Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-03

With bare quorum and in the absence of
several Of the warmest defenders of the inter-
ests of the capital against corporate encroach-
ment the House District committee has ap-
proved the Atkinson bill This measure legal
ICES the illegal tracks Of the Baltimore and
Potomac road and confirms its illegal occupa-
ton Of the streets and public spaces crossed
and used by these tracks The letter of the
District attorney which preceded the indct-
ments against the road for this unauthorized
use Of public property gives a long list of
the reservations and streets appropriated. The
commissioner Of public grounds had made fire.
quent and forcible complaint in official reports
of the seizure Of four reservations. The At
torney General of the United States in a Wig
Orous letter pushed the proceedings against
the road to the point of Indictment. These in
dictments now sleep. 1t is proposed that the
United States shall condone the offenses for
which the road is indicted, and reward it for
appropriating property which did not belong
to it by presenting to it the property in ques-
ton. The bill also proposes to single out this
road from the common carriers ofthe District for
another valuable privilege by delegating to the
Commissioners for its benefit alone the power
of Congress to authorize deviations from its
chartered line. And, finally, the bill gives the
road power to condemn property for its uses
without the geographical limitation upon this
power for which the people have commended.
This pardon for past offenses, this new dona-
ton OF public land, and this fresh gift of ex-
elusive privileges are for the benefit of a road
which has already received free right of way
over the public streets and the loan of free
station site on the public reservation, and
which has shown its appreciation Of this gen
crosby by seizing public property not granted
to it, by illegally using the public streets as
freight and storage depots, by killing people
on surface tracks with trains running at an
Illegal rate of speed or at crossings left I'M
guarded in violation Of law, and by steadily
resisting and defeating every effort in behalf of
the public to secure an improvement of the
character of its occupation. The people have
asked and now ask relief from the no-thorough-
fare belt of surface tracks which isolate the
important section Of the city that includes the
river front, and restoration of the reservations
10 the public uses for which they were intended
and from which they have been diverted. They
are aware from past experience that unless they
secure these things in connection with and as
consideration for the concessions to the road
they will never get them at all The difficult
ties Of a removal of grade crossings for a short
distance on 3 through passenger route an i'm
provement which is being rapidly accomplished
IN our large cities, seem to appall some Dis
trIct legislators when proposed for the CAPT.
tai. They wheeza and puff at the very sug-
gestion Of this vast labor and fear that the
thing is impracticable. But project for the
benefit Of the road. which merely sacrifices the
interests Of the District and gives away for
nothing concessions which should be the price
OF public relief cannot be hurried thr ough
Congress too fast.