Evening star., 1932-05-08
Fifty Years Ago
I'm The Star

"The growing opposition to the tele-
gTaph-pele nuisance" says The Star of
oLJ W.. May 3, 1882, rs
Are Denounced, fact HStt that s..ta the cN9 New
mittee appointed to investigate this
matter has just made unanimous re-
port denouneing the practice of defac-
ing and obstructing city streets with
telegraph poles and wires as a scandal
Gus evasion, II not positive violation,
of existing statutes The report pro-
nounces the abolition of these nuisances,
hy laying the wires underground, per-
feetly feasible. and it recommends
legislation to direct all telegraph. tele-
phone and electric light companies now
maintaining such wires ON poles in the
City OF New York to put them under
ground before the first of January,
1aa5. Meanwhile 1t proposes to pro-
hibit very efficiently the erection Of new
lines Of wire on poles hy giving every
citizen statutory authority to tear them
down at his pleasure,
"Our District Commissioners, who
are entitled to the credit of being the
first municipal Government to make q
stand against this nuisance. should find
encouragement in this action in main
tanning their ground. The beautiful
streets of Washington should not be
dishgured by these hideous telegraph
poles nor the fine shade trees DESTROYED
or mahgled to make way for the myriad
webs Of air-strung wires"
I'm England all the railway news
sLaRas, says The Star of May s. 1882.
An English by q single firm, a con-
Monopoly. dttion Of things that is
o,her news dealers or by publishers.
And beth parties have, as is eacy to
see, good reasons for dissatisfaction
Rival dealers naturally want an appor-
tunity for sharing so profitable field
OF trade as is afforded by the enormous
railway travel in that country, while
publishers have even greater cause Of
complaint, since the firm holding such
an extensive and valuable franchise
virtually controls the greater part of
the periodical and newspaper trade of
the United Kingdom. This control
they abuse by carrying 1t to the extent
OF exercising a sort OF censorship over
the press, in ordering and keeping on
hand only a limited supply Of some
publications and by absolutely refusing
to sell others and preventing their being
sold Restive under such an irrespon-
slhle and oppressive dictatorship, 0ne
wealthy publisher has adopted plan
Of beooming shareholder in one of
the leading railway lines, and in that
capacity he offered motion at its late
annual meeting to the effect that the
interests OF the company as We'll as
those OF the public would be better
served by having its station traffic
thrown open to competition, by either
inviting proposals from rival dealers
or allowing two or more stands in each
streng for him, however, and his reso-
luton was voted down. Nevertheless, he
does not propose To retire from the con-
test. He now announces his deter
mlnation to become shareholder in
every railway in the United Kingdom
and agitate the question at the annual
meetings until he succeeds in breaking
down the monopoly. The plan proposed
IS an expensive one and will involve a
good deal Of time and trouble on the
part of the irate publisher before sue
cess Is won, but there is little doubt
that he will at least werk a reform in
the matter II he follows it up, as he
promises"
1T will be seen that the District ply
sicians who have testified before the
pg... r. Senate River Front
Flats Vause Committee" says The
OF Malaria. Star of May s, 1882,
'are quite generally
OF the opIpian that the presence of the
Potomac marshes in front of the city Is
the main cause of the malarial troubles |
here and that the reclamation of the |
fats weuldehave the most beneficial ef- |
feet upon the health of the city. The |
testimony of Drs. Billings, Townshend, |
Garnett, Bulkley and Lincoln In this |
connection Is of Importance DR.. Bill !
lings, who is a member of the national |
board Of health and has lived in Wash |
ington for II years, thinks the reclama-
tion Of the fats would cause an im- |
proyement In the health OF the city, es-
pecially in the lower part, but advises
that the plan for the flushing lake,