Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-05
FIFTY YEARS ago
In THE STAR

The troubles between the hackmen OF
the city and the new street railway COM
pany could not be settled
Halfway by direct dealings be-
rr;o;,.5 tween the two sides. and
AJVAAA0~' SO the case was carried
into court, as noted In the following news
story printed in The Star OF December
30, 1S6o:
Yesterday Judge. Merrick. in cham
bers. had under his consideration a prayer
from the hackmen. asking that the WASH
!ngton and Georgetown Railway Conn
pany be enjoined from using so much
Of the road as interferes with the hack
men and omnibus drivers plying their
regular vocation at the railroad depot.
The case was argued by Mr.. Davidge for
the hackmen and Mr. Bradley for the
company. Mr.. Davidge contended that
the charter Of the company prescribes
that the tracks shall be laid as near to
thu center of the street as may be with
out interfering with the water or gas
pipes. and 1t is stated that the track as
now laid on New Jersey avenue is but
IA feet Q inches from the curb to the
east track. leaving q space from the
west rail to the center OF the street (over
the water and gas pipes) OF twenty-five
or thirty feet. Mr.. Bradley stated that
the track, as now laid. had received the
approval of the Secretary OF the Interior
and the commissioner OF public buildings.
and argued to show that these officers
had right to give their sanction. He
also argued that the compliments could
not join in the suit. as their interests
were separate and distinct. The COM
pIainants denied that the company had
received any such approval as alleged.
1.-THE case was held under Amusement
until this morning. when Judge Merrick
delivered his opinion. deciding that the
suit was properly instituted: although the
interests Of the compliments are distinct.
the suit involved the establishment Of a
right common to all, and further, the
road as laid was in violation OF the char
ter OF the company and a nuisance Inter-
fering with the regular prosecution OF the
business Of the compliments. and that it
was not competent for either the Sec
rotary of the Interior or the commits
sioner of public buildings to authorize the
erection OF q nuisance. He ordered the In
junction to issue Che compliments CIV
ing the usual bonds to prosecute the suit
the company from using SO
much Of their road as now constructed as
lies on New Jersey avenue north OF the
intersection of said road with the south
line OI y street Ills
will give the hackmen the right to use
the street side as well as New Jersey
avenue as stands. The company will. We
understand, at once remove their track
to the center of the avenue. below the
point named. In the meantime. but little
Inconvenience will be experienced by
travellers. as the stopping place Will be.
until the track is relaid, but a few yards
south of the corner Of c street. When the
road Is relaid, we understand that foot
~v,srI I, ~
track for the accommodation of passen-
gers"
Naturally the coming of the new year
caused the people OF the north to con-
slider thoughtfully the
National question Of the national
nu+look prospect. There was un-
OutiVoA. doubtedly much pessi-
mism concerning the situation, caused
chiefly by Gen. Burnside's failure at
The case was thus sum-
mafized in an editorial printed In The
Star of January 1, 1862:
1.-THE results of the war measures Of
the government throughout the past year
to re-establish the authority Of the Union
over the states in rebellion have not been
loyal section of the country. Neverthe-
less, it behooves all hearty unionists to
cast regrets and doubts behind them and
to redoubie the energy and earnestness
with which they support the legitimate
authorities Of the land In the restoration
of the Union, as If in these dark hours
the heart OF the country falters. all is
lost The hope for the coming year Is
that those charged with the prosecution
Of the war will profit by their last year s
aided by the lessons deduct
BILE from the seeming SO mnch bette. bette,
Of their so much less avail
able military resources. which have mark
ed the military administration Of the
oligarchy.
I'VE believe that we surely possess all
the necessary resources to speedily crush
The rebellion and that if the mistakes OF
policy and the errors of omission and COM
of the past year be avoided and
from this list Of January, 1858,
the 1st of January. 1854. will find the au-
thority of the United States re-estab-
Iished over all the seeded states. Else
here can be little room for hope that the
advent of that day will fail to find the
contest substantially settled against the
right.
"The sources from which the needed les
sons and counsels Of experience may he
Drawn are so fresh In the memories of all
hat we need not particularize them here.
In telling us why we have failed up to
this time, they surely teach us how we
may succeed hereafter, If We will but heed
their warnings.
1.-THE greatest danger ahead is the posi-
bility that the majority of the people Of
The loyal states may hesitate to sustain
the government S military measures with
the heartiness absolutely necessary to Sc
cure success. 1t Is useless to attempt to
disguise this patent fact. The only posi-
bic remedy for this threatening state oil
things is a display of such military en-
argy and efficiency and an adherence in
future to such moderation of policy as
will impress all with the belief that we
not only have the power to crush the re-
oellion in due time, but that that power
S being welded to the legitimate end OF
name"
In the second edition Of The Star of
3. 1865, is the following para
graph among the important
Monitor late news items Of the day:
1--WE stop the press to an
AOSt. nounce that dispatch has
inst been received here stating that the
Monitor on her way south, foundered al
TEA and went down in the vicinity OF Hat
eras. No particulars have yet been re-
.eived. The natural suspicion Is that all
IN board persisted.
The BIGGEST UNION.
Everybody who has ever invented anything is