The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-17
RAILROADS TO PAY
FOR GRADE CHANGES,
SENATE'S DECISION
Code Revisers' Amendment To
Their On Report Defeated,
and Cities Save Cost Of Max
ing Crossings Safe.

Grade crossings, their elimination
when declared 10 be dangerous to life,
the cost of abolishing them and the
rights OF cities and towns TO exer-
else police power over the streets.
engaged the attention of the senate
for almost the entire day yesterday.
When the days work was ended
IL was found that the report OF the
committee on the code--carrying a
correction by the revtsers TO thar
own report--wouid be defeated and
in their effort to place cities and towns
on the same footing as counties.
The costs of making changes, which
the railroads desired to see engrafted
and declared In the code. will be left
70 the state corporation commission.
Senator Alien forced the fighting
from the start yesterday when the
report OF the code revisers was taken
UP as the special order of the day.
The matter of grade crossings just at
this time is Of peculiar interest to the
city of Richmond. which has been for
some time engaged in adjusting its
differences with the Richmond. Fred
erlcksburg and Potomac railroad.
When the code was taken up 1t
was with the recommendation OF the
tbknkAtblcE On Ct0B - Va JGS6tE AAtf@N
the amendment OF the revisers should
be adopted. That vote WAS eight to
two and Senator Allen had been
member OF the committee which con-
sidered the matter. HOW he may have
voted In the committee is one OF The
secrets of that body. Yesterday. how
ever. he was opposed TO the report
and being opposed he stood right UP
and fought.
The revIsers reported language
which was held to be a complete
change Of policy on the part of the
stl,e. As presented. the report ala
not mention cities ana towns In oon-
nection with the changing of cross
toned. and they were required TO
pay half of the expense FOR changing
crossings from grade TO either over
head or underpass-
Railroads Make Hard Fight.
The railroads made a fight. not
". ntinF the cities and towns to have
the right to compel the railroads to
alter grade crossings and compel them
to pay the expense. They wanted the
cities and towns placed on the same
footing AS the counties. They held
that TO do otherwise would be 20
ruin them, that they would be bank
rupted II required to change all grade
crossings, and they wanted to force
the citiea to pay half OF the expense
when ordinances were adopted direct
ing the change.
When that language was called to
the attention OF the revisers they sent
letter to the legislature and called
attention TO what they said was a
change of policy OF the state and
asked to have substituted for their
orr ginal report the statute as It stands
today. This recommendation was
greed 20 by the senate committee
The code had already passed the
house.
While Senator Alien had the goor
there was q motion to adjourn, the
senators declaring that they were
ready to meet the views Of Senator
Alien IN the main. that they were
satisfied that there was confusion In
connection with the matter, and he
yielded to the motion 60 adjourn until
Monday. the code going over 10
Wednesday because of the absence of
Senator walker and others from the
city.
Out OF this debate and the amend
ments and suggestions made the sit
uaticu 10 thisi The roads will not
be able to force the counties, towns
or cities 10 pay the expense OF elimi-
mating grade crossings when they
shall have been declared menace
to the community, a nuisance and
endangering life: the exact language
of the code Ia not yet established in
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