Evening star., 1898-02-11
MT. PLEASANT RAILROADS.
What is Considered an Ideal System
Of Transportation.

| To the Editor of The Evening Star:
| Since 1894 some eight nine different
| bills for the extension of rapid transit
| street railways in the northwest suburbs
| between the parks and Ith street have
been introduced in Congress, either by and
in behalf of citizens, The District Commits
| sioners the railway companes-mainly
| by the two greater companies the Metro
| politan and Capital Traction companies.
One of these bills II. R. 1853, intro
| duced April ,, 1896, by Mr.. Rabcock on
| behalf of the Commissioners Of the Dis
| trict, with a view of establishing a gen.
eral railway system for this whole To-
| cality.
These efforts--if there were no others
| are abundant manifestations and evidence
| of the urgent demands and needs of such
| railway facilities for this locality. But
| this is not all by any means. The whole
| people of this locality, by individual and
| organized effort. by demand and petition
| have urged Congress TO enact such needed
| and proper legislation as would require the
prompt extension of an adequate and ideal
system of routes and transportation for
| this locality.
Also the many able and intelligent COM
| munications of competent citizens the
| subject appearing in our city journals
are cumulative evidence both of the needs
| ard the Importance Of the subject And
| while they are not altogether harmonious
| in all respects, that is not material as to
! the general proposition of ideal routes and
needed transportation facilities. These citi-
| Zens must be presumed to know what they
| want and need, and that, when it is but
permSSive, legislation is undoubtedly the
thing to do. The route should be such as
| to accord with the consensus of the COM
| petent, ideal route. good for all time,
| performing the greatest functions for the
| least expense in time, money and discom-
fort, both to the people and the companies,
| all important factors considered, and not
| 1.,c. In ris1a rf
| semi-Iocal end. The interests of the rail-
| way companies like that of the public shall
| be considered, but only in that broad pub
| lie sense that they have their charters
| and franchises for the public welfare, and
inasmuch these two corporations have
from Congress a substantial monopoly, and
| their incomes and revenues substantially
| assured, they should be required to make
| all such proper extensions demand
| ed as would not endanger a fair income
| from their system taken as whole
| regardless as to whether any given section
| was profitable or not.
! Stch routes should be authorized and
| required as would most equitably divide
| up the whole territory, giving easy facil-
| tiles fer the longest area with the least
| occupation of streets possible. With 40
| deviations temporiZing makeshifts for
| local uses or operations or anything that
| would interfere with a first-class route
system. Now, while shall not pretend to
even suggest railway operations, 1 shall
| take the liberty to urge certain routes or
systems in view of the present status of
| the two roads in question, and the local
| tiles to be traversed end the main func-
| tions to be performed. The general locality
| to be considered and the status of the rail-
ways are well known to all concerned, the
locality being between Ith street, Florida
avenue 18th street and the parks. The
present northern terminals of the two
| reads are as follows: The Traction Com
pany's at 14th street, Mt. Pleasant, and
18th street and Columbia road. The Met
ropolitan's at 18th street and Columbia
read and 10th street and Florida avenue.
| Clearly the thing to be done is to furnish
the best possible transportation facilities
| for this whole territory. regardless of pres
ent existing population, and furnish ade
quate and easy access to the parks for the
| public and every part of the District
There are surely, therefore, some unmis-
| taxable logical inferences for legislative ac-
| tion that cannot be controverted. and these
| have been well stated by bills introduced,
by the communication OF Lieut. Hayden
and many other citizens, but none better,
as a general conclusion, than the editorial
| of The Star of the 4th instant, and in the
following language:
Congress, as our local legislature, should
| take up and settle definitely the question
! of railroad extension in the northwest sub
| urbs in such manner will give the resi-
dents of that section the transit facilities
| they need, and furnish convenient access
/ to the park region without further and un-
| necessary delay.
"The ideal solution of the problem would
| be to mark out a route connecting the Co.
| lumbia road and 18th street termination Of
| the Metropolitan line and the 9th and Flori-
da avenue termination, and require the
Metropolitan Railway Company, in view of
| the value of the franchise conferred, to
| complete the line at once, doing all grad
| ing or bridging at its own expense.
AT the same time, the Capital Traction
Company could be given its extension
| through Mount Pleasant doing away with
| its stub end on 18th street. Both these
companies enjoy immensely valuable fran
| chises, and they should be compelled to
| take the lean with the fat
Inasmuch as easy access to the parks Is
one of the main functions to be performed,
| and Kenesaw avenue the main entrance at
| it's intersection with 18th street, and mas
| much as the territory between 1th and 14th
| streets cannot be covered or trayersed by
any other line to the northward, 1t would
| seem clearly the duty of Congress to re-
| quire the Metropolitan company to extend
| its line on 18th street northward to Howard
avenue. Mount Pleasant, thence eastward
through the Mattingly land and Lydecker
| avenue, thence southwark on 18th street
| or Sherman avenue to its present terminal
| near 10th street. Whether 18th street or