Smoke Control, the Railroad, and Washington, D.C.
On January 18 and 29, 1907, the Committee on the District of Columbia moved to amend an act originally approved on February 28, 1903. The act was called, “An Act to Provide for a Union Station in the District of Columbia, and for Other Purposes.” Section 2 of the act states that the provisions of “An Act for the Prevention of Smoke in the District of Columbia, and for Other Purposes” should be applied to all steam locomotive engines used on any railway in the District of Columbia. Though there would be initially high costs, electric locomotive operation would actually be far cheaper and cleaner. The Commissioners of the District of Columbia and the U.S. Senate were both in agreement for this act to pass. However, railway companies argued that there would be “grave difficulties” should Section 2 become a law. It was recommended by the chairman that the rail lines be electrified, however, the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, A.J. Cassatt, claimed that it would not be practical to eliminate the use of bituminous coal in locomotives. At the end of the 55 pages of statements, Henry B.F. MacFarland, President of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia, discusses the unfairness of the smoke law as it stood. He said:
"Our own plant owners are being discriminated against every day in favor of the railroads. The two hundred and over locomotives which are pouring forth this smoke at all times are allowed to go scot-free, while our own plant owners are taken into the police court and fined." [1]
He also calls out railroad owners for having admitted to already complying with the Comissioners' requests in other locations, "They have admitted, Mr. Chairman, that elsewhere they are doing the very things which we desire to have them do here." [2] MacFarland concludes by speaking on behalf of the people of the District of Columbia, expressing how disappointing it was to have representatives of the railroad corporations not cooperate to "do away with this intolerable nuisance." [3]
The meeting ended with no definitive decision made by 12:00 PM on Tuesday, January 29, 1907.
[1] Union Station, Washington, D.C. -- Proposed Application of Smoke Law to Locomotives. Committee on the District of Columbia. Senate. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1907. From ProQuest, 2008. https://congressional.proquest.com/congressional/result/pqpresultpage.gispdfhitspanel.pdflink/$2fapp-bin$2fgis-hearing$2fe$2f3$2fc$2f5$2fhrg-1907-dcs-0002_from_1_to_57.pdf/entitlementkeys=1234%7Capp-gis%7Chearing%7Chrg-1907-dcs-0002
[2] Committee on the District of Columbia, 1907.
[3] Committee on the District of Columbia, 1907.