Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-28
FIFTY YEARS AGO
In THE STAR

AV I'LL O4AVA
When Washington first secured street |
railway service, somewhat more than
half a century ago. the
Street Care cars were not run on Sum- |
days, owing to a prejudice ,
on sunday against that form OF pub
lie conveyance on the day of general
church-going. Eventually. however. a
demand for a seven-day service was
voiced and on Sunday, June 10, 1854. the
company responded by operating the cars
In The Star of June %, 1864. Is the fol-
lowing extract from the Morning Chron-
icle. telling of the peoples acceptance OF
the innovation:
when the city railroad company. last
Sunday, ran their cars for passengers the
act was greeted with almost universal
satisfaction. Apart from the question it
self that the working people of our great
cities should not be deprived of the
healthy recreation afforded by Sunday
travel on these city railroads. there was
a special reason for the decision Of the
company, so far as Washington is con-
cerned. Our hospitals are crowded with
the wounded soldiers of the republic.
Their relatives and friends from dis
lance are here in number: and Sunday is
always day when citizens. and especial
ly the gentlemen in the departments.
visit these noble heroes and supply them
with delicacies and necessaries. To this
immense class the conveniences afforded
by the cars last Sabbath were beyond
calculation. The cars were crowded from
morning n
ate yesterday, practically prohibiting all
travel on the city railroads on any future
Sunday. will, therefore. occasion the Bit
terest disappointment, and we do not hes
itate to express the opinion that every
consideration of public and private policy
should influence the Senate to reconsider
their action. When we reflect how many
thousands of poor people are deprived of
the advantages of air and exercise in the
working week days and how, in this i'm
mediate locality, hundreds can only visit
the hospitals on Sunday. the chance to
ride in the city cars is a pleasant way to
discharge solemn duty We do not
question the motives of those who oppose
Sunday travel these great local thor
oushfares, though we cannot help think
ing it has somewhat fastidious look;
put we are clear that our legislators
could find better way to show their
reverence for the Sabbath than by re-
fusing to the wives and children of our
mechanics and workingmen the only
CHdHCe 1Or an uneXCeptiOnaDle p2Stlme
offered to them at the close of a week of
confinement and labor"
AS a result Of the conference between
the House and Senate on the bill amend
Ing the charter of the
Sunday Cars Washington and George
n.A, town Railway Company.
1eImAIIeu. which the Senate had
amended by adopting by vote of Is to
IA proviso prohibiting Sunday opera
ton. the bill was finally passed with no
reference whatever to Sunday running.
1t was explained in the House that the
company had already the right to operate
its cars seven days each week. If 1t de-
sired, but had up to June 10 refrained
from doing so, lowing to the moral SEN
| timent of Congress"
The bill to incorporate the Metropoli-
tan Street Railway Company was passed
at the same time.
Grants operations in front Of Rich
mond were occupying the attention of
the country almost ex-
Fighting at clusively at this time
fifty years ago. 1t was
AsAeAAo0u' beginning 60 be recog-
nized that the capture of the Confed-
crate capital was not going to be as easy
as had been enthusiastically expected by
many when the hero of Vicksburg came
east and assumed the supreme command
Of the northern armies, with the de-
molition of Lees forces as his particu-
lar object In The Star of June "a, 1864,
is a summary of THE Situation" as 1t
was then fashionable to call the state
Of military affairs, as follows:
Gen. Grants army occupies a position
or positions in Piney woods upon the
outskirts of Petersburg. which were not
long since in the possession of the rebels
including all their works on the south
side of the Appomattox river, constructed
previous to the arrival of the advance
of our army to those points. These po-
stions entirely command the town of
Petersburg and the railroad communica-
ton through Petersburg-the only one)-I
between Richmond and Weldon; the
town being also commanded by the
enemy's works on the south side of the
! river, and, therefore, not to be occupied
by us so long as those works remain in
the hands of the rebels.
Nevertheless for all practical purposes
the command which our guns hold of the
town and the railroad there stops all
continuous communication between Rich
mond and any points south of Petersburg.
Gen. Butler has effectually destroyed
about three miles of the road between
Petersburg and Richmond, twisting the
rails so that they must be recast or re-
rolled before they can be again used
which they are not doing now. So long
as Gen. Grant elects he can hold the
enemy thus by the throat at Petersburg
his camps being perfectly healthy. with
good and abundant water for the use of
his men, and entirely secure communica-
ton with his base of supplies at City
Point From his present position he can
move at will toward the south, with, say,
twenty days supplies, compelling Lee to
follow him, and risk heavy engagements
on unfortitied ground, as he must If pos
Sible prevent the eventual total deStruc-
ton of his rail communication with We'll
don
1.-The meaning of all this is that Grant,
by his move south of the James, has cut
Lees rail communications in all directions.
except via Danvile, which as yet are in
complete and cannot be available for the
receipt of supplies for his army from any
considerable region of country. In
achieving this important result he has
placed Lee in a situation in which he
must not long hence come out from be-
hind his Notifications and risk a battle
on fair field, or abandon Richmond and
Petersburg, where he cannot much longer
obtain supplies.
Lee out from his stronghold, toward APP
pomattox, where the end came.
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF POCKETS.