The Washington critic., 1886-07-06
WASHINGTON. JULY o, 1886.
GAS FOR THE DISTRICT.

tton OF the affairs OF the w asnlngtOn
Gaslight Company have come to one
conclusion which is all important The
members OF the committee, or whom
10 is proper to assume that they are
wholly disintercsted and have no pur.
pose to serve but that of the public
good, are convinced by the evidence
which has been placed before them
not only that the complaints of citizens
as to the cost and quality of gas and
the company $ methods OF management,
are well founded, but that abuses exist
Of such nature as to warrant legisla-
tive interference. This of itself shows
that the investigation was needed and
that 1t has borne good fruit. The great
question now is, what is best to bc done
to remedy the faults of the present
system, to protect the people from i'm
position and extortion, to prevent re-
currence Of the evils TO which they
have long been subjected and TO insure
for the future honest gas, reasonable
prices and economical management in
the interest of consumers?
1t is understood that the Committee,
having reached the conclusion that
radical reforms are necessary, are some
what divided in opinion as to the most
direct and effective means for carry
ing them oUt but are more disposed to
place the company under corrective re-
strictions, thus perpetuating its mon
opoly, than to dissolve the corporation,
condemn its property and transfer the
control of the gas works to the hands
Of the Government.
The latter policy is the one which
THE CRITIC has recommended from
the outset and to which 1t still adheres.
The evidence produced before the
Committee but strengthens us in this
position.
1t will of course be great benefit to
the people to have the price of gas re.
duced to dollar per thousand feet and
to have proper system of inspection
and measurement and to be furnished
with coal instead of water gas. This,
however, is but temporizing with the
difficulty. There is even no certainty
that reduction in price will reduce
the size of the monthly bills. The
monopoly will at any rate remain,
somewhat curtailed of its powers, it Is
true, but still monopoly, and in the
natural course of events have again to
be dealt with by legislative discipline
These close and wealthy corporations
can never be kept under such surveil.
lance as not in some way to take ad-
vantage of the public for their own en-
richment Such surveillance may be
under the peculiar system prevailing
in the District of Columbia, where the
Government pays half the expenses in
consideration of depriving the citizen
of all representation, the danger Is
many times multiplied. 1t were bet
ter to kill the snake at once than to
scotch 1t.
1t Is certainly Of no advantage to
the Government to have its gas meas
ured out by private company, no
matter how strict the regulations i'm
posed upon the company. Light and
water are elements so universal and so
indispensable to all classes and under
all circumstances, that they should be
furnished to the people at as nearly
the cost price of the supply as posi-.
BILE. Neither Government nor citizen
would be willing to buy its water by
the quart or barrel of q private COR
poration. AS in the case of gas, eXpe.
rience would soon prove water to be
luxury, whereas no necessity of life
can be placed in such category with.
out wrong dealing by those who con
sumo these articles
In the interest of economy, justice,
convenience and sound public policy
therefore, we hold that the Government
should take the gas works and furnish
illuminants for the District upon tht
same plan that it furnishes water, thu
securing great saving of expense t
itself and to the community at large
Whether a similar course would b.
advisable in other large cities is no
the question. The conditions tina
exist here do not exist elsewhere; cor
sequently analogies are not the same
Here the General Government is
party largely and Immediately in ii
terest, and in becoming its own manu-
facturer has its own as well rs the ger
eral good of the District to consult.
ACCORDING to the Rajhoay age thei
will have been laid by the end Of th
year not less than six thousand mile
of new railroad track. Over soventee
hundred miles have been already lai,
since the first of January. Conslderin
the excessive additions that have bee
made TO our railway mileage in the r.
cent past, especially from 1880 to lss
inclusive, and the disastrous cons
quences that in many cases followed,
may safely be assumed that the projec
now under consideration are as a ru
legitimate and justified by busine
necessities In this view the situatio
is to be regarded MS healthy and rea
suring.
1P Mr.. INGALLS, is correctly r
ported, he has rather peculiar reaso
for opposing the nomination Of NJ
Matthews to be Recorder of Deeds fc
the District of Columbia. lie is r.
ported TO have said that Mr.. Matthew
is a good man and fully competent
perform the duties of the office, but h
is q colored man and Democrat, an