Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-05
THE PEOPLES PROTEST.
Expressions Of Popular Opinion-Strona
Language from Indignant Citizens.

The mail continues to bring to The STAR
many OF the coupon petitions protesting
against the passage Of the Atkinson bill, and
with them many letters whose tone indicates
how strongly the writer's feel on the subject OF
the railroad evils which the city has been COM
PEELED to suffer, and which the pending bill
proposes to perpetuate and multiply.
ACCIDENTS THAT ARE NEVER REPORTED.
A northeast Washington business man sends
in his signature and writes: 1.-The Atkinson bill
is in the sole interest Of railroad, grasping and
sucking like an octopus. The Pennsylvania
and Baltimore and Ohio railroads have too
many death-trap crossings unprotected. Ac.
cidents happen which are never reported"
NOT MATTER OF INDIVIDUAL CONVENIENCE.
Another signer says: II sign with pleasure
the enclosed petition. But in doing 50 de-
sire to say that 1 do not think the removal or
retention Of the depot upon government res
ervatiCn should depend upon the n umber of
persons who may favor or oppose it. 1t is not
a question of whether il will be more or less
depot remai in. II that was all should say let
1t remain where it 10. for l take train there
every evening for the country. lam willing to
be lnconvenlenced little in order that the
mall may be restored and 9th street opened up
as thoroughfarc to relieve the constantly in
creasing jam on 7th street. 1t Is only ques-
ton of time if the depot remains where it is,
when the authorities will have to devise some
way OF relieving 7th street OF some of its traffic,
either by cutting through the Smithsonian
grounds at 9Th or 10th or restoring 9th street"
THE LIFE OF CITY AT STAKE.
A resident of the city who votes in Virginia
writes: II have been more and more inter-
ested as the time comes on in this fight between
the people Of Washington and the gigantic
-.hr "a Al IL
FOR the life OF city, and a beautiful city at
that, the capital Of the nation that should be
the pride of the country. We who live in
Washington and cast our votes in Virginia
are looking anxiously to the members Of our
state as to how they shall vote on question
which 30 deeply concerns the property, the
business, yea, the very lives of our people. men,
women and children. in Washington. for one,
with many others, urge upon the representative
from our (the seventh Virginia) district not
OILY to vote against this bill but to work
against 1t tooth and toe nail, for he we'll knows
that nine-tenths Of the people in his district
are opposed to ii"
SAMPLE OF PETITION PADDING.
Another writer incloses a section of names
cut out of the printed list appended to the rail-
road company's petition. He says: 81 inclose
for your information u sample of petition pad
ding as practiced by the railroad company.
This column was selected at random, and I
have no doubt that it is fair sample OF the
whole. OF the "a names contained in the list
81 do not appear Ill the directory at all, IL are
only partially verified, that is, somewhat
similar names appear but with entirely diff
ferent addresses, and 81 are found to be cor
rect. There are four or five addresses given
which do not represent houses at all, as in the
cases 1909 street, 1871 o street and 1606 N
street northwest"
NOBLE FIaHT.
citizen writes This is q noble fight for
the people and wish The STAR success"