Evening star., 1925-08-08
AROUSED CITIZENS
STRIKE BELT LINE
Marylanders Vote Appeal to
Check Proposed lough-
borough Project.

said. At the threatened destruction OF
their home values, and the logical de-
velopment of the metropolitan district
of Washington, arose en- masse last
night. and without a dissenting voice
voted to ask the Public Service Com
mission of Maryland TO reject the ap-
plication of the Washington and
Loushborough Belt Line Railway TO
exercise its charter rights and priv
ileeeS. The action came after Nehe-
ment attacks on the proposal.
The meeting was held In the old
clubhouse of the Montgomery Coun.
try club. NJ Bradley Hills. severa,
miles rrom The nearest railroad, hut
the large a assembly room was tilled tor
the meeting. which was called ana
held under the auspices of the Bradley
Hills Community League. The meet
nS represented more than the mem
bership OF the organization: II inciud-
ed those from towns and SUBDIVISIONS
Jail over Montgomery County, and their
re lection OF the project long before
the vote was indicated by the vigor-
Gus and prolonged applause when
punctuated and followed the attacks
of spokesmen at the meeting.
Serving People He Says.
w. Edgar Ieedy. representing the
I corporation promoting the project,
was first called upon by President
Char W Merryman 10 lay the
plans before the meeting. Mr., l'eedy
pictured 10 his listeners sad condi-
lion OF thousands OF dollars worth OF
food projects rottinS in me South
because the producers would not ship.
due to The congestion In Potomac
Yards. This The belt line would over
come. he Gle i'm ed. He pictured his or
saniIa tion as having the interests OF
Nontgomery County deeply AT heart'
He nor the promoters cared Tor
money. he SAID and they had not nope
OF reward from the erection of this
railroad. being built solely for the
benefit OF serving the people-none
other He complained OF the small
salaries paid Government em'oyes.
and said that the company wanted 10
! helm them o better conditions and in
dependency H. prov idina iisht rae
tories such a. shoe and silk factories
in this section 80 they could go out
There and seek Jobs II the Govern
meni lei them oiit
He told OF the pia of Mrs. Berg
doll of Philadelphia 70 provide pub
lie park in that section. and OF ms
I efforts 10 put Il in better place. MT.
/ Leedv said that his corporation own
! ed every hit OF and between RlNer
and Conduit roa ds, and N any proper
~ was hurt il would he that OF his
! corporation.
Statement Is Challenged.
! This statement was Immediately
chaIleneed BY w II. j. Brown. VINO
! said that the corporation dfd not own
all the property in that area, but tha'
he owned property there ana ina, IL
! would he seriously damaged by the
! proposed commercial development ano
kalt Ina "a
1 I.eedy conceded that he was perhaps
! wrong on that point, but said that was
/ the only exception. when Mr.. Brown
! again Jumped 10 his feet and pointed
! out several other instances where he
/ was wrong.
| Then MIR Leedy was piled with aues
! tions in rapid-fire order. all tending 10
! getting something DEFINITE from him
! He told his audience that the pro
! posed line would follow the same cut
/ as the present spur of the Baltimore
! and Ohio Railroad. Questions brought
! from him the admission that he had
; no working agreement with the Bal
! timore and Ohio: no assurance that
! the road would allow its tracks TO he
used or the ss me cut. Jealousy among
! railroads he said. prevented the max
I ing of any working agreement. He
! said however, that If it couldn't use
! the 3. & .. right of way that II would
parallel IL. making the necessity OF
condAmning land for so feet on one
side or the other.
9 Qniyzed n to Future.
! Questioned by w. W. Bride as to
: what powers the petition was asking
! for. ne said it was the usual railroad
powers OF condemnation. That means
/ that YOU can go where YOU choose. >
j said Mr. Bride, who asked what might
! happen " the railroad got out OF the
! hands Of it's present owners who had
! only the interests of Montgomery
County at heart. 10 which Mr.. Leedy
/ replied that the comps ny would never
! let II get out OF its hands. He ad-
! mitted that il wanted the right to
! condemn q right -of-way and to build
warehouses but added however.
1 that his company never intended TO
build these warehouses. because theN
! couldn't make money at 5S per cent.
! He said IL railroad made more thsn
! that II would have to give IL to a con-
: -nectine road. which might not be max
! Ing this much on its investment, and
! added that If there was any one pres
ent from the Interstate Commerce
! Commissi sion they would bear him out .
Some one from the Interstate Com
! moro. Commission didn't bear him
! out. He was told that the road max
I lend II to the other road. However
he said the Loughhorough corpora
/ ton subsidiary. would construct
! warehouses
Mr.. Brown asked MIR. Leedy why
he didn't bring every bit OF informa-
! ton with the large number OF plans.
! specifying particularly the charter
and petition. There was no answer
as group OF auestioners arose
! simulta neously in various parts OF
| the hall. Upon questioning, he said
/ the road would not agree to operate
| 1t entirely by electricity.
Denies Factories Planned
! Asked by Attorney Bride how
I definite the plans for location OF the
line were, he replied that they we're
! fairly definite, but that further sur
veys would have to he made He
! said the road never intended to
way but said the only purpose of
| the belt line Is to feed the commercial
! development known AS Loukhbor-
ough on River road Then followed
a line OF questioning which ultimate tely
resulted forcing the admission that
/ the company planned railroad yard
development in Loughborough like
F, the Potomac yards I'm Virginia. and
| which would extend right up to the
District line.
He was asked that II the railroad
was being built solely for the in
| terests of the people OF metropolitan n
Va t,s, Ha N