Evening star., 1920-02-08

of the CITY. would be an intensitica-
tion of all the evils that nave pee,
experienced from railroads on ana
across our streets. we ahrrN were
very timely and that they VIII nave
due weight when action is taken on
the bill"
Citizens of the District continued to
hold meetings fifty years ago on the
subject Of the pro-
Meeting Favors posed c1ns0 ,%a ,ocs,
CONSOLIDATION. governments. some
for and some against the plan Tor a
territorial organization. Regarding
one of these meetings. The Star OF
February 3. 1870. says:
The meeting at Lincoln Han yes
terday to take into consideration the
question of the consolidation or the
District was, in regard 10 inc mo nu
bers present of our most respectapIo
citizens and the harmonious express
sion Of opinion. one OF the most I'M
portant meetings ever held IN Inis
| District. It was, as such a meeting
should be, entirely divested OF parry
character and one or two attempts 10
inject partisan appeal into the pro-
ceedines were promptly disconte-
nanced The question was treated IN
! its broad, common-sense aspect, Win
| the view to determine whether the
interests of the District and its peo-
| pie would be advanced by a cohsoii
dated harmonious government, Win
| increased powers. The expression OF
| opinion by the meeting was emphatic
! in the Affirmative.
uuent advocates of consolidation were
| Gen. Howard and Judge Fisner zen
| Howard pointed out in conVlncins
terms the advantages to be gained py
consolidation in securing the power
| of self government. representation IN
Congress, the development of the re-
sources of the District. the encour-
agement of labor by the introduction
Of capital etc; forc;hss etc ufse ili9stratinr
/ the advantages to be derived from
consolidation and disposed of the VA
rfous objections made to the plan IN
cogent style. He showed especially
the utter absurdity of the argument
| that consolidation will curtail the
elective franchise and pointed out
| that it would really enlarge ii by Civ
| ing the ballot to the residents of the
county who never had vote We DO
not doubt that this successful meet
ing will give an important impulse
| to the consolidation movement"
Ak
Conditions around the Baltimore and
Ohio depot, the only railroad station
| in Washington for
| The Hackmen many years. were per-
| ennially the subject
NuIsaucc. of compla int. But. ac-
| cording to an item in The Star OF
February 4, 1870. there was prospect
of Improvement:
"The unfavorable Impressions made
on strangers arriving here because of
| the loud calls of some of the hack
/, men, coachmen and parties which
greet them at the railroad depot have
| long been a subject of comment and
the authorities have determined that
the evil shall be remedied. 1t is well
known that few feet from the curb
stone there is line marked on the
pavement over which the hackmen.
coachmen and parties are not allowed
to pass unless called by passenger.
On Monday the officers on duty
there-Wilson. McHenry and Atchi-
son-announced that the. rules must
hereafter be strictly observed and the
loud outcries cease; and some who
afterward violated the regulations
were summoned to the police station
house, where they were again warned.
All are this week working up to the
now are subjected to no annoyance"
The following editorial in The Star
of February 5, 1870. in reply to OBJ
jections raised
The Argument for by another local
o paper to the con-
0o"SoAAuo'i soldation plan,
presents the case of those who favor
ed the change of local government in
practical terms:
zone (only) of our city papers takes
ground against the movement for the
consolidation of the District. Our CO.
temporary advances what it calls GER
tain practical reasons against the pro-
posed change. In the first place il
does not see what benefits are to re-
suit from consolidation that cannot be
obtaiped under the present system
without the expense, trouble and in
convenience of changing the form of
government. We would submit if il
would be less trouble. expense and in
convenience to make the change to
one good and efficient government
than to endure three awkward, jarr-
ing defective governments in our six
miles square. That paper suggests
that the powers of the corporations
of Washington, Georgetown and the
islative powers be given to them sep
arately, enabling them to grant acts
of Incorporation, charter railroads fix
rates of interest. etc. We would ask
If il would not be safer and more ad-
yantageous to the whole District to
have one body possessing the neces-
Sary powers
again, objection is made to incor-
porating the sparsely settled county,
outside of Washington and George
town. under city charter. But is the
county too sparsely settled to have q
territorial government? If so. 1t is too
sparsely settled to have a government
of it's own, as recommended by our CO.
temporary.
again. Washington and George
town have. at their own expense.
graded and improved most of their
streets; each owes debts. while the
county is comparatively out of debt.
How are these debts to be paid, and
how are they to be apportioned?'
Nothing is easier. Simply appoint a
board whose duty it shall be to ascer-
tain the exact amount owed by each
corporation and assess the same upon
the property now liable for such
debts i'm their respective proportions,
and have the same collected in such
sums as may be advisable SO as to pay
off the debt within. say, twenty years:
<I,a yo1iSlat turp in the nea TINA hav-