Evening star., 1926-03-28
BELT LINE MENACE
AND LACK Of NEED
CITED BY ITS FOES
Railway and Business Lead
erS Join Humble Home Own
erS in Senate Attack.
NATIONAL DEFENSE IDEA
CLOUD ON ISSUE, CLAIM
Effort to Get Congress to Aid Plans
Damaging It's National
Capital Is Charged.
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY.


Drawing q desolate picture OF the
devastation which would sweep
through the great metropolitan dis
trict Of the National Capital, by the
construction of the proposed belt line
railroad, which would rob and cast
To naught the lifetime savings of
thousands of residents placed In
homes on the faith of the Federal
Governments plans for the most
beautiful capital of the world. OPP
ponents of the railway appeared yes.
terday before the subcommittee on
bridges of the Senate committee on
commerce. The committee was holding
a public hearing on the bill of Senator
Curtis of Kansas, which would au-
thOrize the Washington and Lough-
borough Belt Line and Terminal Co..
to erect a bridge across the Potomac
River above the present Chain Bridge
and connecting Montgomery County,
Md, and Fairfax County, Va.
AT the hearing were representa-
tives Of the most humble citizen
whose every dollar is being placed in
home in what is planned 10 be the
great metropolitan district of the Ma
tional Capital, and representatives of
the greatest capital, the big railroads
and representatives between these
two extremes, the business men of
the Capital City. civic orga mutations
of this city and the adjacent counties
in Maryland and Virginia, standing
together and presenting a united
frontal attack on the measure. such
as perhaps has not been seen on any
Federal legislation in many years.
Only Friends of Bill.
Only the promoters of the Lough-
borough project. which stands just
across the District Line in Maryland,
lying along the River road.A and into
which it is proposed to turn a great
railroad yard. appeared in favor of
their bill Not even the railroads
they claimed they would connect with
stood with them. In fact. there was
testimony that it was project not
needed.
The proponents, in presenting their
side, held il up as a. great national
defense move, and then offered as
witnesses Rear Admiral Austin NJ.
knight. L. s n, retired. and Maj.
Gen. Hanson NJ. Ely. commandant of
the Army War College, to uphold
this contention. Gen. Ely spoke gen
orally of belt line projects, admitted
he knew nothing as to the value of
this particular project and empha-
sized the fact that he was expressing
a personal opinion and was not there
as representative of the War De-
partment.
Urge National Aspect.
The proponents then sought to urge
the committee to cast aside any con-
stderation of the local interests in
volved and consider the project only
as a national aspect, in Which local
opposition should have no voice for
any reason Such an attack on the
project, they contended, was not
proper one for the Federation legisla-
ton TO consider, but one that has, been
delegated to an executive government
al body. notably the interstate com
merce Commission.
Although Senator Bingham of Con
necticut. chairman of the subcommit-
tee holding the hearing, reminded the
opponents of the measure that the
committee was chiefly concerned with
the matter of the effect which the
nroposed bridge would have on navi-
cation; nevertheless he stated to the
writer after the hearing that this dld
not mean that the committee would
not give consideration to the matters
the great damage which would be
done bv the proposed belt line to the
metropolitan area Of the Capital City.
In fact. Senator Bingham said, that
the committee in the past, when
bridge matters We're under considera-
ton, always sought information from
the States and areas surrounding such
nroiects to ascertain their desirabili-
ty. and any other information which
might give the committee data on
which to act, aside from the mere con-
sideration as an obstructor or deter
rent of navigation.
Bill to Rest for Weeks.
The subcommittee will not consider
the bill further for another week. In
the meantime it is expected that
briefs will be filed by other opponents
for the measure, and this is the real
purpose of the delay. He pointed out
that obviously the committee could
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