The evening times., 1896-02-22
CLAIMS IT IS USELESS
Metropolitan Company Protests
Against lexington Extension.
NO PUBLIC NEED FOR IT
1t Is Cont That Not One of the
Projected Routes Would Even Fay
and That the Company VIII Suf-
fer the Penalty of Its Folly as
Surely as 1t Builds'

The Metropolitan Railroad Company has
| entered a protest against the extension OF
| the lexington and Soldiers Home Raft
| way. Their protest reached the Senate
| District Committee this morning.
The company claims there is no necessity
for a railroad on Seventeenth street, be-
tween Florida avenue and ii street. The
Company claims that the extreme distance
between Connecticut avenue and Scvea-
teenth street is only three and i half
squares, and at Dupont Circle there are
only two and a half squares. 1t shows that
"a first-class line OF herdics traveIscs
the whole distance of Sixteenth street to
Pennsylvania avenue, afforlinG a very
popular, transit at three cents fare"
The protest further states that such .
railroad would be of no real advantage
to the lexington and Soldiers Home Raft
way Company. 1t submits 1t ito be in
comprehensive why the lexington and
Soldiers Home Railway Company should
desire to build a railroad between the
Metropolitan and the herdic lines, where
it will be paralleled on both sides practi-
caily within one square, and where it wiH
only have. il it offers equal facilities in
rapid transit with the Metropolitan, but
three-quarters of square, and il it
offers as low a rate as the herdic line, but
onehalf square to draw its patronag,
from.
The prediction is made that If the Eek
ington and Soldiers Home Railway Com
pany has a charter granted it to come down
Seventeenth street, as 1t proposes, and Is
is compelled to build substantial under
ground electric road, il will never pay its
expenses and the interest on the money
borrowed TO build it,
The protest further claims there is no
need of the L and N street line. 1t claims
that the people have all the lines they want
with the Capital Traction Company at
Twenty-six street; the Metropolitan at
Connecticut avenue; the herdics at Six
teenth street; the Capital Traction Com
pany at Fourteenth street; the Belt Line
at Eleventh street; the Metropolitan al
Ninth street; the Capital Traction Company
at Seventh street; the lexington and Sol
doers' Home at Fifth street. and again at
North Capitol street. As rule, the pro-
test claims, no citizen is compelled to walk
more than two blocks in the populous pare
of Washington before he reaches a car.
1t again claims that the N or L street
line will be no more patronized than tbs
Belt line mas Deeu Oh " anu SlItttS.
IF the Belt line desires to go TO Zoologi-
cal Park from Eleventh street by way Oe
some cross street or Florida avenue to
Seventeenth street. there is no valid rea-
son why the company should not be III
dulged. but there is no demand, and it
will suffer, as surely as it builds 1t, the
penalty of its folly
The truth is there is no need OF singis
line either the lexington or Belt roads
have laid out, and the more they build
the worse off they will be"
1t further claims that road on Seven.
teenth street would be great detrtmens
to the Metropolitan Company. The road.
under q positive command from Congress.
is building a modern and successful rapid
transit road on Conn ecticut avenue at an
expense of nearly S2.o0o 900.
The company thinks 1t IL entitled to
enough territory to support this construc'
ton.
''will 1t not" the protest continues,
"be better to allow it enough patronage
to maintain its cars in first-class order.
its tracks smooth. its engines in good con-
dition. and adequate electricity generated
to run trains every minute. than to have
worn out. shabby and dirty cars, infre'
Q,,ent service and constant Interruptions
Of trnveir'