Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-08


The Metropolitan bill not only re-incor-
porates the road. relieving it In the opinion
OF the District authorities from the double
forfeiture which IL has incurred, but II frees
the road from the necessity under existing
law of providing unobjectionable rapid tran
sit on it's F street line The law now en-
joins upon II TO use some other motor than
horses the overhead trolley on all its
lines. and failure up to the present time to
obey this law Though experiments doubt
less in good faith have been made) is one of
the public grievances against IL, and
statutory ground Of forfeiture Of its fran
chise. The bill now pending requires the
use Of the underground electric system on
the 9th street line. but leaves the question
of its use or the use of any other improved
motor on the F street line to the discretion
of the company. 1t provides that lin the
event that said substituted mode of propul-
sion by electric underground system shall.
upon and after sufficient test and trial by
actual use at the places aforesaid. prove TO
be a practical and sufficient mode OF propul-
sion .hen the company shall within one
year place the underground system upon
every other part of their lines. In order 10
avoid the expense Of undermining the +
street line. IL would apparently be only nee
essary for the company TO say after the
formality of a years test that the under
ground system Is not practical or not
Sufficient" meaning thereby commercially
1mpracticable. or in plain English a little
more expensive than some other method of
propelling the cars. If the trolley syndicate
obtains control Of this road there is no ques-
ton whatever that this opportunity would
be utilized to condemn the underground
in order Ya,tra ~ for
the overhead trolley on the ground that it
is the only practicable substitute for the
car horse The law should not offer this
temptation to the company to save itself
money by making its so-called experiment
a failure. There is in reality no experiment
about it, The underground electric system
Is successfully used on the main street rail-
way system Of Buda-Pesth, city of half
million people. the most enterprising and
progressive European capital of today, and
that system has been fully described and
illustrated in the Star. There are over
twelve miles OF double track running
through the heart Of the city. and the sys
tenn has there been subjected to all the
tests of severe climatic conditions, heavy
grades and curves, long hauls, and heavily
laden cars. Then We have under our very
noses the mile of track on u street where
respects upon that of Buia-Pesth, has been
for a sufficient length of time in successful
operation. The corporation should be grant
ed no discretion as to the improvement. of
its motive power F street. 1t should be
required by the law to substitute for its
horses some mechanical motor other than
steam or the overhead trolley on all parts
Of its lines At the very least Il sholLi not
be relieved by Congress from It's present
obligation to make this comprehensive
change. The utmost of concession 10 the
eompany should be the privilege of using
the cable. storage battery or other unobjec-
fionable mechanical motor on it's F street
nne II after years test Of the under
ground electric system on the 9th street
line 1t preferred to do so. A choice between
nnobjectionable motors might be granted 1t
but not the choice whether on the principal
part OF its line it will make any change at
all
The public interest in :he forfeiture pro-
ceedings against the Metropolitan road is
based not upon a revengeful selfish desire
to kill this road for the benefit of some 9TH
kr set OF men, but on the desire to compel the
road to pay its debts to the public and to
modernize It's system in an UNDERSTANDABLE
fashion. The people Ut this District paid
for certain paving which :he law required
tie railroad company to pay. After the
fact and amount of this indebtedness to the
District had been determined by the courts,
the company escaped reinbursing the tax
payers for their outlay on IT'S account by
pleading the statute Of limitations. Con-
gress being asked to grant certain privi-
leges to the road required ii to pay the
amount of this Indebtedness or forfeit its
charter. The company has paid no atten-
ion hat rDi
gress. and the only question before the
House District committee this phase of
the problem is whether it will yield to the
defiance of this corporation. cease to en-
deavor to reimburse the people of the Dis
tr.ct for their outlay :he railroads ac-
count, and in effect apologize to the road
for having once perenptorily told it to pay
Its honest debt. 1t might well be under
stood that not cent Of this money will be
paid, and not foot Of expensive improve
ment Of the road in the public interest be
made. unless it is coupled by Congress as
peremptory condition precedent of a grant
TO the road of the right to live right
which under the acts Of Congress it has
twice forfeited. The responsibility of pro-
tectIng the interests OF the people of the
capital and of preserving it's own self-re-
spect is upon Congress. The people of the
District are anxious that he under ground
electric system shall be used on a trunk
line in the capital under circumstances
that will assure it fair play, and they are
willing TO make some concessions to Sc
cure this result. But they call upon Con-
gress for a certainty of fair play
Paul Jones. who advertised as having ad-
vertised that he would go around the world
without money. turns out to be a con-