Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-14
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

In its issue of December II, 1880, The
Star made the following editorial COM
Y-As ment on q new means
A'- Wv Of rapid transit which
the Herdic. was shortly to be in
PRODUCED In Washing
ton:
1T Is announced that the Herdic
coaches, such as have lately come into
use in Philadelphia, are shortly to be
introduced in Washington. If this be
done, the public will doubtless be ac-
commodated in some measure, and the
business may be made reasonably profit
able. If. however, the Philadelphia
plan Of running them on streets occu-
pied or partly occupied by horse cars,
or only on stated routes, be adopted
here, they will not meet the require
ments Of our situation. The street car
service of Washington is not like that
OF Philadelphia. Ours Is as good and
as cheap as that of any city in the
country, and the interchange of tickets
leaves very little ground Of complaint
on that score. What Washington needs,
and what she Is bound to have before
long, is a good supply of light, strong
one-horse vehicles, easy Of entrance and
exit, which will carry one or two per-
sons, and a reasonable amount of bag
gage. cheaply and quickly to any part
of the city-Something, in short, an
swering to the cab system of London.
1t Is strange that our stable-keepers
and hackney-carriage owners do not
realize this want and take measures to
meet 1t, before some outside parties
come In and take the business out of
their hands"
'The question how to abate the nui-
Sance of the river 'front.'" says The Star of
d.: IT,. December IS, 1880,
@"A'0A C1VhC has been discussed
Improvement. h.H rea csnt,;,:s Tor
has been reported upon time and again
by engineer commissions, and has been
written upon to the extent Of thousands
OF yards of newspaper columns by nom
experts and theorists of all sorts. It
would seem that every possible light
had been thrown upon the question,
and that we might now proceed TO ac-
ton. But no sooner does it seem poSsi-
pie that the talk may be crystallized
into the shape of work. and that Con-
gress may authorize the reclamation
OF the malarial fats, than the familiar
Tribe OF objectors-the veteran Old
Men OF the Sea- who have in the past
fastened themselves upon the shoulders
OF every project of improvement-come
70 the front again with their eternal
cloud OF cavil against any definite plan
proposed. We submit on behalf of the
long-sufering public that 1t is quite
time these DIRECTORS should be sup
pressed, and that some plan of abatinR
tne river nuisance should be UNDER
taken at once. II 1t proves inadequate
When tested, let us try another; but In
the name of civilization and modern
progress, let us put an end to this eter-
nal daWdling, and juvenile debating So
clety style Of discussion, and do sonne-
Inlng. AS good course as any would
De TO ask Congress to authorize the
work to be done on the plans and under
Inc olrectlon OF Government engineers. |
rms would do away with the possibility |
That the work would get into the hands !
OF lobbers, or men with impracticable |
MOBILES; and would at the same time
insure the economical disbursement of |
Cne money. The necessity for reclaim. |
ing the Potomac marshes adjacent to
the Capital is conclusively set forth bv |
PRESIDENT Hayes in his message. and |
congress Is quite evidently in the mood |
70 follow up the Presidents RECOMMEND |
oation. All that is needed nov to Sc |
cure legislation to carry out the inn
proyement is concerted action on the |
part OF our influential citizens to sup
press the jobbers, and men with hobbies.
ana to urge upon Congress the consid-
grafton Of the question at this session.
30 That work can be commenced with-
put delay. The Committee of one
Hundred would add another item "a
their important public services by tak- |
ing this matter of river Improvement [
IN hand with the same energy that 4
characterised their successful Campaign
N securing from Congress the euualiza-
ton OF District expenses between the |
government and the people OF the Dis.
;rict."