Evening star., 1940-05-26
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

asks The Star Of May
RolIrood Fight "a, 1890, would dare to
Continues present to foreign
corporation without
compensation public property Illegally
occupied by it, legalizing its illegal acts,
confirming its illegal occupation and en-
couraging it to continue its disregard Of
all law? What city fathers elsewhere
would dare to constitute for the benefit
Of one foreign corporation, singing 1t out
from other corporations, special legis-
lative tribunal? What city fathers else
where would bestow the additional prop
erty and privileges above mentioned upon
a corporation to which valuable property
and privileges had already been granted
and which had indicated its apprecia-
tion of the gifts by persistently violating
local laws and by steadily resisting every
effort on the part of the public to secure
an improvement Of the conditions Of its
occupation? What city fathers elsewhere
would dare pass measure which perpet-
uated evils that threaten the lives, limbs
and property Of the people, which the
local community has for many years
been endeavoring to cure? Certainly no
city fathers anywhere else than at the
Capital would venture upon such legisla-
tion without making the necessary ar
rangements for prompt departure to
Canada. Yet Congress is asked to do all
these things by the Atkinson Mcpherson
railroad bill, soon to be considered by
the House and by the Senate District
Committee. And the members of the
two houses Of Congress are unquestion-
ably under the Constitution the city
fathers of the Capital. entrusted with the
protection of its interests against all who
may threaten. Congress, as the local
Legislature, has frequently been justly
reproached in the past as being negli-
gent guardian; it is now proposed that it
shall not merely deny its wards reason
able requests for protection of life, limb
and property against an illegally en-
croaching railroad, but shall make itself
perniciously active by sacrificing entirely
the city's interests for the corporations
benefit. Washington implores Congress.
If it cannot be an ideal local ruler, to be
King Log rather than King Stork"
"The friends Of the District" says The
Star of May "a, 1890, "are very hopeful
of getting reconsider
Pleu to Sove alton of the vote by
Rock Creek which the Rock Greek
Park bill was defeated
on the last District day and of securing
the passage of the bill. The matter
comes up in the regular order on District
day and the vote will be taken on Mr..
Hemphill's motion to reconsider, without
discussion. Something must be done
with Rock Greek. 1t must be preserved
to the District to the exclusion Of pri-
vate or business occupation, or it must
be made into an open sewer. II manu-
factories or private dwellings are per-
mitted to occupy the sloping banks Of
the creek it will be impossible to connect
Herewith the sewerage of the city and
all the sewage from that slope must
empty into the creek. The creek will
then have to be walled in and made q
sewer. Aside from the sanitary consid-
Grafton, those who think only Of the cost
of the work are confronted with the
fact that it will cost several times as
much money to make the creek into a
sewer as it will to preserve the creek and
valley as park. The House has to
choose between q 'Wissahickon' and .
Jones Falls The Jones Falls Of Balti-
more furnishes good example Of the
expenses and disadvantages Of making .
creek into an open sewer.
Speaking to Star reporter today
Senator German said: Tt will never do
to convert Rock Greek into sewer. We
have had our experience In that line In
Baltimore. You want to preserve Rock
Greek Valley from private occupation
and to keep the waters free from sewage
Baltimore has q creek running through
the city and the shortsightedness Of the
corporation in not keeping its banks free
from private occupation is regretted by
the people Of that city. Twenty years
ago it was required Of the property
holders along the border Of the creek to
take care Of that part upon which their
property abutted. Later It became evi.
dent that thu cfrnoration mist taxa