Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-27
Heavy Teams and Business Vehicles
Kspt0u of the Capitol Grounds.
AN OLD LAW PUT IN FORCE
Drivers Make a Fuss, but No Ar
rests Are Necessary.
OTHER RULES ENFORCED

Usually laws go into effect from and
after" their approval by the President of
the United States, but today a law went
into effect that has been the statute
books twenty-five years. This was the
provision of the statutes controlling the
use of the Capitol grounds by the public.
1t was passed by the Forty-second Congress
and signed by Gen. Grant 1t was enforced
for short time and then ignored. For
many years restraint has been placed
upon the people of Washington who drive
conveyances of any sort from the fullest
use of the thoroughfares running through
the reservations around the Capitol build
Ing. Not only the carriages of pleasure
Seekers. but the heavy carts and wagons
used in all sorts of heavy traffic have
been permitted to go across the grounds.
The amount of this traffic has been con-
siderable. the Capitol grounds lie in a
focus for the cross town travel of all sorts.
To go around always seems like loss of
time and a waste of exertion. So there
has passed over the broad and beautiful
park roads of one of the most attractive
bits of landscape gardening in this country
tho first. and IL some respects, the best
work of Frederick Law Olms ted-not only
the surreys and landaus, the phaetons and
traps OF the fashionable driver, but the
huge freight wagon, the manure cart, the
garbage wagon, the ash mans picturesque
Vehicle. and the farmers six-horse hay
wagon
Notice to Keep Out.
week ago. announced in The Star,
SerSeant-at-arms Bright gave notice
through the papers and the Capitol police
that today no one would be allowed to drive
heavy wagons of any kind through the
grounds. This morning twelve Capitol po-
hcemen and six officers detailed by Mai
Moore from the city police force were sta
ra.a1 gl,e
the park, and every team that approa ched
was turned away if 1t was of a character
to bring 1t within the law. Little trouble
occurred at any of the entrances Those
on the upper side of the park furthest from
the busy stream of traffic that flows up
and down Pennsylvania avenue had hardly
case of attempted trespass, but down at
the Peace monument and at the end of
Maryland avenue there were scores of
teams to head off and turn back. In OF
few cases the drivers were sassy" and
vented their opinions of such prohibition,
and some of them uttered threats of what
they would do when Congress got together
once more. They intimated that they had
and would use influence to get the obnox-
fouS law repealed.
No arrests were necessary.
Terms of the Law.
The language of the law is quite ex-
plicit and if strictly enforced there is
really but ore class of vehicles that can
legally enter the Capitol grounds, and
that Is simply the pleasure carriage of any
sort and a legitimate passenger vehicle.
The law reads: Public travel in and oc-
cupancy of the Capitol grounds shall be
restricted to the roads. walks and places
prepared for the purpose by tagging, paw
ing, otherwise.
Sec. .. That ii is forbidden to occupy
the roads in such manner as to obstruct or
hinder their proper use, to drive violently
upon them, or with animals not under
perfect control, or to use them for the con-
n r. moi h1 r,t tn,
or from the Capitol on government service
Sec. g. That it is forbidden to offer or
expose any article for sale; to display any
sign, placard, or other form of advertise
ment; to solicit fares, aims, subscriptions
or contributions"
Col Bright construes this to mean that
even the lighter wagons used in trade can
not be driven through the grounds. For
Instance. the wagons of the dry goods
firms are barred, would also be a tri-
cycle used by merchant to deliver goods
Ii 1t should bear a sign. In short. no wagon
or vehicle of any kind bearing lettering in
the nature of sign can be permitted to
90 through the grounds
Why the Restriction.
One of the reasons assigned for this
strict construction of the statute is that
In case of such a demonstration as was
made when Coxey made his famous raid
on the capital every negro cart driver
within three or four blocks of the Capt.
tol and every grocer's boy out with his
wagon Is to drive In on tile grounds
and make it almost impossible for the
police to control the place.
The Capitol police are now enforcing
without any difficulty the rule made a few
days ago that visitors to the Capitol can
not sit down on the big front steps or on
the terrace steps above the fourth step.
Now and then some recalcitrant makes a
fuss about what certainly seems at first
thought very arbitrary rule. But the
restriction is nevertheless enforced, and
n-c
1t was found that lawlass persons were
defacing the white marble steps with writ
Ing of the most scurrilouS character, and
the only way to stop it was to keep visit
know what they, were doing.