Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-20


The Cincinnati Commercial Gazette does not dis
Gus the questions TN Terrifying the dang arou3 and
uusightly telegraph, Telephone ami electric-light
plr-aEi-wire nuisance with the breadth and fair
ness Which the r. ,iers OF that mtrveOu5 Journal
fSt!c combination nave right to expect. Refer
ring 10 the late awful dis rster at Milwaukee last
week, II takes occasion to say:
"The attempt To charge the destruction OF the
milwaukee, fire trap hotel to the telegraph AMI
telephone wires IS an absurfity. II comes in con-
necton with a demand that the telegraph and
telephone service shall ne underground, which, as
our streets are, IS an impOoSiDiuty. Ii Congre IS
tries 10 force the WASH IA ton wires under ground,
on pretenSe that they are not eStheIic, 1t will do
mischief"
so far as we have observed nobody has under
taken to charge the destruction OF the Newhan
House directly to the telegraph and telephone
wires What the business men of Milwaukee did
In the premises was 10 send numerously signed
petition TO the city authorities asking that all the
wires in the central part OF the city should be
taken down at once and placed underground, for
the reason that those upon poles shave proved
very serious obstacles to the fire department in
doing efficient service in cases of fire," and they
cited the terrible circumstances attending the
burning OF the hotel in QUESTION as fully support
Ing their allegations II Is notorious that the net
work Of wires surrounding that establishment
prevented the lremen from pl 4cing their ladders
and lre-sayng apparatus against its walls, and it
Is certain that many lives That were lost there
could have been Sivad but .or this troublesome
obstacle The SUM state of things has occurred
repeatedly IN other cities, ana it Is wen known
taal hrenen everywhere regard the air-Strung
WirsS as the greatest diff .ulty with which they
have 10 deal In ighting with fire In high buildings
The statement of our c0temrOr .ry that the
plaGA5 OF wires ind 'rIrOunt. las our streets are,
Is an possibility" is so absurd on It's flce, and
SO at Variance with the facts, that Is surprised
20 see IL made in any Intelligent newspaper.
There IS special condition of the street systems
OF this country which does not also belong to The
streets of European cities, and there the subter-
ranean placing OF wires has never been regarded
as al 'impos5Ibil1ty." On the other hand that
method is quite common in n a ~ all European
couutrieS- And hot only does jt prevail largely In
cites. but the underground system is being
adopted even in the rural and wooded districts
from motives o. economy ami certainty In work
fng- The wires along the railway from Paris to
Nancy, a stretch OF one hundred and seventy
miles. are laid beneath the surface OF the earth
for the whole distance and large force OF men is
now at work In placing underground the wires
along the line OF the Paris, Lyons and Hediter-
ranedn Railway, from Paris To MareilleS a dis
tance OF over four hundred miles. SO far, there
Iore, from the suoterranean system being 81 I'm.
possibility, II IS lOuni TO be both practicable and
advantageous on the other side of the Atlantic
and there is no reason that 1t should
not be adopted and made successful in this
country except the stuboornneSs and greed OF the
corporations owning the wires and the want OF
PLUCK on the part OF the public authorities
Equally unngenuous and unworthy Is the I'M
putatton sought 10 be conveyed by the CONNER
cal Gtzette, that air-Strung wires are opposed In
washington ION pretense that they are not seS-
thetfc." The fast that they unsghtly Is not
overlooked, as II should not be; but the objections
TO them are based upOa much broader and deeper
grounds. The poles and wires. as they now exist
on the principal streets or most cities, Interfere
with the rights and privileges OF private citizens,
and they dangerous TO life and property as
has been repeatedly and most conclusiyely shown.
For these reasons they should be removed.
The republicans, at their caucus yesterday after
noon, decided TO Begin the tariff debate in the
House next Tuesday. All OF the large appropria-
ton bills win then be out Of the way except the
legislative, Sundry civil and deficiency, which
almost necessarily are delayed till the Closing
days or each session, The tariff bill Is to have
precedence over all other business. except appro-
priation bills. The caucus set narrow limits to
general debate allowing only four hours In all for
this purpose. The democrats ana low tariff men
Will object 10 such restrictions, may Ilibuster
Tor more time After general debate is exhausted
there will be opportunity for flve-mnute speeches
On amendments while the bill Is considered by
sections In committee OF the whole. No one
attempts to guess what will be the parliamentary
adventures OF the bill when once IL has been
launched upon the House. The debate on the
subject last winter consumed a month and
greater interest exists now than then II is
pretty safe to say that the discussion VIII OCCUPY
the greater part Of the remaining weeks of the
Session.
Nothing new was developed I'm yesterdays sena-
tOrial contests. In Minnesota, Michigan AMI Col
Orado the fight has settled down into siege as
tedious as tniS weeks weather, with Indications
there as here OF "cold wave" coming for some OF