Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-20
DISTRICT STREET RAIL WAYS
Not Much Likelihood of Further Legisla-
tio1 on Them This Session.
The Suburbni ,0enny and MIR. Hills
Position In Regard to It-PrOpO-
sitiOns by Other Roads.

It begins to look as though there would
be no further legislation for the District
at this session. especially ON the line OF
street railway bills. Mr.. Hill has declared
that unless the bill amending the charter
Of the District of Columbia suburban read
bill be passed, he will object to the coming
up of any other local bills 1t does rot
seem probable that the bill, of which he is
the champion, will secure favorable hear
ing, although it is still pending before the
District committee, and it is possible
that that committee on Friday next may
decide to report it favorably. AS stated in
The Star last evening, the bill was consid
cred on Monday at a special meeting, and
it was sent to the subcorp pmittee with in
structions to frame it So that the road
should enter the city limits at 18th street
northeast, and running son that street
southwark to East Cap;tP street, should
connect with the Coiumbi3. lexington and
Metropolitan roads in turl. The subcom-
mittee was to see if thiss proposition met
with the approval of the three roads con-
Cerned.
Alternative PrOIsOsitfon.
Consent to this arrangement has been
fol mally given by the Columbia, Eckng-
ton and Metropolitan companies They
have made an alternative proposition to the
District committee. offeriHg to give abso-
lutely free transfers to the suburban line,
or to establish three-ctht transfer, the
suburban road taking twb cents and the
city lines one cent. Thef Columbia road
also proposes to build an sextension of its
line from it's terminus at l}t and II streets
east along the BiadenSbufS road to the
District line, to complete this extension
within one year and to give continuous
ride on both the city and suburban branch
es OF the road for five cents.
How the subcommittee Stands.
This second proposition of the Columbia
road is, of course, quite independent OF the
present problem, although it is in the
nature of a substitute for the pending bill.
Ii the matter rested entirely with the three
city lines involved there would be no delay
or doubt about the legislation. but 1t seems
now that the projectors OF the SUBURBAN
road absolutely refuse to accept this ar
rangement and insist upon the passage
Of the bill as 1t came from the House
To comp.icate matters still further, the
subcommittee on the bill finds itself
widely divided on the question. Sen
ing the House bill; Senator Faulkner
prefers to substitute route up q street, to
connect with the lexington road. in lieu
of the route proposed by the House b!ll;
Senator Mcmillan believes that the sup,
urban line should not be allowed to parallel
the already existing city lines, especially
the Columbia, which has recently estab-
lished an expensive cable plant but ne Is
willing to grant the suburban road cnar-
ter to run south along 1ott street and con-
meet with the three roads that have been
mentioned.
Nothing Likely to he Done.
So the matter stands, and it is probable.
in view of the complex situation, that noth-
ing further will be done in the matter. 1t
would be- difficult, at any rate, to obtain ac-
ton on the BILL provided Mr.. Hill and MS
friends of the suburban company were will
ing but if they are at all dissruntled over
this new proposition, whiEh Is really all
that they can possibly get at this session,
the Senator from New York can, or course,
sidetrack this bill and anything else in the
way of District legislation by single oo-
lection.
Mr.. HilTs Interest.
Interesting facts are coming to light re-
regarding Mr.. Hills interest IN this
bill. 1t has already been stated by him on
the floor, and repeated in other quarters,
that friends of his from Albany are in
terested in the construction of this road,
but it has not been made known just how
and why they are interested. 1t now de-
velops that Mr. Hills Albany friend"
about whom so much has been written and
said in this connection of late, is not an
incorporation of the road, but is really fur
nishing the bulk of the money with which
it is proposed to construct the line. He
has recently purchased a large tract of
land, it is said, north of the city, in the
region that will be tapped by this road,
and in order to give it a market value
it is necessary to run cheap line of trans
portation into the city. For this purpose
a three-cent transfer with an existing line
would not suffice, but it :Woud be neces-
sary, it seems, for the patrons of the road
and, incidentally, the purchasers of this
property, to obtain access to the heart of
the city by means of a ffve-cent fare.
This objection, it would seem, has been
amply met by the agreement of the three
urban routes to enter into a transfer sys-
tenn that would give absolutely free pass
age between their lines and the suburban
road. Their offer to do this is now in writ
ing, in the hands of Senator Harris, and
there is every reason to believe that the
rangement can be perfected at any time.
MIR. McMillnn's Opinion.
1t is the opinion of Senator Mcmillan, who
has had a large experience in such mat
ters, that this arrangement would be more
beneficial to the proposed company than
would a line of it's own into the heart of
the city. In course of time, he says, the
cars of the suburban line would probably
be allowed to run along the tracks of one
or other of the three trunk lines running
east and west which it is proposed to tap,
given all the advantages of a direct city
connection without having been put to the
expense of laying track.
Notwithstanding these considerations, Mr..
Hill has declared that nothing is to be done
with District bills at this session unless his
bill is passed
In view of his attitude in the matter
local legislation Is almost an impossibiiity.
Yet, by shrewdly watching his opportunity,
Senator Faulkner yestel day managed to
secure concurrent action by the Senate on
the House amendments to the bill of the
Senate amending the charter of the Metro
politan road. This was dcne in Mr.. Hills
absence and gave the friends of District
legislation great pleasure, for Mr.. Hill had
been outWitted.
The Trolley Rider.
This situation, of course, makes action
by the Senate on the rider now on the
East Washington Belt Line bill extending
the trolley term of the lexington road one
year still more unlikely than ever. 1t was
stated today by member of the District
committee that there was no objection to
the East Washington bill becoming a law,
but that if it should ever be taken up by
the Senate this obnoxious rCer, the seventh
section, would be stricken out.
Bolt Holes in ArmOr Plate.