Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-25
FIFTY YEARS AGO In THE STAR

Washington. denied legislation for
adequate railway facilities, looked en-
viously Atty years
Plea for Transit ago to other cities
that were more
FaciitieS highly favored in
the matter of transportation con-
veniences. In The Star OF May IL,
1869. is the following:
The city of Detroit. a place of half
the population of Washington. has
just voted to appropriate ss5O,ooo in
aid of four new railroads. to run in
different directions from that city;
and further the money is to be given
outright, without any conditions OF
security or repayment. Had the city
of Washington taken the initiative
years ago for a railroad to the Ohio
this city might have been what Bal
timore Is now, as business point.
| AS Senator Sherman pointed out in
his speech on needed railroad transits
| for Washington, the most favorable
railroad route to the west, the near
est and easiest connection between
the waters of the Atlantic and the
waters of the upper Mississippi basin,
is by the old national route, the route
of the Indian trails and of the pio-
neers of Ohio and Kentucky. by the
way of the Potomac, Monongahela and
Ohio rivers.
! ut was useless to cry over split
milk but we can at least learn the
lesson not to let similar opportunities
|
Der of important railroad projects
before us, asking aid from the city.
direct or indirect, and 1t is time that
we have settled upon some Definite
! line of action in regard TO them. vi
| course, the city cannot AFFORD service
| able aid to them ALL and it should
decide upon which to concentrate with
view to putting them through. LEI
our city politicians intermit, for the
time being, the absorbing topic of
for the ensuing year and take up the
railroad question. Will not the city
councils move in this matter:
! A difficult question arose fifty years
| ago with reference to the admission
| of colored men to
Color Line in the the ranks OF the
typograp ca
Trade Unions. union and conse.
ouently their employment in the gov
eminent printing Office. Such case
occurred and became locally cele'
brated, The Star commenting as FOL
lows in the issue of May IS, 1868:
THE question of admitting negro
tcompositors into the printers unions
was raised during the session or the
National Typographical Union In
Memphis in 1867, and after heated dis
lcussion the national union decided
that the question of the admission OF
colored members was purely Local
matter and as such should be left to
the local unions. The question VIII
now come before the national union
in a new form in the case of Douglass
the colored compositor at the govern
ment ONCE. If 1t Is presented there
without regard to the color question
simply on the ground that he Is un-
der ban of rejection by the Denver
Union. the national union may escape
action upon it as involving q change chan
years notice. But if it comes VI
/ there sauarely on the question Of ad-
| hitting colored compositors, there
| will be warm work, as from the tone
of the communications received IRON
northern unions by union men mere
urging resistance to the admission OF
{Dougiass. 1t Is evident that the preJu-
dice against colored compos1tors Is
not confined to any particular quarter
or geographical line"
+ ~
I Many interesting bits of informa-
ton appear in the columns of The
Star fifty years age
/ ahh-.v;o%.d in the form of what
News Itsms. briefs. grouped a,
the bottoms of columns as "dilers,'
each preceded by tiny pointing
hand" In the issue Of May 20. 1863
are several of these abbreviated
| items:
brigham Young has just reached
three score and ten by taking his sew
entieth wife.
NEARLY 1000 persons are said to
have starved to death in London last
year.
des 5000. 900 to leave Cuba; Cespedes
/ thinks not.
"The city council of Petersburg, Va.
has appointed fifteen white and four
! negro policemen.
There was snow on the Blue Ridge
mountain east Of Luray, va on
| weather has been unusually cold for
"Philadelphia fines for washing
| sidewalks after am, half the money