Evening star., 1923-08-19

morse, Is ncltner lOrSOtleH nor neg
lected in our little land where the
ballot box is a rare curiosity which
the average citizen never sees.
This by no means signifies that
voteless Washington is also to be-
come horseless municipality. where
the regular clatter of steel-shod
hoofs on the macadam and the
neighing of neighborly steeds will be
but faint echoes Of the heydays when
Uncle Sans national city boasted an
official cab service of more than 900
carriages, when the newly elected
President made his initial ride from
the Capitol to the White House in
gorgeous coach drawn by four pranc-
ing horses: when the social leaders.
rhe diplomatic service and the mill
tary' and naval sets paraded the
boulevards in superb hacks, coaches,
hroughams. carriages, landaus, gigs,
traps and even tallyhos.
Yes. the motor car is probably SUI
preme in our latitude of federal leg
islation, and faithful dobbin-form-
erly the prize beast of burden--is all
but forgotten by the general public
SO far as recruiting his services for
a holiday trip or an extensive plea
sure excursion are concerned. The
American horse, however, has the
admirable faculty of bobbing up
again most precipitantly when least
expected 10 stage resurrection.
The last word from Detroit, that pull
sating center of automobile manu-
facture, is that the horse is again
ai,,in
truck as the most efficient motive
power for short hauls. AS long as
the industrial and commercial sec
tions of ST. Louis exist, the Missouri
mule will be at all times ready and
willing to match his prowess against
gasoline power. The great stock
yards at Chicago, with their large
horse and mule markets, report re-
newed and active interest in the
draft animal trade. Briefly, in the
field of heavy hauling the powerful.
big-bodied horse Is again coming into
his own.
Y = :: !;
ENPERT horsemen and breeders
IL best qualified to speak about the
future predict the return of the coach
and carriage horse as the acceptable
assistant of high society. They say
that right here in Washington, in the
next decade, pleasure horses aglow
from careful grooming. wearing
glistening harness and hitched to
beautiful carriages, with neat-Everied
coachmen and footmen in attendance,
will be the most popular vehicles
which society leaders. foreign diplo-
mats, our congressional celebrities
and nationally famous capitalists will
use in their shopping trips down F
street, in their afternoon calls, and in
their trips around the speedway.
Automobiles are satisfactory for
long trips where speed is all-eSsen-
tial, but for genuine pleasure and |
real comfort the old-fashioned car
riage with its richly upholstered |
seats, its efficient springs which alb |
sorb every shock and jar and it's !
smooth gated pair Of horses that |
trot so evenly that the two animals |
move as one, is, matchless for short |
distance drives. |
Up at 10Th and streets is a !
public cab stand where most any !
time OF day YOU will see one or two |
manned by colored drivers in old
style livery. on all sides of the !
limited space allotted to the cabs are I
parked hundreds of automobiles.
If you will stop awhile in the !
neighborhood. you will observe re- !
markable things transpire. You may !
see an expensive automobile drive up
to the curb and park. The occupants |
you will note-are Unusually we'll |
dressed. They descend from the cost
lv motor car and step into one of the
cabs or 'seagoins hacks,'' as they are
generally called in these parts. Then |
away they trot for a ride around the
speedway or out through Rock Creek /
Park.
Shortly. a taxicab may round the !,
corner. stop and discharge it's fare,
who looks like a prosperous business J
or professional man. He walks over
TO the cab stand, charters hack and
goes for restful ride. a bell boy
from the Shoreham Hotel next ap- |
pears and engages one of the cabs for
several guests from out of town, who |
contend that they get real enpoyment |
from the use of the horse vehicle
which enables them to see the sights |
better than i'll any other way.
Lo and behold, you next may see a |
prominent Washington lawyer. a !
friend of yours. round into view. He !
greets YOU aud invites you for a /
ride; says that when he is COM |
Dlctcly tagged out with a. hard days |
work he derives greater enjoyment |
from drive around the speedway |
in n 'sea-going hack than from any |
other form of relaxation.
x K !; x |
THERE are eighteen one-horse cabs |
i still in active service in Washing |
ton-considerable OF a decline from |
conditions during the late 'nineties
when in excess Of 800 vehicles Of this |
description annually took out licenses !
in the District of Columbia. Those !
were in the days when horsepower |
was something much more important |
than a method of measuring work !
and energy. That was the era when.j
John (Buck) Kenny. now head door,
man at the Willard Hotel, and Flip" !
now is the oldest and |
most interesting cabby in Washing !
ton-were in their prime, when the i
two leading cab stands in the national |
capital were located at 14th street and |
Pennsylvania avenue and 18th and |
the Avenue. Long lines of cabs
and carriages thronged the streets |
around Albaugh's theater, now Polls, |
every evening before the perform
ances began and after the last cur