Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-12-24
CONGRESS IS ACCUSED.
In Connection w ith Railroad It Has
Snoifcd Eark pluna


Washingte Dec. 24.-congress and
the Pennsylvania railroad are accused
bv the American institute OF Archttects
of5 stupendous scheme OF land grab
bin:s.
The architects and landscape garden
ers Of the country are up in arms be-
eaus- eoyler ress s about to pass a bill
confirming the Pennsylvania road in its
Occupation of the Mall, a series of parks
stretching from the capitol to the
Washington monument, which It is
claimed was destined by George Wash
sington to be the most beautiful park Of
the city which bears hisnatne. The ar
:chitects and landscape gardeners are
supported BY a minority of the members
of the district committee.
Until 1871 the Baltimore & Ohio was
the only railroad entering Washington.
AT the time the Baltimore &. Potomac
of the Pennsylvania system applied for
and was given right of way into the
city, entering by a bridge across the
eastern branch of the Potomac and
traversing the southern part of tha city
ito Sixth street southwest along Which il
runs TO a station whichit was permitted
to locate on a then unimproved part OF
the Mall. Between four and five acres
of this park We're occupied for railroad
purposes. The southern connections Of
the Pennsylvania run from this station
thru streets IN the southwest ssectionssof
the city 10 the historic Long bridge.
When this right of way including the
use of the Mall, was obtained Washing
ton had alocal government. and the
grant VAS first made by the board of
aldermen and common council in 1871
and vas confirmed by congress, The next
year. Since that time the Mall has been
considerably improved, and there has
been opposition To allowing it TO be dis
figured by the railway. jus, now a
project approved by the American In
stitute of Architects is being agitated
proposing the condemnation of all the
property between Pennsylvania avenue
and the Mall on the north and between
Maryland avenue and the Mall on the
south. TO be converted into an extension
of this system of parks the Pennsylva-
mia avenue frontage to be used for the
erection of such public buildings az NAV
be needed from time to time.
The pending Pennsylvania bill ia re-
garded as fatal to this ambitious.
scheme Of park extension I also gives,
the railroad a slice of Garfield park in
the southern part of the city for an ex-
tension of ITS freight yards, and it con-
firms them in the occupation of the
Mall, giving about nine acres in addi-
ton to the four and one-half acres al
ready occupied. The road is, to build a
station to cost. with car sheds s.. 100000.
to be entered by elevated tracks be-
meath which the park roadways are to
run urder wide arches The bill pro-
viees that the elevated tracks. car
sheds and station in the Mall are to be
of ornamental or monumental charac-
ter. the design to be approved by the
commits soners of the District of Cclum-
iba. No freight is to be handled in the
park and no freight station IL to be
erected there. 1t is estimated by the
opponents of the bill that the value of
the public property to be given 10 the
railroad companies by this scherA. is
more than $2000.000. or moro than one
third of the estimated cost of the re-
quired Improvements.
The solution of the railway problem
advocated by those who favor the en-
largement ofthe Mall is to have the
station located south OF the park. two
long squares farther from Pennsylya-
MIA avenue than at present. The oues-
tion that is thus presented 10 congress is
whether II 10 better for the interests Of
-