Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-11
lexington Company to Remove the
Trolley Poles
And EQUIP Its Line WITH HORSES
President NewboId's Agreement
With the Commissioners.
ACTION TAKEN Today

An agreement on the trolley matter has
been reached and within ten days the troll
ley poles and wires Of the lexington and
Soldiers Home Electric Railroad Company
will be removed and horses substituted as
the motive power.
This important decision was foreshadowed
in The Star of yesterday, and was decided
upon this morning by the Commissioners.
who held a special board session to consider
the subject. Mr.. John Ridout, the attor ley
for the railroad, appeared before the Com
missioners and said he had received a tele-
gram from President Newbold stating that
he would equip the road with horses and
remove the trolley poles and wires within
ten days, and requesting that no further
Police Court prosecutions be instituted for
that period.
According to Promises.
This action on the part of the lexington
and Soldiers Home railroad is in direct line
with the promises made by President New
bold in an interview with a reporter of The
Star. In fact, when the subject was con-
sidered today by the Commissioners Attor-
Eey Thomas insisted that the road should
live up to it's an.ecedent representations
and promises to take down the poles, as
printed in The Star, before a postponement
Of any action on the part of the Commits
sioners should be granted And so the
matter now ends just as The Star stated it
would end If the Commissioners would
only assert themselves and exercise their
powers.
Congratulattng The Star.
The attorney for the District, Mr.. S. T.
Thomas, and Assistant Attorney Mr.. A. d.
Euvan congratulated The Star upon the
outcome of the long fight They Joined in
saying:
TT he
trolley from the start, and has ever been
foremost in opposing 1t. The outcome of
the case is directly in line with its conten-
tion. This is made manifest by the de-
cision of the Commissioners that President
Newbold comply with the statements and
promises made from time to time in The
Star. 1t was an open fight, clean all the
way through, and devoid of personal or
selfish considerations"
What the Commissioners Say.
The Commissioners this afternoon, in an
interview with a reporter of The Star, said
This action on the part of the Commits
sioners relative to the removal of the troll
ley poles is the result Of number of as
surances we received from President New
bold that the poles would be removed.
Shortly after the deal was made consoli-
dating the Belt line railroad with the Eek
irgton road and Mr.. Newbold became pres
ident we were assured by him that he real
ized that the trolley poles would have to
come down, and as soon as he could get
the board Of directors TO agree to such
course he would promptly notify US.
THE letter which you have just read
from the attorney for the road Is correct.
1t was received this morning, and it was
upon that letter we consented to con-
tinuance of the case in the Police Court
this morning"
Were the prosecutions in the Police
Court some time ago stopped because you
ha IN
live up to it's promises and remove the
trolley poles?" asked the reporter.
THAT is it exactly. We have had several
Interviews with President Newbold and the
attorney for the company and were assured
that the poles and wires would come down
as soon as the board of directors met and
passed upon it. We regarded it as a fore
gone conclusion, which only needed the off,
cial sanction of the board of directors. Had
we continued the prosecutions in the face
of those assurances it would have been per-
secution Instead Of prosecution. Now, there
Is one matter that has not yet been set
tied. 1t Is whether the road will equip its
New York avenue branch with underground
trolley or wait and equip it's entire line.
OF course the Commissioners have nothing
to do with that. We cannot require the
road to do that"
rs it true that there has been a division
Of the board regarding this matter?"
Commissioner Powell said in reply that
half of the published statements regarding
that were unfounded. In the present mat
ter the board acted unanimously. That is
both Commissioner Truesdell and himself
favored the action taken this morning."
MIR. Ridout's Letter.
The letter upon which the Commissioners
based their action this morning, and which
the Commissioners. as stated above, ac-
knowledged to have received, reads as
follows:
Washington, D. c., September 10, 1885,
Honorable Commissioners of the District
Of Columbia,
Gentlemen:
1 am authorized by the president of the
lexington and Soldiers Home Railway
Company, in accordance with assurances
and representations heretofore made, to
state that within ten days from this date,
all the poles and wires of the company on
New York avenue within the limits will be
removed and horses substituted for the
present method of propulsion of the COM
pany'S cars on that street. and 1 am d.
rected to request that no further prosecu-
tions on account of the maintenance of
said poles and wires be instituted by the
Commissioners.
Yours respectfully,
(SigneO JOHN RIDOUT,
Attorney for lexington and Soldiers Home
Railroad Company.
CONTINUED FOR TEN DAYS.