Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-14

1t is likely that the resolution offered by
Senator Mcmillan calling upon the District
Commissioners for information as to wheth-
er any new lines of street railway are needed
and whether such facilities can best be Sc
cured by cbartering new companies CT re-
quiring the extension of existing lines, &c,
will bring out some valuable facts. There is
10 doubt that, as Senator Mcmillan stated in
an interview in The Star a certain proper
ton of the requests annually made to Con-
gress for street railway charters are of a
speculative character. This is tc be expected
II there is a chance of making money by
peddling street-raflroad charter the OBJ
tanning of which costs nothing, there will
always be those who will try to squeeze
dollars out of the chance. 1t cannot be
very difficult for the experienced members
of the Senate District committee to dis
tinguish the false from the true. The rec
ord as quoted by the Senator shows that
Congress understands the sitting process
pretty well. of the twenty-five requests for
street railroad franchises male two years
ego but two resulted in charters. and there
IS food for thought in the fast that. the
Senator says. there has not teen single
spade turned in the construction IF these
two prospective lines. Sc lator Mcmillan
Nigh. also with truth have sail in the
same connection that If these ro.tis have
not Teen built neither have their charters
been scld. Thanks to the wise pre',auti )ns
of Se-tatOr Mcmillan, these privil eges have
of late been without speculative value. If
II is pCss' BILE, the resolutions propose. to
obtain through the District Commissioners
an EXPRESSION from the people Of the Dis
trict as e the needs of the city IN this par
ticular a desirable result will have been
a 81 10
of Washington want to keep the streets of
the city as free as possible from street-car
lines. At the same time. the pressing need
for better facilities is clearly evident.
Within the city the demand is for improve
rnent in the means Of communication rather
than for any considerable addition to the
track-mileage: some of the equipment in
daily use is unpardOnably ancient. and, in
motive power. most of the roads are behind
the times. In one or two corners there is
opportunity for profitable extension of cor
porative privilege to the end that the pub
lie be better served. Beyond the boundary
the need is principally for traffic arrange
ments with city roads. by which those who
desire to journey to and from the suburbs
may travel for one fare from the center of
city to the suburban terminal of any COM
pany's tracks. Or. if these traffic arrange
mentS are not to be had, then the same end
must be attained by some such device as
the proposed traction roads clearing house
system. 1t seems a simple matter, when
section is built up,to join it with the business
center of the city by running a line to con-
meet with one of the existing lines. But the
old companies have something to say about
that They are not in favor of increasing
their operating expenses unless they can
see corresponding increase in the receipts
The needs of the people, the benefit of the
city, are idle terms to a Notwithstanding
corporation. If this was not true there
would be cross-town railroad in opera
ton today.
Since it seems impossible to build these
connecting links or for suburban roads to
make any sort of traffic arrangements with
city roads, the annual crop of requests for
new charters is an increasing one. and will
continue to be so as long as the city is
forging ahead at it's present rate. 1t ap-
pears that. after ALL the difficulties in the
way of solving one of the serious phases
of the street railroad problem: in this city
are the corporation which have in former
years secured from Congress valuable
privileges. The strong hand of the supreme
authority in this city is needed to deal with
them effectively. Congress should under
take this work, not only because o. the di-
rect benefit to this city. but for the sake of
the splendid object lesson which would lie
presented to municipalities all over the
country which are in the grasp of corpora
tons, and do not see a way of deliyerance.