Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-18
THE BOARD OF TRADE
That Body Opposed to Railroads in
Public Parks.
4 LIVELY DEBATE
At Last Nights Meeting at the
Carroll Institute.
SOME OF THE EECHES
SOME OF THE SPEECHES

The representative men OF the District Of
Columbia emphasized in an unmistakable
manner last night the Jealous earnestness
of their championship of the interests of
the national capital and the watchful guar
dianship they have heretofo: nd will here
after exercise over the impo. tant charge
in their keeping. Over two hundred of
them were present when Mr.. B. Fl. Warner
called the board of trade to order in the
fore adjournment was reached nine tenths
of them had declared by their votes that
the inviolability of the great park system
which Is destined to make Washington the
grandest Of the worlds capitals should be
absolutely preserved. 1t was generally
known by the members of the body that the
meeting last night would determine the
question whether the board of trade would
favor o. oppose the Washington, Alexandria
and Mount Vernon railroad project of Sc
curing a right of way across a portion of
the reclaimed Potomac flats, and this suf-
iced to attract the large gathering that was
present. A glance over the faces discovered
those of nearly all the prominent business
men in the District. Merchants, bankers,
real estate and professional men were pres
ent, and each of them displayed a deep in
terest in the proceedings. The proposition
or the railroad company was antagonized
with an overwhelming sentiment which
Will probably result in the abandonment of
the road to enter the city by way of a ferry
landing at the foot of E street, as recon-
mended by the District Commissioners.
Report of the Parks Com mittee
Immediately after Secretary John B. Wight
had read the minutes of the last meeting
and President Warner had assured Mr. NJ
B. Harlow Of Alexandria that he was
member of the board of trade in good stand
ing, the subject of the evening was taken
/ III in ba char of III
tee on parks and reservations upon the bill
to permit the Washington. Alexandria and
Mount Vernon railroad to cross the Poto-
mac flats. In presenting the report Col.
Henry +. Blount, chairman Of the commit
tee, made an interesting statement of the
manner in which his associates and himself
had performed their labors in connection
with the document. 1t had been their de-
sire TO ascertain beyond any question what
the people of the District really thought
about the proposition of the railroad COM
mittee, and with this purpose in view the
committeeman had consulted citizens repre-
senting all classes, incltlding the District
Commissioners, and had found the senti-
ment was unalterably opposed to granting
a right of way across the fats any por-
ton or them to a railroad company. The
committee, in making their report did not
desire to be understood as Directing to the
entrance of railroads into the District and
CITY, but merely wished to oppose any COM
pany or individual from encroaching on the
public reservations for any purpose. Col
Blount thereupon presented the report of
the committee, which was signed by himself
as chairman and Messrs. Charles c. Glover
w. II. Rapley, Charles A. Bell, Joseph Paul
Henry b. LOCKER and H. A. Griswold.
The Committees Resolution.
The document stated that after further
consideration of the entire subject covered
by the original report, which was referred
back to the committee at the meeting held
In Wormley's Hotel. and after consultation
with the engineer officers of both the War
Department and the District of Columbia
the committee had unanimously adopted a
resolution which expressed its views. The
re resolution recited that the committee on
parks and reservations. after further and
fuii consideration of its report, submitted to
the board of trade at a meeting held March
u last, and subsequently recommended to
the committee with instruction to modify it
so as to provide for the interests of the Dis
trict OF Columbia Is firmly of the opinion
that such interests will be best subseryed
by the approval by the board of trade of the
provisions Of the original report of this
committee, without, alteration, and such
action is, therefore. recommended to the
board, as an expression of its deliberate
conviction.
TO accentuate the propriety of the COM
mittee's decision, Mr.. Glover read the report
of the District Commissioners to the House
District committee under date of April 3
just passed, in which they said that reser-
walton No. should form part of the in
tended Potomac Park. and opposing the
granting of any privileges to any railroad
that may seek entrance to or passage across
the reservation.
Immediately upon the submission of the
report and accompanying papers. Mr.. Theo-
dore w. Ncyes moved the adoption of the
committees report, and debate upon this
motion followed.
Mr.. AndersOn's Statement.
Col Alexander d. Anderson, the attorney
of the railroad said he desired to make a
statement in order to correct a great deal
of Misrepresentation which. he assumed the
press and public were laboring under in re-
gard to the objects of the railroad company.
A map of the proposed route of the road
had been tackled up on the WALL and Col
Anderson took his stand in front of II and
proceeded to explain the purposes of the cor
poration. He said the route along street
to the observatory grounds was exactly as
recommended by the War Department TO
the District committee, except that the road
should go up to and come down 18th
street. He claimed that engineering diff
culties of an almost insurmountable char
acter would confront the road If this route
was taken, and explained that only strip
| $50 feet in width of the reclaimed flats was
asked for. He also denied that the Penn
sylvsnia Railroad Company was the real
party who was to be the beneficiary of the
road II the bill now pending was passed,
and controversial the charge that 1t was
intended to use steam power by stating that
| the use of such power was expressly ex-
cluded by provision of the bill Col Ander-
son also denied that the company was en-
cheering anything in the nature of a land
grabbing scheme, and stated that the COM
| pany was willing to pay for the occupied
ground to the owners, whoever they might
| turn out to be.
As to Maj. Davis Views.
Mr.. Glover wanted to know what engi-
neer officers of the War Department had
| recommended the route as stated by Col.
| Andersen, and the latter replied that sew
| eral of them had done so, including Maj.
Davis. Maj. Davis authorizes me to state
most emphatically," said Mr.. Glover, that
| he is absolutely and unalterably opposed
| to any company using even as much as
| a single inch of the flats
Col. Anderson then explained that the
War Department authorities had recon-
mended the route along b street as far as
the observatory grounds, and that Mr..
| Glover was right when he mentioned the
opposition to crossing the flats. He then
alluded to a recent editorial in The Star,
which. after stating that the company had
already given up 80 out of 100 points of
the controversy, suggested that 1t give up
the one hundredth and go around the OBJ
servatory grounds after running its line
along z street, as the Commissioners
wished.
The e street Route Feasible.
He stated that the company had really
given up 999 points out of thousand, and
dwelt upon the engineering difficulties in
the way of the Z street plan, when Col.
Blount announced that Engineer Commits
sioner Powell had authorized him to deny
%ha< I,