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

1879 Messrs. Morrill, and Sumner were
strongly in opposition to It, Mr.. NORTH
offered an amendment to strike out afi
after the enacting clause and to insert a
proyision that the chief of engineers
of the United States Army, the engineer
officer in charge of public buildings ana
grounds and the quartermaster general
Of the United States Army be named as a
Commission to report on the laying OF
steam railroad tracks in the city OF
Washington ana on the location and con-
struction of depots as bearing on the OBJ
struction of streets and avenues or puo-
lie parks.
Senator Sumner said he could not con-
sent to destroy a park. and could not
imagine how any one could consent to It.
Senator Stockton said he was a prac-
teal man, and that the park oueht not
to be where it was. 1t ought to be in
the country.
The following is taken from The Star of
May 16. 1872:
Senate-The Baltimore and Potomac railroad
of amendments were offered by Messrs; Morrill, OF
Vermont. Hamilton of Maryland and Davis OF
and the bill passed it came from the House
Mr.. Morrill, OF Vermont then offered an order
that the chair appoint committee Of two to
wait on the vice president Of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company Col Thomas SCOTT ana as tx
make to the Senate.
Mr.. Conkling suggested that Mr. Morrill, have
The decade from 1874 to 1884 was a
period of increasing railroad presumption
and rapacity. The citizens suffered loss OF
life and injury to property while the rail
roads blocked the proper esthetic develop
ment of the capital. Citizens ragged. but
were impotent against the railroad-Con
gress coalition. There was feeble and
unorganized opposition on the part OF
many citizens in 1886 against railroad
usurpation and more and more railroad
ohv,,ny &c
January of that year The Star. which
had consistently opposed the street and
park grab policy of the roads. published
an editorial the dangers of the grade
crossings which attracted wide attention
Publicity and encouragement We're given
to the South Washington people then en-
gagged in a fight against a bill which pro-
vided that the Baltimore and Ohio might
reach South Washington and parallel the
PENNSYLVANIA tracks by building through
streets in East Washington. Hearings on
this bill were held by committees of Con-
gress. August g. 1856. Senator ingalls,
delivered a great speech on the subject
of the outrageous treatment of the peO-
pIe of the District of Columbia by the
Baltimore and Potomac railroad. 1t was
masterful rhetoric, and the people OF
Washington regretted that as the fight
against the railroads progressed Senator
ingalls, ardor in behalf or the rights OF
Washington cooled.
During the winter of 1SS6-S7 the enemies
of the railroads were skirmishing. AT
the beginning of 1887 The Star went to
the front and doomed with editorials
that encouraged all those who had
hitherto been too faint-hearted or too
prudent to resist so powerful an enemy
as the steam railroads. The Star opened
an aggressive fight along the whole line
of the railroads position.
The railroads increased their activity
in marshaling their friends and in dis
tributing passes. Men not to be in
fiuenced by mere cash were swayed IN
their opinion by free transportation. the
evils of the railroad pass were illustrated