Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-23
RAILWAY TRANSFERS
>Question Considered by Rep
resentative Citizens.
APPEAL TO CONGRESS
UNIVERSAL SYSTEM TO BE PRESS
ED FOR ADOPTION.
Delegates From Various Associations
Of the District Meet and Outline
Course of Action.
APPEAL TO CONGRESS

That a united and determined fight will
be waged by all the citizens who have to
use the lines of the City and Suburban
railway against the enforcement of the
order Of Justice Anderson prohibiting that
railway from accepting transfers from
other railway companies in the District
was shown, probably, more plainly than
ever last night. Determined resistance was
voiced at the largely attended meeting of
the North Capitol and lexington Citizens
Association, to which representatives Of
several other interested citizens associa-
lions were invited. which was held last
evening in st. Martins Hall, corner of
North Capitol and 7 streets. From the
speech of counsel employed by the Ecking
ton association and through the express
sions Of others prominent in the move
ment the plans, grounds and methods Of
procedure by which this fight will be car
ried were developed and outlined last
evening. 1t was evident that the citizens
affected by the order will spare no ex-
pense to accomplish their end and to obtain
what they believe to be their rights.
The citizens associations along the line
Of the City and Suburban railway. from
the views given by their presidents last
evening, are all agreed that the first step
to have this order revoked is to appeal to
the courts for redress. Should this fail, it
was declared the matter should be taken
up at the next session of Congress for the
enactment Of a law which will give uni
versal transfers through the District. There
was no suggestion Of failure in the ad-
dresses delivered.
Intervention Proposed.
AS indicated, the counsel employed by the
lexington Association suggested last even
ing that the first legal step to be taken is
To oSlr 1rt xx-I,i oh,
prohibiting transfers for permission to in
tervene before judgment is finally entered.
This will be asked on the grounds that the
public has a right to be heard in the mat
ter. that all the evidence was not produced
at the former trial, and that the new pc
tttioners believe they can produce evidence
and arguments which will change the judg
ment of the former hearing. If this right
to intervene is granted the way will be
open for rehearing of the matter and the
petitioners will be allowed to present their
arguments against the order. That will
be taken into consideration by the judge
and hearing of the entire case will prob
ably follow.
The bill of intervention will present at
least two main grounds why the order pro-
hibiting the City and Suburban railway
from accepting the transfers of other lines
in the District should not be granted In
the first place, the citizens will argue that
the minority stockholders are all wrong in
their reason for asking that this be done.
In the former hearing the main reason
seemed to be that the City and Suburban
railway had lost $4,000 the rusult of
issuing transfers to the other lines. 1t Is
believed by the counsel for the citizens that
they can show the judge-and In this the
majority stockholders and the receiver will
agree, that largely as the result of the lib
eral transfer system the road has been
enabled to make $4,000 in excess of their
expenses during the past fiscal year, and
between $1,000 and 5000 in excess the
previous year, instead of losing the
claimed by the minority stockholders in
their petition to the court. Attorney Ser
ven stated, however, that the receiver pre-
sented at the former hearing, based upon
this argument, figures on the books of the
company which were available to him, and
this argument would be strengthened, it
was stated, at the expected rehearing.
Where the Benefits Go.
1t is argued that the benefits of the
transfer system go to the road which is
situated as the City and Suburban road is
situated. 1t does not get the bulk of the
city's traffic and it does not reach many
places of business and attraction and con-
sequently must depend on transfer system
with the other roads to give its patrons the
service which they want.
In the second place, the citizens will ar
que that the order is against the laws of the
District on the statute books. This point
was made last evening by A. F. Kinnan,
president of the Brookland Citizens Assoc
citation, and was given more emphasis by
the remarks of Attorney J. A. Johnson,
who is acting with Attorney Server In the
preparation of this case for the courts. In
1894 it was shown. Congress had passed a
law, In granting an extension to the Metro
politan railway, providing that transfers
shall be granted to all intersecting lines,
and it was added that the same regula-
tons regarding transfers should apply to
all lines. In 1896 Congress passed law
T.xa
fers to the cars of the Metropolitan line.
And at another time Congress passed a
law ordering the tickets of all the lines
to be interchangeable. .
Under the present law" said Attorney
Johnson, 'it is question if we have not
reached the point of universal transfers.
Whenever Congress allows a line to be
tapped, transfers with intersecting lines
are required. Certainly the free transfer
system has been favored by the intent of
Congress"
1t seems certain, from the expressions of
opinion given last evening by the repre-
sentative men of the eastern section of the
District, that, should the courts refuse to
reverse this order of Judge Anderson, the
entire matter of universal transfers
throughout the District will be precip.tated
at the next session of Congress. President
Kinnan of the Brookland association
sounded the keynote of that fight last
night when he said.
I'VE now have chance to go before Con-
gress and demand universal transfers. The
various associations have been working
on this matter for several years and many
meetings have been held of the representa-
tives of the various associations. But 1t
developed that Brookland, Brightwood,
lexington and East Washington each had
to get some special provision in the bill.
And in the end we had a long bill, filled
with provisions and no one could tell
where they had come from. We didn't get
anything at that time. But now we have
good grounds for presenting the matter
md I holt fhp
fact that the courts have passed on the
question will be great argument for some
decisive legislation on that point"
Further Discussion.
Thomas W. Smith, president of the East
Washington Citizens Association. and w.
M. Williams, chairman of the railway
committee Of the same association told Of
their work before Congress for universal
transfers or for very liberal transfers In