Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-05
Grade Crossings and Long Bridge
Under Discussion.
COMMISSIONERS and BOARD OF TRADE
Congress to Forbid Railroad Use of
Bridge.
THE SEWER DIFFIC ULTY

the District building today between Major
Powell. the engineer commissioner, and the
railroad committee of the board of trade
1t was on The subject of railroads, with
special reference to the Pennsylvania rail-
road and the Mcmillan bill.
The hearing took place in Major Powell's
private Office, and Messrs. Frank Hume.
T. A. Lambert, Samuel j. Curriden and
w. j. Frizzell TOOK Part In the discussion.
Primarily, the committee desired an eX-
preston of views from the engineer COM
missioner as to the best mode Of proceed
ure for the board of trade looking to
betterment Of the railru;il situation in the
District.
Several large maps showing proposed
routes Of the Pennsylvania railroad. by
tunnel. overhead tracks and combinations
of both were shown, together with proposed
locations for a new depot.
The result of the hearing was that Maj.
Powell recommended the board of trade 10
lay aside all consideration of details ut
present, and concentrate it's efforts In &c t.
crossings and prevenr, afirr 4 certain time,
the use Of me present Long bridge by rail-
roads.
Proposed Routes.
The COMMITTEES went DER the several
routes that have been proposed from time
to time, and discussed them in a desultcry
way. Generally speaking. all agreed that
the best way for the railroad to get into
the heart of the city was for it 20 come
down the east side of 9Th street AMI build
it's depot upon the site of the st. James
Hotel, where by purchasing one half that
square. suitable waiting rooms and rail-
road offices could be established. Such I
route would open 9TH street. and follow
ing the provisions of the Mcmillan hill re-
of
tracks. do away with grade crossings.
Major Powell. however thought 1t would
be wholly impracticable to depress the
tracks of the company on 9th street until
after the system of sewerage was COM
pleted. If this were done ell the street
grades would have to be changed, and the
approaches thereto adjusted. He had Con-
sidered several other routes, one of which
was to have the road proceed along Canal
street, and in that way avoid the Tiber
sewer. but had given this up as impracti-
cable. as the site for the depot was not
good one. He was opposed to further
damaging the mall. which he considered
the grandest Of engineering conceptions.
Mr.. Curriden asked the major if he did
not think. in view Of the difficulties that
presented themselves. that 1t would be
better for the board of trade and the CON-
misstonerS to combine and try and pass
the Embarrassing bill.
Long Bridge.
The major replied that such a course
was undoubtedly the proper one. The
board of trade should give the grade-cross-
ing bill its hearty approval and unqualified
Endorsement. But that was not ALL The
board Of trade should also endeavor to
get special legislation which would pro-
hibit the use of the Long bridge after two
years for railroads After these two i'm
portant pieces OF legislation had been ac-
complished then. in the meantime would
come the elevation or depression of the
tracks, and the question where the depot
was to be located.
Sunday in the District.
The Commissioners gave a hearing this
morning on House bill 167, to protect the
first day OF the week, commonly called
Sunday, as a day of rest and worship in
the District of Columbia. s. P Putnam,
president of the American Secular Union
and Free Thought Federation. was the hrst
speaker. He believed there should be dis
tinct line drawn between church and state.
Our government should be secular, he said
The bill under consideration was Of ma
tional importance and concerned the whole
people. He spoke at length on the forma-
ton Of governments and the laws which
should be enacted to protect them. He de-
MED that Congress had the right under the
Constitution to pass such BILL and did not
right existed. There was ample law at
present. The bill did not help the Chris
tians. They had the right to worship God
when and where they chose The bill was
unconstitutional in that it established a re-
ligion, which was contrary to the same He
criticised the bill, and said it had really for
its object an Interpretation of the Bible
Christians themselves disagree as to the
divinity of Sunday. Is Congress to take
sides for one religious sect against another
rel IJo ,of yIot
ard should be set up, he said, for religious
observance? One man may have one idea
about that and another an entirely different
one. Just as soon as the courts decide such
a point they define Christianity.
He thought we should stand by a secu-
lar government. We have nothing to do
with enforcing religion. because the
makers of the Constitution excluded the
word God from the Constitution so that
there could be no excuse for hauling into
it religion. This Christian Sabbath was
purely an ecclesiastical institution He
did not oppose the Sabbath. II the Chris
uans wanted Sunday he believed in letting
them have all they want. The bill was an
outrage to the free thinker, the Jew and
the Seventh Day Adventists
Gen. Birney.
General William Birney spoke next Some
years ago he became interested in the mat
ter. A bill was before Congress drawn
by a minister under salary and introduced
by that great exponent Of morality, w. C.
P. Breckenridge of Kentucky. He arrayed
himself against the bill at that time He
read some old laws on the subject of re-
hgion in force in the District, which pro-
vided some terrible penalties for any one
who doubted the divinity of Christ But
those laws had become obsolete in the adj
vance of civilization. He thought the Dis
trict of Columbia was one of the quietest
in the world. People exercised their dis
erection. Some went to church and others
took the fresh air.
The bill. IL 1t becomes a law, would stop
everything. The mails would stop. You
couldn't take street car ride Why, you
would have to eat a cold dinner for it
would be unlawful for the cook to prepare
a dinner.
He objected to the bill because 1t was
Justification Of history. There was no day
known as the Lords day except as desig-
mated by few. Sunday has never been set
aside as a day of rest by general consent,
as referred to In the bill, and certainly not
in accordance with divine appointment.
He referred to the discussion over the sab
bath, ard said Jesus himself broke the
law of Sunday. There was no divine ap-
pointment for a sabbath. The Hebrews
claimed that Saturday had been so set
aside, but no one ever took such a ground
on Sunday. He traced The history of the
setting aside of that day, and said the
ho " l.