Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-23
East Washington Citizens Against
Pennsylvania B. B. Bill.
REPORTS5lAND RESOLUTIONS
Largely Attended Meeting Dis
cusses the Subject.
FOR OBJECTION

A special meeting of the East Washing
ton Citizens Association was held Tuesday
evening at Baum's Hall, corner of 4th and
East Capitol streets, for the purpose of
considering the steam railroad question
with particular reference to the bill now be-
fore Congress in which the PENNSYLVANIA
railroad Company asks various privileges in
and around the city. President T. w.
Smith occupied the chair, and Mr.. A. F.
Sperry was secretary. The attendance was
unusually large.
Mr.. H. K. Simpson, chairman of the COM
mittee on steam railroads. submitted a re-
port, which was adopted. and which de-
clared that the association was opposed to
the diversion of any portion of the public
parks of the city for alien purposes be-
lieving that they should be retained in their
entirety for the general use and benefit of
all the residents of the city. The report
continued follows:
I'VE believe that the Baltimore and Po-
tomac Railroad Company in the proposed
DILL Senate 1879, should be compelled to
lay their tracks upon ground acquired by
them by purchase, and that instead of the
proposed route. as provided for in said BILL
they should run parallel to Virginia avenue
on the squares lying south of said avenue
thus accomplishing the same purpose as is
attained by the present bill, and saving the
confiscation of public property for corpor-
ate use.
THAT. if for Typographical reasons it is
not feasible to maintain the tracks of the
said Baltimore and Potomac railroad. as
suggested in previous resolution, we re-
quest that the proposed tunnel which, I'M
der the present bill, ends at I'd street south
east, be continued and maintained as
closed tunnel to the east side of New Jer-
sey avenue southeast"
Resolutions Adopted,
Resolutions from the committee on parks
and spaces We're also adopted after an
| amendment proposed by Mr. O. B. Hallam
was inserted stating that the East Wash
ington Citizens Association was opposed
to the appropriation Of any of the parks of
the city for any private public uses
ether than that for which they have been
reserved; that in the matter Of the proposed
changes in the line of the Pennsylvania
railroad 1t was the opinion of this associa-
ton that feasible and unobjectionabIe
route could be found south of Garfield Park
leaving the tunnel at 4th street, and that
the association is especially opposed to all
lowing the Pennsylvania railroad to occupy
the surface of that portion of Garfield Park
east of 1st street and New Jersey avenue
and that If It should be determined by Con-
gress that the railroad tracks should run
through that space. 1t should be beneath
the surface by a continuation of the pro-
posed tunnel to the side of said streets, the
tunnel being mounded over in part, If re-
quired, by the topography of the surface
Discussion of the Subject,
Previous to the adoption of the report Dr.
a. Patten read some extracts from the re-
port of Gen. Wilson, Col. Bingham and Col
Allen of the engineer department on the
subject of the use of the parks by the Penn
sylVania railroad, printed in The Star of
THURSDAY last, and said they represented
ms sentiments exactly. He predicted that
IN the course of twenty-five or thirty
years the population of Washington would
be probably 10o0.0O0. and that all the parks
here would then be urgently needed for the
use of the people.
Mr.. NJ I. Weller said he heartily indorsed
the reports of both committees. He urged
the appointment of special committee TO
subject to the members of the District
committee in both the Senate and House
OF Representatives.
Mr.. Il. w. Clark said he did not think
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company should
be given a foot of ground in the District of
Columbia. They were not, he declared, en-
titled to 1t and We're able to pay for all
the property they needed. He thought the
association ought to go on record as being
decidedly opposed to having any part of
any park taken for railroad purposes.
Favored Reasonable Facilities.
Mr.. Ordway remarked that he favored
giving the railroad company any reasonable
facilities. and referred to the fact that in
Boston the people allowed the railroad
companies to run a tunnel under their pride,
the Common. The time was coming, he
said, when it would be necessary for all
trains to come in at depot on one side of
the city and depart from another on the
other side. He was opposed as much as
anyone to the Disagreement of the parks,
but he did not think that any unnecessary
obstacles ought to be put in the way of
real railway progress.
Mr.. Solberg said that the interest of East
Washington is centered in Garfield Park,
and he explained by means Of a map how,
III. his judgment the railway company can
attain the object sought by 1t as to avoid
taking any part of Garfield Park. He was
very anxious he asserted. that grade cross
ings should be abolished and he thought the
present tunnel could be extended as far as
necessary with no more curvature than the
tunnel already has. If the railroad COM
pany got possession of Garfield Park, he
said. It was undoubtedly their intention to
build great round house, yard and shops
there.
The chair appointed the committee
provided for in Mr.. Weller's motion, Messrs.
II. K. Simpson, DR.. A. Patten, M. I. We'll
Ter. T. Solberg and j. w. Babson. By
unanimous request the name Of President
Smith was added to the committee.
Mr.. Martin of the Northeast Washington
Citizens Association. who was present
asked that the association take some action
relative to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company's bill, which is also before Con-
gress, and was assured that this would be
done at the next meeting Of the East Wash
ington Association.
GEN. WOOD EXTENDS FRANCHISE.