Evening star., 1894-03-02
BLAME ON CONGRESS
So-called Economy Has Refused Money for
Underground Wires.
The Commissioners Reply to the Sem
ate I'm Regard to the Wires
on 1-2 Street.

The Commissioners this afternoon re-
turned the resolution of the Senate relative
to the abandonment of the underground
conduits in which the District wires were
run and the construction of an overhead
branch, together with their report upon the
subject. 1t will be recalled that the Com
missioners were directed to report forth
with If they had given such orders, and, IL
so, under what authority of law they had
acted.
After a careful resume of the case, to-
gether with copies of all correspondence on
the subject between the superintendent Of
telegraph and telephone and the attorney
for the District. the Commissioners con-
clude as follows:
The opinion that it was not the purnose
OF the legislation referred to in the lesolu-
tlon to prohibit the reconstruction of the
electflc line as proposed in the order of the
commissioners. seemed to the Commission
efs TO derive essential support from the use
OF the word additional' in the prohibition
referred to. as the action contempla: led by
tne commissioners order was not the con-
structlon OF an additional line but the mod
fre.,, reu psrpetuation OF an existing one; also
from lhe wording Of the specific appropria-
uon Ior purchase of poles and other ma :
.eriai Tor the extension and repair Of the
llnes OF the telegraph and telephone service.
rhrala, m.en mas been repeated IN the same
Iidseoiogy IN each subsequent annual ap-
preparation for the support of he District
government. The appropriation was ay,-
oehtiy made in that way in recognition of
The nrssity roy Tor the use Of poles to enable
.n .ie commissioners to meet among cther
'iitlss, emergencies such as rendered naces-
sdry the action they took in this case
IN Iurther support Of this view the Conn
Ihissiohers submit the fact that no annro.
pr1ation has been made TO nlaca tha ,pip,,I
eipdi wires underground or sufficient for
80 RECONSTRUCTION OF the section of ex-
ls.ins unserviceable conduit although the
attention OF Congress has repea tedIy haan
called by them to the adyisabiIitv of ~
Niulng for the construction and main
tenance of an underground municipal eIec-
tric system. As showing the persistence of
the Commissioners in their efforts to obtain
such an appropriation, they refer to The
item Of 100000 for underground CON
Outs embraced in their estimates for The
Ilscai year 1888 for purchasing. enlarging
and extending the electrical subways and
to the following extract from their annual
report with reference to that estimate viz /.
should Congress make this approximation
which is earnestly recommended. the prob
lem OF abating overhead wires of the tel
egraph and telephone services on highways
Will have found a satisfactory solution -
This recommendation has also been disre-
sarued by the appropriation committee of
the House of Representatives by the omis-
sion or any provision for underground. cleo
trical construction from the District ap-
proprfation bill for 1895. which II prepared
The Commissioners submit that the OBJ
ligation to main tain a fire alarm and police
signal electric system excludes the infer
ence that they could inculpably leave a
large portion of the city without the pro-
lection afforded by that system, because
they had not the means to prepare sec
ton of unserviceable underground line.
while they had at their disposal adequate
funds specifically appropriated to provide
material for keeping the system intact by
the construction Of an elevated connection
over the same route.