
South Washington, when personal examina-
ton will prove conclusively to your minds that
there is abundance of land east OF Sd street
west that will furnish ample accommodation
for the distribution of freight at a convenient
distance from the business center and where
danger would be reduced to a minimum. We
think it would be greater wrong, after their
many violations of law and illegal occupation
of streets and reservations. to give them the
right to condemn and take for their own use
property north or south of their tracks In this
valuable section and allow them to increase
the number of their tracks and thereby increase
the danger to traffic, to and from the river, on
the busy thOrOughfares.
''Our people will never submit. The action
of the knights Of Labor in this city condemn
ing the Atkinson bill supplements the previous
protest of the Federation of Labor and arrays
every labor organization in the District and
kindred organizations all over the country
against the bill. Local opinion is practically
unanimous in opposition TO the bill in Its pres
ent shape. The board of trade in cOndemning
it gave voice to the overwhelming popular
sentiment"
LADIES AND MINISTER'S.
A petition has been circulated among and
numerously signed by the ladies of South
Washington protesting agains. the Atkinson
bill and against Mr.. Nudd's reflection upon the
section.
Many Of the ministers Of Washington are out
of town at present, but number OF those who
in the city. being all the circulatOr of the
petition reports who were seen. sign protest
against the bill.
The railroad has canvassed the city thor
oughly during the week with enumeratOrs paid
two cents for each signature obtained, who
have drummed up signers to a protest against
removal of the station from the mall. The
great majority will not sign. but owing to the
methods pursued and to a general appreciation
of the superior convenience of the present sta
ton even over a site only the width of the mall
further away many do sign, thinking little of
the evil of private occupation of the city's
parks.
ACTION OF VARIOUS BODIES.
Public opinion as indicated by expressions of
organized bodies of citizens has been In favor
OF the removal. The existing Citizens Com
mittee of One Hundred. at the time Of it's
greatest strength and influence, adopted plan
involving this removal and advocated it before
Congress. So with other citizens organiza-
tions. The successive boards of District Com
mlssloners have steadily advocated this re-
moval. with the alternative suggestion in the
cases OF one or two boards that the station be
rptaIna6 hut that h. tracts he taxi fro, q n
street and covered crossing the mall, and
that improvements in respect to grade cross
ings be made. Some citizens take the view
that the protection of government property
even the parks. from private use, is a matter
which concerns the governments good faith,
Se a lef. largely tG'' to the ""' discretion sD
o. the governments legislature; that
if Congress insists that I'll mall shall be
turned over to the railroad the people of the
city, securing and profiting by station little
nearer the business center than il would other
wise be, should not object. But almost every
body Is of the opinion that if the mall is turned
over permanently to the railroad adequate
compensation for the valuable privilege should
be e1acted from the road in the shape of re-
moval of grade crossings and Improvement
of its occupation of the mall.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD OF TRADE
The board of trade recommends both the re-
moval of the station and reduction of the grade
crossings, but it meets the possibility of the ne
eessity of an alternative proposition. II saws
IF il should be found impossible to secure the
entire removal Of the grade crossings ON 9th
street and on Maryland avenue between 9th
and 9Th streets. and to dislodge the railroad
from the reservation, as proposed by the Nor
rill bill. measures to reduce the evil of such
crossings and of such occupation to a mini
mum should be adopted. In the contingency
imagined the tracks should be entirely removed
from 9Th street. and that street should be
opened as a thoroughfare. The tracks should
be sunk. and the strip of the reservation west
Of the street to be devoted to railroad purposes
should be completely covered, and all neces-
sary bridges for crossing 9th street and the
railroad slip should be provided in such fash
Ion that the railroad tracks. cars and engines
thereon shall be entirely concealed from pub
lie view"
THE MEETING THAT ADOPTED THE REPORT.
In order to destroy, if possible, the effect of
the board of trades condemnation of the Atkin-
son bill. agents Of the railroad have represented
to citizens not belonging to the board that the
boards policy on this subject has been deter
mined at sparsely attended meetings and that
the railroad committee has acted without au-
thority in pretending to speak for the board
When the board was first organized and soon
after the railroad and transportatio commit
tees were appointed these committees held
the unsatisfactory conference with Vice Presi-
dent Thompson. reported in The STAR, in
which he indicated the railroads intention of
introducing the Atkinson bill and refused to
consider any notifications of the proposed
measure. At preliminary meeting OF the
board resolution was passed declaring war on
grade crossings. At the first full meeting of
the board of trade. with its enlarged member
ship and It's committees in running order. the
railroad committee submitted a report of some
length, in which il condemned the Atkinson
bull. which was read and adopted without a
dissenting voice. and the railroad committee
was directed TO appear before the District
committees and the Commissioners and urge
the views therein expressed.
REPRESENTATIVES BODY.
IL that meeting was not q sentative
body Of the capitals citizens there never was
and never will be one held in Washington The
Post OF March 20, 1890, introduces its accoun,
of the meeting in these words: With happy.
satisfied mIen President Parker faced fully
800 of WashlngtOn's solid citizens at Willard
Hall last night" IL stated that Mr. Beriah
wilkins. chairman of the finance committee
reported about q, 1000 on hand. The same ac-
count. after printing an abstract of the railroad
committees report, saws: The committee asks
authority to appear before the District COM
mittees to further their ideas and plans both
as IL the Baltimore and Ohio and the
Baltimore and Potomac, and resolution 10
that effect was adopted by the board at the
conclusion of the reading of the report" Mr.
Saks reported from the committee on com
merce. An interesting discussion upon the