Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-12
THE LIE DROIT PARK FENCE.
It 10 stin Down but There IL Considerable
Difference Of Opinion About Ii.

IL 10 stiu Down but There IL Considerable
Difference Of Opinion About 1t.
All was quiet at lie Droit Park today and
active war over the fence was over for the time
being at any rate. There was no attempt to re-
build the fence across Linden street that was
forcibly removed Saturday by the enraged cit
izens Of Hovardtown. Saturday evening, how
ever. there was an effort made by a number of
parkites to have the fence put up again. but il
failed Mr.. @. E. Fairman. 335 Spruce street,
one of the most earnest advocates Of the fence,
together with Q number Of neighbors. got some
laborers with posts, boards aud the necessary
tools and started 70 put up a new fence. They
were quickly stopped by Policeman Mcdonald.
who was acting under orders from the Com
missioners. md who ordered them to desist.
What will the final outcome of this long
continued fence war is not vet clear, but when
STAR reporter visited the scene of the battle
this morning there no fence to be seen,
only an open and very muddy street. with a
few pedestrians going either away along the
one sidewalk
WAS DECREE OF COURT VIOLATED?
A resident Of the park writes to The STAR:
I'VE call for the previous question 1t is not
whether the aristocrats Of lie Droit Park pre-
fer TO live beyond the refining influence Of their
dusky neighbors; IL is not whether they may keep
public highway closed: it is not whethera citi-
zen number of citizens may do with their
property what they choose 20 long rs they obey
the laws and il is not whether the purchasers
Of property in the park have vested rights to
which they are entitled until deprived of them
by due process of law. None Of these ques-
tions are involved now. for they all have been
this fence case. The individual public are,
however. interested in q question more import
ant to them. for they ace In the tearing down Of
this fence, erected by authority Of our highest
xaar
Of a barrier Of law which protects Us all against
mobs. Those six old boards at the head of that
street had written upon them: We stand here
by the decree of the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict Of Columbia and all persons are ordered
to refrain from disturbing us This decree
was the majesty Of law speaking 10 mobs, and
the persons who took the responsibility Of vio-
lating this decree will have to be taught what
courts are for; and il it should be true that our
Commissioners, yielding to clamor or iniiu-
ence, have ordered the police to stop any owner
Of property in the park from erecting the fence
again they viii receive some instruction in law
from the court. What we wish to know is
whether persons can take the law into their
hands and at pleasure violate a direct decree of
our courts and not receive punishmentg'
SAYS THE MAJORITY OPPOSED THE FENCE.
Col. ]. /. MCGEE, who lives at No. 1856 Spruce
street, very near where the fence stood, said to
q STAR reporter that a very small minority,
barely dozen, Of the residents of the park
favored keeping up the fence, while the 200
property owners in the park grateful that
the fence has been removed. The fence had
been maintained. he said, simply to prevent the
president. teachers. officers and students Of
Howard University and the residents of that |
vicinity from passing through the park
1T prevented the better class from driving
and passing through" said Col. McCiee. .sbut
the so called Objectionable class living north of
the park, whom il might have been desirable
To keep out, freely pass through on foot, be-
cause a large part Of the north boundary fence |
of the park was removed more than two years
ago and Moore's lane has always been Open"
The minority. Col. MCGEE said. claimed that
the streets in the park are private property, |
but this claim the great majority believe to be
not well founded Mr. Barber, in whom 1t is |
asserted the title vested. had. he said. declared
under oath that he did not own the streets, but
that they were dedicated to the public use. |
The Commissioners have removed all the bar |
riers dividing the park from the city, asphalted |
parts of streets. laid sidewalks and sewers and |
erected and lighted lamps at public expense, |
changed the names OF streets to conform to the |
city plan, placed the park under supervision of
metropolitan police and declared the streets |
public thorouS hfares- Col. MCGEE thought the |
removal of the fence would increase the value |
Of property in the park The Commissioners, |
he said, had asked for an appropriation for the |
Improvement OF Linden and Maple streets, thus |
making two thoroughfares through the park.
DIR. Rankin and the Fence War.
WASHINGTON. ID. c., Jan. 10, 1891
To the Editor of The Evening Star: |
1 am sorry your reporter should intimate |
that had any sympathy with the forcible re-
moval Of the fence on Linden street. / am |
afraid that peaeeable solution of the question |
may be hindered by that very act. II the |
Commissioners would give US an improved |
street; If Congress would make an appropria- |
ton for such Improvement, provided all OBJ |
structions were removed. this would seem to |
promise more than anything else. The inter- !
ests On the north and the south sides of the |
line ere one and the same. and these are to |
be conserved not by bitter controversy. but |
by uniting 10 secure the street improvements |
to which all quiet citizens are entitled.
Very truly, j. Z. RANKIN.