Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-08-21
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

1.-THE action of the Commissioners, !"
says The Star Of August 10, 1888. in
~, w.. authorizing the overhead
Ahe NoSe VI system Of electric street
the Camel. railway on New York
avenue, in spite of pre-
vious ofnc!al representation on the sub
ject OF precisely opposite tendency, is Of
special importance in that 1t may be
viewed as constituting a precedent for
similar action in respect to all other lines
which are authorized by legislation to
use electricity as a motor. The Ecking-
ton and Soldiers Home railways will be
largely suburban, and 1t was on suburban
lines and on them alone that Capt. Grif-
fin. when thinking disinterestedly for the
people Of the District, declared the over
head electric system might properly be
tested. The ugly feature OF the present
case is, however, that the railway occu-
pies city streets as we'll as suburban roads
and that the decision Of the Commits
sioners in respect to the occupation Of
these streets by new poles and wires is
based upon grounds which will place the
whole city at the mercy Of the railway
companies desiring to use the overhead
electric system and authorized to use
electricity
1T had been supposed by those who
favor the burial of the overhead wires
and the adoption by the street railways
of various modern inventions for the con-
venience and comfort OF the public, that
If regulation Of these matters were given
to the Commissioners the desired ends
would be accomplished as we'll as If spe-
officially required by legislation. But if
hn laI ,f
trict government against overhead wires
does not suf1ce to prevent the Commits
sioners from adding a new variety to the
existing network, it will clearly be neces-
sary to ask from Congress specific pro-
visions for the public protection in such
legislation instead of general provision
placing the interests Of. the city in the
discretion Of officials who, notwithstand-
ing the expectations based upon previous
utterances, may change their minds"
4 A*
Gen. Boulanger has had the good
fortune to be shot at" says The Star of
por1oro.r August IA. 1888. Whether
oouiahsei he paid the assassin in ad-
in Luck, vance is not known, but
the cable dispatches about
the affair give it the air of having been
conducted in good faith. The general
always was lucky fellow and if he is
clever enough to give this adventure the
right turn it may restore him to some
thing like his old place in popular favor"
While the question Of overhead electric
wires within the city was matter Of
Fight Against keen KEEN I psD' .so sesia
Bobtail Cars. dents of the North
eastern section were
seeking better service than that afforded
by the one-horse cars running from the
Treasury to Fifteenth and H streets NE.
The Star of August Is, 1888. says:
1.-The bobtail Columbia street cars and
the bobtail herdics continue their merry
war, The question arises what will the
conscientious anti-bobtatl pledgers do
after the LIST of September. The prin-
ciple of opposition to the theory that
every man must be his own conductor Is
as fatal, of course, to conductorless
herdic as to a conductorless street car.
While the bobtail car is always objec-
tionable in crowded city streets and to
be abolished as rapidly as possible from
all cities, 1t is beginning to be evident
that The Star was right in assuming at
the outset of the fight that the main
grievances of the Northeast Association
were insufficient street railway accom-
modations at times and lack OF transfer
facilities, rather than the mere failure
OF the company to provide conductors