Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-06
THE ATKINSON BILL.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Measure
May Come Up Again Monday.

THE SITUATION IN THE HoUsE-THK CITIZENS
MURDERoUs GRADE cRossINGs-THE PENDING
AMENDMENTS IN THE HOUSE.
Monday is District day in the House'an an
other effort will be made by the friends OF the
Pennsylvania railroad to pass the Atkinson
BILL Their aim is to get the bill through the
House, il possible, on Monday and then to
rush it through the Senate before the close Of
| the session. This is an ambitious aim in view
OF tho present situation Of measures of national
importance which arc pending and cannot
secure an hour for consideration. but the
railroad people are confident of their
power, and it is claimed for them that they
will have the aid of Mr.. German and other
leading democrats to carry out their program
in pursuance of an arrangement made with
Senator Quay for the defeat of the force bill
But the situation in the House is such as to
preclude the idea of final action on Monday
unless some arbitrary means of Fastening the
matter are resorted to. Though tho bill has
occupied every District day for many weeks to
| the exclusion of all business of i'm
portance. to the District people, yet
the propositions to amend in the
ton. The time has been taken up largely
first, by some general discussion of the bill
and then by parliamentary struggles on the
part of the friends of the measure to prevent
the consideration Of amendments looking to
the protection Of the life and limbs Of people
in the city-resident or visiting.
THE PARLIAMENTARY SITUATION.
There is q parliamentary knot to be undone
now before the various propositions for the re-
lief Of the people can be considered. On the
last day the District had in the House the
Pennsylvania railroad had a majority of those
members present on vote to reconsider the
! action OF the House OH the preceding District
day in recommittng the bill with instructions
On this last vote q majority Of about two to
ono for recOmmittal overcome But no
progress was made with the bill and the matter
was left standing practically upon the ques-
ton OF recommittal, the first vote being
motion TO lay on the table motion to
reconsider the vote by which the previous
question was ordered recommittal. There
is something OF a parliamentary web to unwind
before the bill itself can be reached, and then
1t will be subject to amendments that may be
onered or to motion to recOmmit with other
instructions with no instructions The in
structions with which the bill was recommittcd
a month and half ago were that provisions be
made for the removal OF the depot. Many who
favor the removal of the grade crossings by
some of the several plans sugge sted do not
favor the removal OF the depot and the fact
that these instructions we're recalled and the
bill brought back into the House does not, by
any means, insure the passage of the bill in its
present form. A vote is yet to be taken again
on the proposition to recommit as it now
stands. and there are several propositions for
consideration after that
PLANS FOR DOING AWAY WITH GRADE CROSSINGS.
A. has been repeated before. there are sev-
eral plans Of reducing the number Of grade
crossinss,upou which the opinion Of the House
may be tested by amendments. The South
Washington organizations favor an elevated
road. running through purchased squares be-
tween and h streets and along the river front
The board Of trade recommends a depression
and bridging Of the tracks west of A. street on
| the avenues now occupied by the road, substan-
TALLY the plan which Senators Morrill, and In.
gals and Engineer Commissioners Twinins
and Ludlow have advocated. An amendment
offered by Mr.. Heard is pending, which re-
tains the tracks where they are, but pro-
vides that the company SHALL under the di-
rection Of the Commissioners, construct sub
ways for the passage OF vehicles and passengers
under the tracks on 4th and llth streets BY
4th street AZ street is probably intended, as
there is no 4th street southwest The South
Washington peoples plan would remove all tho
grade crossings from Maryland and Virginia
avenues. the board of trades plan would abol-