Evening star., 1920-03-28
| Railroad
Bonus,


p. fifty years ago. and elic-
bonus. ited the following protest
from The Star in its issue Of March
%, 1870:
The taxpayers Of the city will note
with more surprise than qualification
that the board of aldermen last night
voted the large sum Of $4,000 to the
Baltimore and Potomac railroad. 1t
is remarkable that while the city Is
SO poor and loaded down with debt
as to be unable to give proper en-
couragement to new lines of railroad
from here tapping new sources Of
supply. we can undertake to donate.
in this free. offhand way. the sum of
half a million of dollars to one OF
the wealthiest and strongest rail-
road corporations in the coun-
try. for no end whatever. We
shall next expect to see our coun-
ellis volunteering to give the Balti
more and Ohio Railroad Company a
half million of dollars for past serv-
ices in bringing that road to Wash
ington. Why not? The two great
rival railroad interests, the Baltimore
and Ohio and Pennsylvania Central.
are playing their own game in run
ming parallel roads to Washington
within half a dozen miles of each
other. The Baltimore and Potomac
road will be just as certainly built to
Washington by its Pennsylvania
hackers without as with our $5o0.Ooo:
and until the last month the idea OF
throwing away the corporation money
/ in that direction was never broached.
Right now, it is suddenly discovered
that the correct and proper thing Tor
the corporation to do is to give $780,
600 to the Pennsylvania Central raii-
road, or some intermediate ring. ana
bill to that effect is rushed through
the board of aldermen in midnight
session. And the bill has the wonder
full proviso that such subscription
shall be applied only for work done
within the District.
This curious spectacle Is now pre-
sented: On one hand our corporation
authorities are fighting the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company tooth
and nail to compel them to pull UP
their track within the city limits, ana
take their station and their depot TO
the boundary, on the ground that the
railroad inside the city Is a draw
hack to Improvement and injurious
to property interests; and on the otner
hand, they propose not only 20 IN
troduce the Baltimore and Potomac
absolutely to contribute 100000 to
Law the track ESQ detestable IN the
other easel, within the city limits.
Here Is wisdom in solid chunks!
NOW. we take it that these Two
great railroad corporations stang a On
loses any great amount of sleep ana
anxiety for our interests. and we are
simply making ourselves ridlculous
in our impecuntous CONDITION py prof
fering aid they do not neeo ana Ior
which we get no return. lien or Sc
curity. Let US apply such resources
as we have to the construction OF
railroads, which will open up new
country in our vicinity ana prns
trade here, and which may not other
wise be built. We have no doubt that
the aldermen have acted on good mo-
tives, but they have acted hastily, and,
from what we hear on all sides. their
course is not at all approved BY our
citizens"
Thought of that half-miliion SO
readily voted for railroad facilities.
while the streets OF
The Plague Washington were in an
abominable condition for
OF Uust. need of pavements pos
sibly inspired the following wall in
The Star Of March 23. 1870:
This is one of Washington's dusty
days. Dust is everywhere Whirl-
winds of dust: dust on the clothes and
in the hair. Dust in the eyes. ears.
nose and mouth. Dust in tho parlor
and kitchen. Dust in everything eat
able and drinkable:
And all this miserable nuisance OF
dust simply because We have unpaved
or stone-paved streets. We shall never
subdue the dust and mud of Washing
ton except by laying wood pavements,
or some style of pavement that VIII
not manufacture dust by attrition
with the wheels of vehicles, as does
our streets. which present SO much
surface from their great width. What
street will be the first to relieve it
self from dust and mud by a fittinG
pavement"
Half a century ago the question OF
the Sunday opening Of such places as
libraries and art gal
For Sunday leries had not been set
tied in the affirmative.
opening. and much discussion was
in progress. In The Star Of March
Is. 1870. the matter is thus consid-
cred:
THE exciting topic OF discussion
just now in the Boston papers is the
question of whether the public IL
braries shall be opened on Sunday. 1t
seems to us that the argument 10
altogether in the Affirmative, and we
have heretofore advocated the open
ing of the libraries here-the Con-
gress Library and the Christian As
ISOLATION Library-on that day, as a
means Of religious and moral as well
as mental training. Who can deny
that 1t would be a great gain in the
way Of morals and healthy improve
ment IL those of the young men OF
our city who loaf about hotel halls.
street corners, beer gardens. sample
rooms In the rear etc. etc, or go
fishing or cunning on Sunday, purely
to kill time, could be attracted to
a public library on that day?
ut will be said, of course, that the
church is the place for them on Sun
day, but. unfortunately. q large-in-
creasingly large-class of our young
men do not incline to go to church.
and there is no law to compel them
to do SO. This being the case. the
point is whether 1t would not be
great step gained II they can be at
tracted from the schools of idleness
and vice on that day by setting be-
fore them pleasant and not unwhole1 I
some reading matter, and which VIII
ences. In nine cases out of ten we
believe the reading room and library
would be the stepping stone leading
to the house of worship, with the
class cf youth mentioned" !.