Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-13

providing also for n change of its route
and terminus in Washington, authorizing
it to lay tracks on 9Th street and to To-
cate its passenger depot at 9Th and b
streets Senator Morrill, was prompt in
opposing the dedication of this public
land between the Capitol and the White
House to railroad uses. Senator Cameron
thought the need of another railroad was
SO great that the wishes OF the railroad
company should be met. However. action
on the bill was delayed, and The Star OF
February 3. 1870, said:
We are heartily in favor Of granting every
possible facility to new railroads to this city, but
it seems to us to he going too far to allow any
the city and through the line OF public grounds:
1t Is perhaps necessary evil that the railroad .
platform and buildings appertaining to the rail
road shall disfgure Maryland avenue, and the
nd oSo Gt to the oe e Is
which the city is suffering greatly, but to permit
the Baltimore and Potomac road to generate aea 10
OF the city. would be an intensifcaton of all
the evils that have been experienced from rail
roads on and across our streets. We think Mr.
Morrill's objections yesterday very timely. and
hope that they will have due weight when action
is taken on the bill.
To apprehend the foresight revealed by
this little editorial one should recall that
the Baltimore and Potomac was coming
as the deliverer of Washington from the
thraldom Of the Baltimore and Ohio: that
the site desired by the new railroad for
its station was then commons; that the
probability of park development was re-
mote; that the mass of the people had
no such conception of the uses of parks
as people have today, and that what the
Baltimore and Potomac railroad was So
a II,
what it afterward grabbed without color
At that time the subject of railroads
was an engrossing one in Washington
The people of the District were approach
ing financial ruin. first because they were
trying with their meager resources to
run a capitol for the nation. city that
had been created by government author
ity with the understanding that the ma
tional government should foster and de-
velop 1t, and second, because Of the con-
f1ict between local factional forces Wash
ington was suffering under the same po-
litical misfortunes which have afflicted
many so-called self-goyerning municipali-
ties. Washington was created by fed
eral authority without reference to its
adaptability or availability of location
for trade and commerce, and in the early
7Os the people of Washington. face to
face with ruin and with the advertising
columns of the newspapers burdeneo
with foreclosure notices. were trying to
save themselves and their city by in
creasing the volume of business. The
prospect of increased railroad facilities
gave them hope.
The bill for track extension and change
of station site led to bitter contest
between the representatives of the Bal
timore and Ohio interests and the repre-
sentatives of the new line. John w. Car
rett of the Baltimore and Ohio. to offset
the measure to give the new road a
much more favorable depot site than the
Baltimore and Ohio. had promoted a
proposition to establish union station
at the intersection of Maryland and Vir-
ginia avenues between 7th and 9th
streets, CARROTS plan being that the
Baltimore and Ohio should reach that