The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-18
OPPOSE STREET, REMAINING
Public Sentiment Seems Over
whelmingly Adverse to Change.
Great Expense Would BE Incurred,
Say Omcinls, in s Changing Maps,
Tax Lists, aud GeaernI Records
Opinions Expressed by Citizens.


vised list of streets in the suburban ex-
tension plan, under the authority OF
subordinate in the Engineer Department.
! has brought down upon the heads of the
! Commissioners a storm of protest from
residents and property holders affected
| thereby Happily the jargon of names
! proposed for the streets has not been
adopted, and there seems to be a proba-
| bility that 1t will not, be by the time the
indignant people of the District are
through stating their objections.
1t is being made very plain in the let
| tiers and petitions sent to the Commits
sioners that the indiscriminate changing
of street names to suit the requirements
| of a cast iron alphabetical system will
not result in public convenience. on the
contrary. it is being pointed out that the
adoption of the names proposed will
suit in much repetition of designations.
which will confuse the postal authorities
and the various agencies for the de-
| livery of good, as well as drivers of pub
| lie vehicles and others. Furthermore, the
proposed plan will result. say the OBJ
| 5ectors. in the wiping out of classical,
| significant and time-honored names and
the substitution of those which mean
| nothing and which are merely arbitrarily
| fixed to fit into a plan of which, it is
| said by one of the protestants, geog
| rapher would be ashamed.
A prominent lawyer has pointed out
| that the Commissioners have no legal
authority to make the changes proposed.
| He says that the subdivisions made and
| recorded in the Surveyors Office are
| fixed and that they cannot be changed
at the will. of the Commissioners. More
over. 1t has been pointed out that if the
Board is authorized 20 make the changes
referred to it would introduce endless
confusion into the Surveyors Office and
| into the property records that have been
made with so much labor and care One
of the officials at the District Building
said yesterday that after the proposed
changes had been put into effect the
maps of the District, made at a cost Of
$4,000, would be rendered useless.
The Assessor also has just completed
at great expense a card catalogue of the
property holders Of the District, to facili-
tate matters in that department These
cards contain the names OF property hold
ers. with their addresses and a brief de-
scription of their property. 1t is explain
ed that the introduction of so many new
| street rames would ,necessitate the max
ing over of that catalogue Indeed, the
difficulties in the way Of adopting the new
t-plan increase the more the matter is in
vestigated - IT
One indignant citizen has written a let
ter to The Times asking that as much
publicity as possible be- given to the out
| rageous proposal of changing the street
names. He says: -
| AS an interested citizen of Washington
L call your attention to the proposed
changing of names ofsstreets ard avenues.
and ask you to comment on such whole
sale murder / call your attention espe-
cially 60 Connecticut Avenue from Florida
Avenue west, which is to be changed to
Twentv-first, and this beautiful avenue
| mutiated. 1 next call your attention to
the beautiful tAvenue Wyoming. it be-
ing proposed to change the poetic
name Wyoming to Writ. This being the
Capital of the Nation it is appropriate
that all avenues should be named for the
STAT composing said nation.
The State of Connecticut, one of the
greatest, has produced more statesmen
scholars and inventors than any State
in the Union to the acre. Then wyoming
land of wales. filed with music from
her brooks and birds. Alasl the fair
wyoming is to be blotted out for Writ"
George F. Cram Atlas yesterday wrote
to the Commissioners with reference to
the matter. stating that the publishers of
OF the District giving the names of
streets. etc He asked when the matter
or adopting OF rejecting the report from
the surface division would be likely to
be decided. He stated that under present
appearances any map published with the
names of the streets as at present would
not be very accurate after the proposed
changes had been adopted Continuing.
he said:
ALLOW me while writing to enter a pro-
test against the promiscuous use of the
word place and the repetition of names
according to this new nomenclature. There
is lack of originality in the scheme pro-
posed which must be painfully apparent
to any student OF the geography OF large
cities. 1t seems to me a pity that your
commission should not have requested
the advice of outsiders especially fitted
for this work and not connected with the
District government There Is no city in
the Union where reside so many geogra-
piers and topographers and where expert
advice could be so easily obtained. / think
that all these will agree with me that the
word place is both philologically and
geographically a misnomer as applied
to a street several blocks in length and
indefinite possible extension.
ANY dictionary OF place and personal
names VIII be found to contain such
great wealth of suggestions that the lack
of variety in your system and the duplica-
ton of names Is surprising. Those of us
living in the suburbs who have largely to
depend upon the geographical sense. or
lack of 1t, on the average driver or por-
ter. a man usually selected for the
strength of his muscles rather than of his
mind, are constantly annoyed by the diff
ficulty OF making 1t plain to such men
how they may find certain localities in
suburbs or subdivisions not yet thorough
ly opened. The duplication of the names
you now propose will double this difficult
ty, and that of itself should be sufficient
answer to the proposal in this direction.
s. l.. Lee. of 3222 School Street north
west, In a letter to the Commissioners,
gives his views as follows.
1T must be a false rumor that School
Street is about to be rechristened by the
Commissioners Fourteenth Place, for l
cannot think the Commissioners capable |
OF giving this idiotic title to highly |
deserving fragment of the town. ct is
they say 1t is always The unexpected that |
happens. so | cannot forbear raising a |
faint and feeble protest, which VIII. per-
haps. have no more weight than any OF
us had when babes at the baptismal |
font We were all unconscious of any |
wrong being perpetrated upon us
II think there Is something in name.
and hoped the name Of School Street. II |
changed, would be improved"
ID. ID. Albert, sr., OF 3il7 Thirteenth |
Place says in favor of the plan:
Il desire to express to you my hearty |
commendation OF the nomenclature of |
suburban streets as recently promulgated.
You have made system, order, and har-
mony where heretofored there has been |
Just the opposite. At present many will |
protest and object to the change of names, |
but in few years all will commend your
wise action"
The Commissioners Yesterday also re
ceived a petition signed by +. A. Johnson
and thirteen other residents of Holmead
Avenue, who voice their protest thus:
we, the undersigned property owners
and occupants of property fronting on
Holmead Avenue, north of Columbia
Heights, respectfully request you to dis