Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-24
STREET RAILROAD PROBLEMS.
An Interesting Discussion Of them In the
Senate.

AN interesting D1scusS10n OF them In the
Senate.
CONSIDERATION OF TIE DISTRICT APPROPRIATION
BILL LEADS UP TO THE suBJEcr-wAsIuNoro
cAE-TRAcKs CRITIclsRD-MorIvE POWER AND
DEArH-DEALrSe WIRES.
The District appropriation bill was the sub
ject under consideration in the Senate yester-
day afternoon. Shortly after O'Clock Senator
Plumb, chairman Of the subcommittee, moved
to take up the bill. The formal reading was
dispensed with, and the amendments by the
committee were reported, being in nearly
every instance agreed to without change.
CONSIDERATION OF LAND FOR STREETS.
The amendment giving the District Commits
sioners the powers of condemnation for streets,
alleys, roads, and highways was agreed to after
having itself been amended, on motion Of SEN
ator Sherman, 30 that in all cases where there
are no funds applicable to condemnation no
further proceedings shall be had until payment
OF the condemnation money, and all such con-
formations not paid from moneys furnished or
appropriated for shall, after twelve months
from their respective dates, become void for
all purposes. The original amendment limited
the term to six months.
ELECTRIC LIGHTING.
Mr.. Morrill, and Mr.. Plumb had little COLO
guy on the subject of electric lighting. The
committee thought that 40 cents per night for
each arc light was insufficient SO it had agreed
to report the following: That no more than 60
cents per night shall be paid for any light
burning from sunset to sunrise and no more
than so cents per night shall be paid for any light
burning from sunset to sunrise and operated
wholly or in part by overhead wires; and each
arc light shall be of not less than 1000 actual
candle-power, and no part of this appropriation
~
TENDER 30, 1889, by means Of the wires that
may exist on or over the streets or avenues of
the cities of Washington and Georgetown"
Mr. Morrill, moved to amend by substituting
forty" for fifty" before the second word
Scents" He was
OPPOSED TO OVERHEAD WIRES;
they should not be tolerated in Washington at
all They ought all to be placed underground.
He referred to the calamities which had over
taken persons and horses in various cities
where these wires had been strung overhead
MIR. Plumb called Mr.. Morrills attention to
the fact that none Of the appropriation would
be available for electric lighting by overhead
wires after the 30th of next September.
Mr.. Morrill,, however, insisted that it was
wrong to authorize the stringing and use of
such dangerous wires, even for few months.
He would lower the compensation. The differ
ence between 80 and 60 cents was not sufficient
to compel the companies to put their wires
underground one day before the law compelled
them to.
The reading of amendments and their adop-
ton was continued without interruption until
MIR. Vest saw his opportunity to say
SOMETHING ABOUT STREET RAILROADS.
He offered an amendment, which, as amended,
reads:
''All street-railway companies operating or
having tracks or road-beds on the streets of
the city OF Washington shall cause said rails
and road-beds to be made level with the sur
face OF the streets upon each side of said track
or roadbeds, so that no obstruction shall be
presented to vehicles passing over said tracks.
The cost OF making the changes herein re-
quired shall be paid by the corporations own
ing or operating said street-railroads, and if
after being notified by the Commissioners of
the District Of Columbia in writing to comply
with the terms of this act the said corporations
shall not within thirty days thereafter begin
the work required to complete the same within
a reasonable time it shall be the duty of the
Commissioners to cause the necessary changes
in said rails and road-beds to be made, and the
cost thereof shall be collected from the corpor-
ations respectively owning said steet-railrOads
by suit in the name of the United States. to be
instituted by the United States attorney for the
District of Columbia, against said corporations
or persons in the Supreme Court OF said
District"
MR.. EDMUNDs INDIGNANT AT THE DEFIANCE OF
LAW By THE RAILROADS.
Mr.. Edmunds at once became interested. He
was indignant because the street railroad COM
panies had treated the government and the
public with scorn. They had been required to
lay the fiat or groove rails in place of the T
rails. but in defiance of law they had continued
to put down the T rails, which were an utter
nuisance everywhere.
To this Mr.. Vest said "Amen"
Mr.. Cullom called attention to the condition
Of the tracks at 14th street and New York ave-
nue.. He thought it should be attended to at
once.
Mr.. Edmunds thought that the latter portion
OF Mr.. Vests amendment could be improved
little. If the corporation or corporations re-
ferred to do what the law required them to do,
the government should do the work. and in
stead of bringing an action against the COM
pany it had better issue warrant for the
amount expended. to be collected out of the
property of the delinquent then and there If
the collection was illegal the delinquent can
sue and rectify himself.
Mr.. Sherman thought that as they were on
the subject of railroads there was no better
time than the present in which to discuss
THE QUESTION OF MOTORS.
He said that the amendment offered by Mr..
Vest practically compelled the companies to re-
build their roads, and they might just as well
complete the business by compelling change
in the motive power. He was in favor of re-
quiring the railroad companies here with one
or two exceptions to put on different motive
power. He favored electricity, and said that
Notwithstanding the criticisms made in regard
to the electric road he believed it was going to
be the final railroad of the future. 1t might be
necessary for the companies to devise some
way of putting the wires below ground. but
even above ground. as the road now built here
shows, the electric road was far superior to any
other railroad in the city. He would be glad
to see that system adopted though it would be
better to put the wires below. The corpora
tions or at least two or three Of the principal
ones, were strong enough to be able to make
the change. He had been hoping that the
District committee would report some such bill
as was called for.
Mr.. West agreed with Mr. Sherman as to the
necessity for a change in motive power but
there was one difficulty which had not been
spoken of. The charters of the companies
gave them certain rights which would have to
be nullifed.
Mr.. Sherman thought that need cause no
concern; Congress would simply exercise its
power to repeal, alter, or amend.
CONGRESS TALKS AND DOES NOTHING.
Mr.. Hale said that the interference of Con-
gress would come none too early if it came at
once. The people Of no city in the country. said
he, are imposed upon and ill-treated as are the
people of Washington and the people who visit
Washington by the street-railway companies in
their manner Of conducting business. The
trouble is that every year it comes around and
the grievance is felt by everybody here, and
we grumble and illuminate and declare what
shall be done, and Congress goes by and moth
ing is done. The committees do not report any