Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-28
'THE TROLLEY FIGHT
A Gigantic Consolidation Said to
Have Been Consummated.
GRASPING FOR ROADS IN This CITY
Some Curious Facts That Have
Been Brought to Light.
THE SUBURBAN COMPANY

There would undoubtedly be some very
interesting fighting In Congress over the
local street railroad situation in case an
extra session were held. Conditions are
just ripe. it would seem, for lively skir-
mish. and it would be likely to take place
j. any day now II the time were not all taken
DAup by the appropriation bills. The Senate,
however. is destined to be the scene of
battle royal before many months have
passed, and all over the question of street
railroads Facts are gradually coming to
light to show that there has been a great
movement going on in street railway af-
fairs, all tending TO one ultimate point
the trolley.
The cry Of trolley In Washington may
have come to be very like the fabled cry
of 'wolf,'' but with this exception, the peo-
pie are not going to be caught mapping. A
new champion has just entered the list in
their behalf, and he said today that he pro-
posed to keep at it from now on to the end
>~Gf his senatorial term. This is Mr.: Hill Of
New York, whose interest in local af-
fairs has just received an unusual i'm
petus from his recent brush with the Dis
trict committee over the Columbia SUBJ
urban road.
A Great Consolidation.
The indications now are that the present
danger is not so much from the introduction
of the overhead trolley as from the forma-
tion of gigantic combination here of the
trunk lines, and in this connection some
decidedly interesting facts are coming to
light. The citizens here have long heard of
the existence of the great traction COM
pany of Philadelphia. 1t has been under
stood to be very powerful corporation,
with representatives here in the lexington
and Soldiers Home and Belt Line railway
companies. Folks have also heard of the
great Broadway street railroad syndicate,
in which VIM. c. Whitney, ex-Secretary of
the Navy, Is a large stockholder. 1t has
always been said and generally belived
that these two organizations or street car
trusts are opposed to each other and are
watching each other jealously. In addition
to them there Is the Newark Traction Com
pany. which operates miles upon miles OF
overhead roads all over the state of New
Jersey in the vicinity of New York. THIN,
also, there Is the Boston syndicate, con-
trolled by brother of ex-Secretary Whit
ney.
These four great enterprises, completely
controlling surface transit In the cities
mentioned, have now been consolidated
and today form one of the largest and most
- powerful combinations In the country, with
unlimited capital and with an Unsuitable
greed after new territory. All this has been
done quietly, slowly, insidiously. 1t is now
accomplished, and the word has gone forth
that there is more to come.
To Gobble Up More Roads.
Rumors have spread from time to time
that the lexington company-lneaning the
Philadelphia Traction Company-has been
negotiating for the purchase of the Metro
politan road, and later reports have had 1t
that the same effort was in progress in re-
gard to the Columbia line. On the surface
these two schemes seem to be different, but
in reality they are allied and practically
one and the same, for it is a well-known
fact that the controlling interest In each
road Is held by the same parties, so that
40 buy the control of one means to buy that
of the other. For the Eckington-Belt plant
to consolidate with the Columbia Metropol-
tan system would be to form a combination
that would practically cover the city with
tracks under one management
There would then be left only the Wash
ington and Georgetown line, which would
be almost completely paralleled by the
would be the navy yard. and in case the
Washington and Georgetown could not he
bought the Anacostia line would still be
available to enable the consolidated lines
to reach the extreme southeast.
These are merely the possibilities Of the
case, stated to show the ease with which
combination could be formed to cover
Washington as thoroughly and completely
as the cities of Boston, New York and
Philadelphia are now covered by local
Corporations that are members of the great
Atlantic coast syndicate. as it might now
be called In all this. of course, there still
rem aims the fact that the existing laws
absolutely prohibit the introduction of
overhead wires into the city. The syndi-
cate might go and on and get possess
sion of street after street and road after
road, and without some direct legislation
on the subject it would be powerless to in
flict the trolley upon the city. But what
splendid system for a trolley to be used On
whenever that legislation might be secured.
There is no doubt that the local repre-
sentatives of the syndicate are watching
every chance to get trolley laws passed.
They fight every proposition to use any
other system-not openly, but In a quiet.
fnsidous, clever way. They are always
alert, always shrewd
Some Curious Facts.
Now come some curiously interesting
facts. Senator Quay is reported most wide
ly to have severed all his ties with the
Philadelphia syndicate 1t is publicly an
nounced that he and the corporation have
parted company. Yet the moment a hill is
brought forward that is understood to be
antagonized by the syndicate Mr.. Quay
is the first to enter an objection.
Senator Smith, after months of absence
from the District committee, suddenly
turns up one morning to take part in
fight over this same bill, at the request of
a friend, who tells him little or nothing
about it's nature. He votes for the bill in
committee, and succeeds in bringing about
tie. He learns later, to his horror and
surprise, that the bill is being antagonized
by the syndicate. He goes back and tells
his friend that he has been put into a hole
DE DeinS asked 10 vote Tor TINS Dill, Tor he
is a stockholder in the Traction Company
AT the next meeting, when Mr.. Smiths
presence would have broken another tie he
Is absent.
These are facts. They are given The Star
by the best of authority. They speak vol
urnes for the ramifcations and influence of
the great Atlantic coast street car trust.
Other District Committee Members.
Rtmor has been rife for some time past
connecting the names of other members
of the District committee of the Senate
With one or the other of the component
elements of the great syndicate Nothing
definite, however, has been stated and no
facts are at hand in this connection. The
same is true Of certain members of the
House committee. and the reports in those
cases were at one time made so definite
as to cause an official denial to be made on
the floor of the House by one. member. 1t
has been suggested that all this is merely
the talk of disappointed seekers after
street railway franchises, who seek to
force their measures through by alleging