Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-13

ton of Maryland avenue.
Florida avenue, H street and
the Bladensburg road and
thought of the changes that
few wears have wrought there. The
tollgate that was feature of the
Bladensburg road, near II street, has
gone the way of most tollgates, and
the way that all others should go. 1t
seems in Il way unkind to think that
thought about tollgate, for there was
a certain picturesqueness about toll
gates and toIlgate keepers, but people
will not pause to think of this when
they have to plunge into their jeans
and bring forth coin as tribute to a
tollgate. Some young men who think
and deal harshly with the tollgate say
cit is relic OF the past" That is a crush
ing Indictment To some folks the
present is so superior to the past that
to say thing is a relic of the past
is 70 condemn it. Other men say the
tolIgate is an anachronism. which is
another way of saying that the toll
gate belongs TO the past, and is there
fore out-,f-date.
The tofgate was a useful thing in
its day. and its memory is deserving
of some respect once II was a syfnpoi
of progress The taxpayers of coun-
the courage to build a good public
road but certain progressive citizens
did have the nerve to put their money
into the undertaking. and TO take d
chance on getting Il back with interest
Sometimes they did, but there was FISK
in the enterprise, and many toll roads
and toll bridges never PAID an adequate
dividend, and some paid no dividend at
all
But when the public served by the
toll road had been educated by private
capital that a good road was good
thing and when the public saw that
some toll companies We're actually
making money oil the capital they had
put into the venture. that the road
had been demonstrated a useful
thing and that the taxpayers perhaps
could run II cheaper than by paying
toll to use it. there started up
splendid outcry against private rights
ill roads necessary to the pubic. very
likely the weight of argument was
against the idea of roads being con-
troiled by companieS-and in which
ANYBODY who had the means and the
desire could buy stock-but it was the
toll company that beat into the pubic
consciousness the fact that straight
and good road was public necessity.
SO the old tollgate. which was the
ticket window of the turnpike COM
pany was a useful thing in its day and
in it's way The same mental process
which swept away tollgateS is working
still.
Certain men of brains. money and
caracity Will demonstrate often at
their own expense that a thing is q
public need, a public benefit or d pub
lie utility, and then the public will
shrek out against the enormity OF pri-
vate rights in something when they
need and which private capital has
educated them to need These are only
reflections on the site of the tollgate.
and are not arguments for or against
tollgates, for the Rambler is too much
of philosopher to argue with persons
he does not know, or, for that matter.
with many persons he does know.
But the Rambler is still standing at
the junction of Maryland avenue, Flor
ida avenue, H street and the Bladens-
burg road. In the northwest angle of
Florida avenue and the Bladensburg
road. where circus after circus without
since the days when they used to show
on 9Th street south of Pennsylvania
avenue across the canal, about where
the PENNSYLVANIA railroad station stood,
and In Judiciary Square, and out 9TH
street, was large tract of land owned
by W. W. Corcoran. Very likely in
the long ago and before the United
states was A dream in patriot minds
that land was part of the vast Queen
lands. but that is guess on the Ram
bler's part though it is certainty that
YOU cannot travel far north along the
Bladensburg road without coming into
the immense tract of land royally-pat-
ented to the head of the Queen family
in Maryland This piece of land at
which We are now looking, and which
IS beng built up. was the site of Camp
Barry during the civil war. Across
the way-that is. toward the east-is
Cottage Hill. and, rs this promises fine
views, it may be profitable walk.
In the northeast angle of H street
and the Bladensburg road was Grace
land cemetery. 1t is not a cemetery