Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-08
THE ROAD OBJECTS
To the Commissioners Having Power
Over Its Construction.
A METROPOLITAN RAILROAD HEARING
Some Sharp Talk From the Attor-
ney Of tho Company.
MORE TIME REQUES TED

IF that amendment passes Congr ess and
becomes a lew. 1t will sornd the death
knell of TN underground system Of rapid
transit for the Metropolitan railroad" So
said Attorney Frown. the legal representa-
tive Of the Metropolitan Railroad Com
pany. in his argument before the Commis-
sioners this morning against certain amend
ments to the bill.
The amendment referred to was that
known as the approval clause which is
placed in every railroad bill by the Com
missioners and which reads as follows:
"All plans relating to the location and
construction of said railway shall be sub
ject to the approval of the Commission ,rs
of the District of Columbia or their suc-
cessors and all work shall at all times be
subject to their supervision. The said cor
poration shall from time to time deposit
with the collector Of taxes OF the District
OF Columbia such amounts as may be
deemed necessary by said Commissioners
to cover cost of inspection, supervision,
pavement and repairs; any unexpended bal
ance remaining after the reconstruction and
extension of said road shall be returned to
said company with an account In full of
the disbursements of such deposit or de-
posits."
Would Give a Veto Power.
such an amendment" argued Mr.. Brown,
would give the Commissioners the veto
power as well as the right to say what sy s.
tenn We should introduce In carrying out
the law of Congress. This is a most i'm
portant matter, for upon 1t depends the
construction of the road" He maintained
that the stockholders. the people who were
to put up the money for the new system,
should be the sole judges as to which sys-
TEN they desired. Under the amendment
above referred to the Commissioners had II
in their power to reject any system they
saw fit. 1t would require s4.OOOUO0 to build
an underground electric road and not 1000
could be raised from capitalists IL such an
amendment were allowed to become part of
the bill People wanted to know where their
money was being placed, and they and they
alone should be the sole judges of the sys-
tenn TO be used. Congress had decided in
both houses that the company must put
down an underground electrical system and
the Commissioners have added a proviso
that unless the plans and all other details
meet with their approval such a road shall
not be constructed. That is what the
amendment is In substance, and IL puts the
railroad company In a sorry plight. 1t was
strange to him that this amendment had
not been Incorporated in the bill when It
was favoraby reported by the Commission
ers TO Congress. AS 1t was, II was sprung
on the floor Of the House without giving
the company any chance to meet II with
objection. .r-,
What President Stephenson ssfd.b
President Stephenson of the Railroad 0oh.
pany who was present then, said sseSWky
should the District Commissioners set them
selves up as our guardians? Do you aues-
ton for moment our right to spend $1,000
coo in giving the public additional facilities
in the way of rapid transit. Why can't we
do 1t without being hampered. You gentle
men have all seen the desire of this COM
pany to give the people Of Washington a
good service You are familiar with our
experience with the storage battery sys-
TEN and how much money we sunk in that
yet Notwithstanding all these things, amend
ments are tackled on and crowded into our
Dill which. II passed, will make the building
OF the road impossible. We can't put in
cable or trolley: We must put in an under
ground system, and If the amendment which
has been referred to is passed II means
death TO rapid transit on the Metropolitan
railroad
The Sole Object OF the Provision.
Capt. Powell asked what was the objec-
ton to the amendment True, 1t gave the
Commissioners the power of rejection, but
it was not to be supposed for a moment
that they would embarrass the company in
any endeavor it might have to benefit the
citizens of Washington. The sole object. in
tent and purpose of that amendment is to
put the details of construction in the hands
OF the commissioners to prevent the laying
or any part of the road that would be an
obstruction to the street or a menace to the
welfare of the citizens of the District Such
an amendment is Incorporated into every
Dill that Is reported upon by the Commits
sioners or the District of Columbia, and
during the last five years not a charter has
been granted by Congress which did not nut
the plans of construction subject to the ap-
provai OF the Commissioners of the District
or Columbia. He was frank enough to ad-
nit that the Buda Pesth system with a
slot an inch and half wide would not be
approved by the Commissioners but IL wa 3
not the system that was objected to: 1t was
the width of the slot, which experience had
demonstrated was far too wide. and 1t was
such little details as that that the Commits
sioners were guarding against.
Only the Buda Pesth System.
There isn't any other system, but the
Buda Pesth thai has proved its efficiency. {"
rejoined Mr.. Brown.
THE Thompson-Houston Company will
put down an underground electric railroad
and guarantee 1t for a term of years"
said Capt. Powell. Continuing, Capt Pow
ell said. Too little attention has been paid
| In the past to the construction of railroads
Why, the Metropolitan railroad itself where
1t crosses the tracks Of the Tennallytown
road in Georgetown has a condition that is
| unwarranted and that should never have
| been allowed The tracks simply take up
the entire street. There are numerous in
stances where the tracks run up close to
| the curb and virtually cut OFF a mans right
| to the use of the street in front of his
property"
The Amendment Too Broad.
'The amendment Is altogether too broad.
for when it gives yor the power to approve
every detail before the road is constructed. -
said Mr.. Brown, I'VE might propose a sys-
tom a small detail of which might not
meet with your approval. This of itself
might be fatal to the whole road"
| Yes, and II this were not done the citi-
| Gems would suffer-" rejoined Capt Powell
| 1t is evident that the Commissioners will
rot change their position on this amend
ment.
There is another thing to which desire
to call your attention and that is section 4
as passed by the House April 23, 1894 and
which provides that the Commissioners shall
have the power to permit the use of the
tracks Of the Metropolitan Railroad Com
pany by other railroad companies. This"
continued Mr. Brown, ''is unjust in every re-
spect and L submit is not warranted. For
| instance a railroad company gets a charter
| for five miles, at the end of five miles that
charter ceases, yet with the power vested
| in the Commissioners by this 4th section
| that same company could extend its road
over the tracks of the Metropolitan Rail-
| road Company"
An Extension of Time Wanted.
The speaker also called attention to the
| short time which was given to complete
| the road, and the Commissioners agreed
with him that one year was entirely too
short time and asked for an extension of