Evening star., 1922-03-05

railroad Company. promoted by the
| Pennsylvania railroad.
I Railroad planned entrance into
| Dill: Washington fifty years
As'oAy. ago there was a strong
/ public feeling i'm favor of il. and
when it was suggested that the rail-
/ road should cross the Mall and csta b.
! lish its station on Pennsylvania ave
nue. at 9Th street there was no dcmur.
/ Naturally, the Baltimore and on"
! protested against such discrimination.
and the matter was brough; out in
course of the congressional invcsiI
| CATION into District affairs p-ccipita'-
ed by the opponents of the program Of
public improvements undertaken by
/ the new board of public works unde"
! the territorial government. The S;ar
! OF March /. 1872 says:
I ''rhe wide difference beiwees the
I history. policy and character ef tine
| Pennsylvania and the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad companies wa. well il
lustrated in the proceedings hcfor'-
the congressional committee on the
| District yesterday. Mr.. Scott. VIII"
! represented the former. seemed t."
have a definite plan in view, and HI
! replies to the committee We're
| straightforward clear and to liz
point. ON the other hand Mr.. Ca
! rett had no plan but objection. no
! policy but obstruction. and in no sin
| gle instance did he give a direct an
swer to the questions propounded by
| the committee. All ives fagNAs misty
and non-committal: ilefhSng f~e prog
| ress. everything for ffaetion and de
! lay. Whatever The final result of the
contest may be. there can be no doubt
! as to the impression made by the two
! men on all who heard or read the pro
ceedings. One was accepted as IN"
type of action and progress. the other
| of obstruction and decay.
! Mr.. Garrett cannot understand why
/ the people of Washington are willing
! TO grant privileges to Scott that they
! deny him. They drove him away
! from Pennsylvania avenue. he say.
| and now want TO force him to gel
/ farther away from the business CEN
! ter: yet they are willing to permit
Scott to bring his road into the heart
of the city and plant his station d.
rectly on the Avenue. On the face OF
/ it this does appear like an unfair dis
elimination. but the explanation is
! this: The people look upon Mr.. Gar
| rett'S road as an oppressive monopoly
| from which relief is to be afforded
| only through rival road. In MIR
| Scott they see a railroad man of en-
J larged ideas. who. while pushing In"
!, interests Of his company with won
I derful tact and energy."yet has tn"
4 sasacity TO appreciate that those in
| terests are identical with those of the
| country traversed by his roads. Every
| locality touched by his magic wand is
! benefited. Growth and quickened
! business activity are the immediate
results. Compare his large expendi-
| lures of money and labor in this city
on the tunnel. the Anacostia bridge
and the new Long bridge to make his
road what it should be with the mig
gardly expenditures OF Mr.. Garrett
F, here for the accommodation of our
| business men and the travelling pub
( lic'
F. Don't We remember his station house
! on Pennsylvania avenue from which
| he complains that he was driven-a
dingy. little. old brick building. squat
| ted down by the Tiber. of such con-
| tracted proportions that one OF the
particular duties of Capt. Goddard :
! police was to save the passengers
! from the depre6ations of pickpockets
! on a narrow. crowded platform. But
| Mr.. Garrett omitS to mention that the
principal reason why the city felt il
| necessary to push him out to the
| boundary was that he persistentl%
refused 10 conform the grades of h;~
I road 10 the city grades. thus render
ing il impra cticable TO open streets
arross his track or TO carry out any
! improvements in that part OF the City
! north of his depot If Mr. Scott builds
such stations as Garretts was on
Pennsylvania avenue. or makes
! desert of the portion Of the city
| traversed by his road. As Garrett did.
he. too, will deserve to be crowded
! out to the boundary. But we hope
! and believe better things of him"