Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-27
The Atkinsnn bill anneals 70 the carefu

The Atkinson bill appeals to the careful
consideration and the calm judgment Of every
member OF the House who has the interests OF
Washington at heart II is q measure which
has in view the settlement Of the much ve1ed
question TO the rights of a railroad corpora
ton in the District, and the power sought by
the Baltimore and Potomac railroad from Con-
gress Is nothing more than q concession OF the
rights which every other railroad enjoys in
every state OF the Union. - Washington Post
1t is almost inconceivsble that any induce
ment can exist sufficiently tempting to seduce
newspaper. published and intended for cir
sulstion in Washington, into indorsing the At
kinson bill How does this delectable meas
ure propose to settle the much vexed ques-
ton as to the rights Of a railroad corporation
in the District? Its first section legalizes GER
tain tracks which the Supreme Court Of the
United States says are illegal. and also legal
ICES the unauthorized occupation of certain
property of the United States by these tracks
Congress gave :he railroad free right of way
over the public streets. and loaned it the val
nsbie privilege Of temporarily occupying the
mail with a station aud of severing and dis
figuring this park with tracks. This taste of
the governments bounty, not enjoyed any
where else, apparently demoralized the road,
for instead of paying its way, as in other
cities, il seized what other government prop
srty it wanted without even asking for it, and
did its freight and storage business mex
pensively, but Illegally. On the public streets
and reservations. Among its illegal acquisi-
hons it trayersed and occupied the four small
reservations numbered ia, Us. PAL and $50
(see reports of commissioner of public build
ings and grounds for lSo6 and 1851. The first
section of the Atkinson bill in effect presents
these reservations to the road and pats it ap-
proyingly upon the back for its bold disregard
of law in the original seizure. 1t appears
therefore that one of the proposed rights of
a railroad corporation i'll the District which,
we are gravely informed, every other rail-
road enjoys in every state in the Unlon," is
that of playing the part OF freebooter with
impunity and of having its ofenses promptly
cOndoned by the local legislature, even
though premium be thereby placed
upon lawlessness. When Uncle Sam
wants property for business purposes
in his capital city he buys it, very
properly refraining from violating the trust
under which he holds the citys parks by divert
ing them from the public use aud enjoyment.
But the railroad under the Atkinson bills view
Of its inalienabe rights is to continue indef-
niteiy to spoil the largest park within the citys
limits and is TO be pardoned and rewarded if
1t inadvertently gobbles up other and smaller
reservations. 1t Is to enjoy privileges in respect
20 the property Of the government which are
denied to Uncle Sam himself. And it is seriously
asserted that such concessions are enjoyed by
railroads in every city. The demands of the
second section of the bill are. as The STAR has
pointed out. equally extraordinary and unjust
and the power Of condemnation proposed by
the third section for the necessary enlarge
.nent OF the roads freight facilities is too
broad IL the field Of its geographical applica-
ton But as settlement of the much vexed
railroad problem the bill is not more notable
for what II has done than for what il has left
undone. The requests of the people for relief
from the danger and obs truction of a
frequently impossible belt of surface tracks
and for the removal or reduction Of the evil
Of the surface occupation of the mall by tracks
have been totally ignored. This is not the
method Of settlement adopted in other cities.
even by the Pennsylvania road In Philadel-
phia it reports that il has removed grade
crossings on the passenger lines and for nine
miles out of the city. 1t has changed the To-
cation Of its station there at a cost Of several
millions, merely as Mr.. Roberts explained to
satisfy the public. 1t bought, actually bought.
government reservation in that city
paying for the ground a million dollars.
1t owns more than 500 acres Of land
in that city that it is able to say that it does
not occupy the streets to the inconvenience Of
the public. In Washington, where it has re-
ceived so much gratuitously that it is CON-
PEELED to pay for in other cities. it does not
propose by this settlement" TO relax its grip
upon the mall, to reduce in any respect the
Disagreement Of its occupation of that park,
or to remove single one OF the grade cross
ings at which it has killed or wounded over a
hundred persons. 1t proposes on the contrary
to convert into permanent gift the loan of
the mall, to legalize its holding Of the govern
ment property which it has appropriated with
out authority, and to secure unlimited range
for the future. The grant OF extraordinary
aud undeseryed concessions 70 the railroad in
addition to needed enlargement Of freight
facilities. and the denial Of all requests for ac-
companying legislation to protect the lives
and property of the people and increase the
beauty Of the city, constitute the settlement. of
the railroad problem which is proposed by the
Atkinson bill and commended by our cotem-
porary