Evening star., 1926-03-28

| Loughborough Belt Line and Terminal
| Co. is set forth In that petition. We
submit that 1t is not just nor equitable
to permit Washington interests to
| impose on an important residential
area in Maryland those types of de-
velopment which are SO Objectionable
that they are forbidden in the Dis
trict of Columbia. To permit this is
to convert a growing suburban resi-
Dental development into a freight
yard for the convenience of Wash
! ington.'
There were also filed expressions
from The Washington Star, which
has made O. study of belt line sys-
TENS in other cities and in which the
menace of such systems was brought
graphically before the committee.
Arlington COunty's Plea.
Hovering like a tornado's blast over
| the great plans for the development
of Arlington County, Va, ready TO
| strike down beautifcation plans for
a part of the metropolitan area of
| the Capital City across the river at
| q time when such projects as the
Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Lee
boulevard and such are coming into
| being in connection with the scheme, is
| the picture sought to be left with
the commission by r. E. Plymale on
| behalf of the citizens of Arlington
| County. This belt line, as an institu-
| ton, will furnish an insurmountable
| obstacle to the plans on which thou
sands of citizens have hung their
| faith and their life earnings in the
movement for the growth of the
| county as link in the regional de-
velopment scheme of the National
! Capital. The brief said;
There is clearly no need of any
such railroad as this, as is shown by
letters from executive heads of the
principal railroads running into and
| through Washington, copies of which
letters are appended and made a part
| hereof, the pref says. The PROPOSE
ton therefore seems to be purely a
speculative pl Niect, which view is
supported by th>. fact that the com
pany or people interested in the pro-
posed bridge and road are understood
10 be interested in several hundred
acres of land just outside of the Dis
triCt of Columbia, between Tenley-
town and Glen Echo, which it is de-
sired to exploit for industrial enter
prises, and through which the pro-
posed sO-called belt line road is plan.
ned to run.
During the FAN Of last year, 1925,
the represe natives of the said Wash
ington and Loughborough Belt Line
and Terminal Co., started in to try
to create sentiment in favor Of the
proposed road by addressing civic as
sociations and other meetings of citi-
zens of Montgomery County, Md, and
Arlington County. Va: but the opposi-
ton to the road in both counties was
so unanimous and insistent that the
representatives of the company dis
continued their efforts along that line,
failing in several instances to appear
at meetings at which they were
scheduled to present the proposition.
In Montgomery County, Maryland
| the proposed location Of the road is
understood to be through the best
residential sections of the north and
northwest suburbs of Washington, in
the vicinity of Edgemoor, Somerset
Heights, Bethesda, Highland Park
Battery Park. Woodmont. Northwest
Park, Chevy Chase, Md, Forest Glen
Silver Spring, Takoma Park and a
number of other smaller communities
and the opposition in all of these
seems to be almost, if not wholly
unanimous
''In Arlington County, Virginia
wherever the proposition has been con
sidered and an expression obtained
the opposition has been almost as
strong as in Maryland; as with the
| Memorial Bridge, now under construc
tion; the proposed 200-foot Lee High.
way Boulevard from the Memorial
Bridge, through the county, to and
through the coming great Shenandoah
National Park, to the Valley of Vir.
ginia: and the proposed extension OF
the District of Columbia park system
into the county, as we'll as into the