Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-13

they can possibly prevent it. and shall not
be allowed to work successfully if put in
Success of the Underground system.
He referred to the success of the under
ground system in this city, and said:
Now 1 ask, Mr.. Speaker that this House,
with its great power and influence, shall
protect the people of this country from the
further domination of these two great
trusts. Where are these men now that have
stood about ne in this hall on both sides
condemning trusts? VIII they come to the
rescue in this practical matter? You adopt
this amendment that l have proposed TO
line IL of section of this bill, compelling ii
to put in an underground electric system,
and this road will thea feel that it has Con-
gress behind 1t to protect it and justify it
in putting this in. 1t can be put in cheaper
than any other system where the lines are
compelled to run in the centerS of cities,
not out on dirt roads, but anywhere on
paved streets in Cities
Referring to the overhead trolleys he said
These great dominant unprinc ipled
trusts have pursued this system with the
malignity of the internal regions. Why?
They would have put it in themselves had
they not these millions invested in this over
head trolley system that is hindering the
free use of fire department apparatus to
eXunguish StireS in every street in large
cities; that is hindering the supplying of
Hfe-saving apparatus to run up on build
ingS to save human life; that is charging
the electric rails in the city so thoroughly
with electricity that they are destroying
iron water pipes and starting fires and caus
ing millions of dollars of damage by fires;
that is causing the deaths of scores and
scores of people by the wires being broken
and people coming In contact with them
and by being touched by the men who are
repairing them and men travelling under
them. Yet because of the money that they
have invested in these trolley systems they
are lighting this to the death. But il has
been thoroughly tried under circumstances
so exceptional, so difficult to overcome and
has run SO successfully and so continuously
over comparatively short but very difficult
lines-more difficult than hundreds of miles
would be of ordinary roads-that the ques-
ton Is settled beyond the stage of expert
ment
One Object Lesson for Other Cities.
Now, let me speak to the point that
the gentleman has made that want this
amendment put in. 1 want this Congress to
put this in the bill so that the committees
that are appointed by all city governments
may have an object lesson, so that the citi-
2ens of other cities may know by our works
and by our acts that they need be no fur
Their imposed upon and no longer abused by
this cruel, this heartless, this remorseiess
combination of interests that has no reGard
for human life the comforts of the citi-
zens- Again, these cable lines are but a
very coarse, crude and comparatively an
clent system as compared with this far bet
I ter, cheaper and safer device, and the cables
require greater expense In putting them
In and running them than ought to be in
CURED by this line. Further, they are in
comparably more dangerous to human life
in this city than this system would be- A
car can be stopped by this system almost
instantly; and you know of the many, MANY
deaths that have been caused here from the
want of power to quickly stop these cable
cars, and l am not willing for my part
that there should be further j. stances of
that kind in the city of Washington.
Scoring the Trusts.
Let me say that this great combine-I
know something of what am talking about;
1 am not talking at random-that this great
| combined interest, with its immense wealth
/ of millions and millions, has in its pay
every electrical engineer of this country re-
| tanned in its own cases, who is of sufficient
| reputation to have his head at all above the
common level of electrical engineers: and