Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-28
The Street Railway Bill.

To the Editor of The Evening starr
II would be Interesting TO the pubic 10
have some further information In reearu
to the bill now before Congress, TOT inc
regulation Of car service and equipment vi
local street railways. Does the HINT VI
ten tons prohibiting any car above mat
weight being run into. the center OF the
CITY without special permit for eacn carr
,nc,ude the new double-truck vestfbuled
cars which have been placed IN service Oh
the p street line this winter? There may
he many things to be criticised In the man
aeement of the Washington Traction Com
many but it Is hard to see what benefit can
come from discouraging a policy which has
placed such magnificent (and certainly
comfortably specimens Of the car-pullo-
ers' art upon our streets Ihese engines
of destruction as they nave oeel recem ny
called, are destructive only to those VINO
lack the wit to keep out of their way ana
for the sake of something NIUE peter
than make-believe rapid transit the writer
believes the majority OF tne puoLc are VIZ
ing to grant right-of-way to street cars
which as a matter of fact they now nave,
both by law and by virtue OF superior mass
and speed. 1t has seemed to some or us
that every move away from the dismal
horse car of the past has been an improve
ment; and the writer believes that even q
lawful speed Of fifteen miles an hour IN the
streets would be more conducive to the
ancient doubtful six. If we are to have
rapid transit we must make some sacrifices
for 1t: but let US choose the least evil.
When 1t takes twenty minutes or so from
Mt Pleasant to the treasury Gas 1t does at
present)-at a speed. including stops, of
six miles an hour-it would seem that an
opportunity to travel faster, rather than
slower, would be acceptable.
Also, will the weight regulation preclude
the running Of the Cabin John cars through
to East Capitol street In the summer
months? Probably all will agree that this
manner of handling the crowds who wanted
a suburban trip on summer nights was al
most perfect at least, as compared with
the old method, involving scramble to Sc
cure seat at Prospect avenue. A change
In this respect would be decidedly for the
worse.
The item prohibiting the running of open
cars during the winter is also Of question
able value The writer has but once or
twice, if ever, seen an open car run on the
Capital Traction line, In any season land
they are occasionally run in winter) without
one or several passengers; and in any but
the severest weather its load of passengers
who prefer pure air, although cold, to i'm
pure. rivals the number of those in the
closed front car, who are more sensitive to
the temperature.
- 1t would have been rather more seemly
for Congress to devote more attention to
the equity of the two steam railroad bills
just passed, in their relation to the people
Of the District, and to secure to the latter
the rights for which they had been con-
than to go out of its way to regulate the
affairs Of the two common carriers OF the
District, which. with all their faults, still
serve the public out of proportion to their
reward. and one Of which has within two
years reorganized, magnificently improved.
and almost wholly re-equipped a large
and important portion of the railways OF
the city and adjacent country.