Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-12-13
WASHINGTt)N'S
MAGNETIC t
UNION STATION
HOW THE PENNSYLVANIA COM
PANY SECURED VALUABLE
5 FRANCHISES
PART SENATOR tIANsRRouGH
TOOK IN THIS AND STREET
M RAILWAY CONNECTIONS

Il
Washington, D. c., Dec. 12.-Edi-
tor Tribune: ] have noticed that the
Tribune recently copied an editorial
from the Washington Post Intending
to be humorous, in which the hope
is expressed that Senator Hans
brough on sfhis arrival from the froz-
en- fields of North Dakota would be
compelled to founder through the
mud as he came from the Union sta
ton / venture to say that the fields
of North Dakota are not frozen any
| harder than the fields of the District
! of Columbia at the present time, for
we have had some pretty snug win
ter and reports from North Dakota
go to show. that thus far you have
had an open winter.
| The purpose of the Washington
Post in expressing the hope that Sen
ator Hansbrough would be obliged
to founder through the mud as he
left the Union station was to cali at.
ltention to the fact that the senator
had taken a pretty strenuous. part in
some recent legislation here with res
pect to certain public utilities in the
! District.
have looked up the record in the
case and find that some FIVE or six
years ago the Pennsylvania Railroad
company made a raid upon congress
with view to securing a. fat appro
| priation to assist 1t in building a.
monumental union station. sena-'
tor Hansbrough opposed the scheme,
taking the ground that the Pennsyl-5
vania Railroad company was rich
enough and had privileges enough in.
the District of Columbia to admit Of
its paying for its own station.
Something more than 80 years ago
the Pennsylvania Railroad company
| asked the privilege of coming into
the city of Washington. The priyi-s
lege was granted, the road being Civ
en- a mere easement across govern
ment property. AS the years passed
ltne railroad company came to feel.
that it owned the property and when.
| it asked the government to contrib.
ute q large sum Of coney to construct
a depot at the city Of Washington,
it proposed to srelinquish Its right,
title and interest to the property
which it had occupied for SO many
years. II the government would give
it bonus Of three and one-half mil
lion dollars in money and about one
and one half million in property for
| the purpose of constructing ..monu-
mental union station.
| To those who knew the history of
the roads coming into Washington,
this proposition was considered to be
little less than highway robbery. Sem
ator Hansbrough led, the opposition
to the proposed scheme and was un-
successful. On the roll call in the
senate there were Ia senators who
sustained Senator Hansbrough's po-
sition and about twice this number
who voted with the railroad COM
pany. The Pennsylvania road got he
bonus and the Union station has been
constructed. 1t is a beautiful build
ing and Washington is very proud Of
1 it. = If "a.
The people, however, soon forgot
the fact that the government paid the
bill and many of them are already
inclined to give the Pennsylvania
Railroad company credit for having
done this wonderful work.
About the time that this scheme
went through congress, the street
railways Of the District made appli-
cation to congress for the right to
run their lines In front of the Union
station. Senator Hansbrough was
the chairman Of the sub Committee to
consider the proposition and he gave
a great deal of time to the subject,
bringing in bill giving them the
privilege to construct the lines In
front Of the station, and provided
further that they should pay an in
creased percentage Of tax and that
they should give universal transfers
throughout the District. The tax and
transfer provisions were not agree
able to the street railway companies,
and they fought the provisions at
every point. Senator Hansbrough
succeeded in passing the bill through
4 the senate but d few days later a
motion was made to reconsider the
i vote by which the bill was passed,
| which motion prevailed. The bill was
then reeommitfed to the committee,
where the Hansbrough provisions to
increase the street railroad conf
1 pany's tax and put In force a univer-
sal transfer system were defeated.
The senator kept upthe fight, how