Evening star., 1908-01-23

II. 1862. Mr. Cooke with party of news
paper men made the first trip over the
tracks. The cars were run from the
Capitol to Wizards Hotel. and a few
hours later both houses of Congress were
asked to take the ride. many members
availing themselves OF the opportunity.
The line was laid up to the White House.
but the curves at the street corners were
not yet finished and fortnight more
elapsed before Henry Cooke could write
to his brother in Philadelphia: Our rail-
road now runs regularly from the State
Department to the Capitol. Yesterdays
receipts were $3.50, including the omni-
the receipts. We carried about o.JG0 pas
sengers on nine cars. making about
twelve round trips each. We will do bet
ter today and when the line opens to
Georgetown our receipts on that single
route will reach not less than $40. You
will also bear in mind that this is the
dul1est season in Washington.
The biography continued ''On the por-
ton of the road open for traffic at the
end of August 1862 Henry Cooke COM
puted the net earnings on the investment
at 36 per cent. and when the 7th and 14th
street lines were completed the camps
and hospitals in the outskirts of the city
made a great deal of business for the
company.
Plea for the Colored Race.
Gov. Chase. with the zeal of the true
aboitionist urged Henry Cooke to re-
move the restrictions in reference to
negroes. who were not allowed to ride in
the cars September ]. 1863. the Secre-
tary wrote this ringing letter to Jay
Cooke:
Let my first letter of this month be
remonstrance against meanness and
oppression. Why cannot colored people
ride in the Washington and Georgetown
street railroad cars? Who volunteers
nowadays except colored men? And do
they not volunteer under circumstances
in which no white man would volunteer?
The compensation of the colored man Is
$40 a month. the white mans $13: the
white regiments are officered by whites,
no commission in a colored regiment Is
given to d colored rlan: the white prf-
vate may hope promotion-the colored
soldier can hope none as laws and regu-
lations now stand. Yet the colored men
are coming to the standards with de-
gree of alacrity and earnestness which do
them honor. Banks writes he could not
have taken Port Hudson without his col
ored recruits. Grant writes that the col
ored regiments are indispensable. / re-
peat. Why cannot people of this race
ride III the Washington and Georgetown
street railroad cars? Their exclusion is a
shame and a disgrace. ] see in The Star
a statement that the company is getting
cars for their use. =, hat kind of cars!
If poorer than the others / desire as one
of the stockholders of the company to
protest against it. If the colored people
are to be confined to special cars, let
them be better than the others so as to
compensate in some measure for their ex-
clusion from the others by superior ac-
commodation. But have such cars.
Let all cars be free to all Let all decent
people ride in any car convenient when
they get it, What is it to be feared II
this simple and just rule be adopted I
know not but of this / am sure that moth
ing is so much to be justly feared as
the doing of injustice and the acting of
meanness. You can stop it on these cars.
tSop it then. l pray YOU
Turned Down by Directors.
The biographer adds that: THE board
of directors refused to raise the prohibit
tion In answer to Secretary Chase's warm-
ly philanthropic plea. The Washington
office very soon sold its stock, although
it was quite a profitable investment, and
Henry Cooke resigned the presidency be-
cause of the lobbying in behalf Of the
line which was required in Congress and
the knowledge that he must face the issue
of running the cars on Sunday. a course
for which he wished not to be respon-
sible being like his brother Jay strict
and dutful in religious observances.