Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-18
PASSED THE SENATE
Metropolitan Bin Getting Close Now
to Enactment.
SOME CHA NGES MADE TODAY
An Underground System For the
Ninth and F Street Lines.
THE OLD JUD G M f n 7 S

| The Metropolitan railroad Dill. as II mas
| come to be called passed the Senate this
afternoon. and will now be sent to con-
| ference between the two houses. The bill
| was called up by Mr.. Mcmillan. who has
| had charge OF it Stree its passage by the
House. Mr. Mcmillan said that this was a
| very important bill for the District and
| settled a case that has given the railroad
| company a great deal of difficulty. The
| House. he said. has already acted upon It.
| and 1t was very necessary that the question
| that has arisen should be settled right
| away. The bill was then lead and the COM
| Mittee amendments were stated.
1 All went smoothly until the second sec
tion of the bill. the paragraph which author
I ICES and requires the company to equip It's
| lines with a pneumatic or with an UNDER
| ground electric system Ior propulsion was
| reached.
| When this had been read Mr. Stewart
| arose to inquire about the phrase "a pneu-
/ metic or with, which the Senate commit
tee inserted in the House bill.
Il would like to inquire" he said. Iii
there are any cars being run IN this country
| by pneumatic power. .-.sf -..
| There lave been attempts to run cars b.
| pr eumatic power. answered Mr. MCMILLAN.
| and there are experiments occasionally in
| that way. But the bill does not provide that
| the company shall apply pngunlatic power.
| 1t simply gives them autiAriO to use the
pneumatic system.
Il understand that" Mr.. tpart replied,
but is it not a fact that all ~ experiments
| far as this company Is concerned have
| been failures? Is it worth while to designate
in an act system which is failure
Il am not strenuous about that, said Mr..
Mcmillan. The bill only gives the railway
&C pany authority to use that power.
1T seems to me. said Mr.. Stewart. that
| it would be a subject Tor criticism IN iaat
n n tn n a
when there Is no such. power in Use. 1t
! would not do any good. 1t is not "a power
which is used In the United States"
MIR. Mcmillan accepted Mr.. Stewards sug-
| gestion, and the words relating to pneu-
matte power was stricken out, together with
| the word electric in the House bill, so
| that the section reads: That the said
Metropolitan railroad Company and the
same Is hereby authorized, empowered and
| required to- equip and operate the lines of
| Its cars upon AID along all the streets and
avenues of the cities of Washington and
Georsetowp, wftRin the District of Columbia.
where the lines Of its roads or any part
| thereof art now laid and operated, and; az
hereinafter provided. with an underground
| system for propulsion of such cars -.
| This language leaves the company free to
| operate a Gable On the 9th street Hnee which
Is comparatively straight. The plan Is, for
the company to equip the 9th street road
| on which 1.-the WORK will be first at rted.
| vi n a conduit, suitable either for under
! The Old Judgements.
The reading OF the bill was then continued
until Mr.. Mitchell of Oregon arose to Dues
| ton about the transfer of the old suit
\ against the company to the Court Of Ap-
1 peais of the District. He asked the ma ture
| Of the case So Hahsferred and Mr. McMu-
lar explained that 1t was an old claim for
| paving; running back many years, which
| the court has once decided in favor of the
company. on the pleading Of the statute OF
| limtatiohs The company had given way
| he said. on that point, and had consented
| to let the case go TO the Court of Appeals
| to be heard on its merits. Mr.. Mitchell was
| not altogether satisfied. because no app al
| had been taken Of the original Judgment
against the, District. Mr.. COckren came 20
the rescue of the bill with a statement that
| after the court had upheld the plea of hffiI-
tation an act of Congress was passed dsEz
feiting the charter Of the company unless
| 1t should pay, the original debt due, 10 -the
District. And now. he continued the COM
| pany claims that Ii would have won this
| case on Its merits without reference to the
statute Of limitation, and 1t Is willing to al
low the, case TO be tried by the court. This
| met Mr.. Mitchell's objection. but, he was
| not through with his criticism of the bill
| He asked IL 1t ware usual to charter a Com !:
pany and give 1t power to issue bonds with
out limiting their amount. Mn Mcmillan
explained ttAs this was not. the usual
| course. but that 1t Is necessary in this case
because 1t has been impossible to exactly
| estimate the cost of the Improvement The
| third section of the bill. which authorizes
the company to issue bonds to cover the
| cost OF the work, was passed without
| amendment
Using the Tracks.
Mr.. Mitchell next raised the question
! about the fifth section, which provides. in
| the language of the House BILL that the
| District Commissioners shall have the pow
| er to permit the use of the tracks of the
Metropolitan Company or other railroad
| companies upon certain conditions. The
Senate committee amended this provision
| by inserting the words: I'm all cases where
| the lines of one more companies coincide
under routes authorized by Congress. with
the route of the Metropolitan Railway Com
pany. and where the nature of the mechani-
cal power used by said ccmpany will al
low" Mr. Mitchell wanted to know why
this amendment was inserted. Mr.. McMil-
Ian explained that it was to limit the num-
Der of other roads, which used the tracks
| of the Metropolitan road on the 9th street
| line.
why not leave it 1t was In the House
| bill?' asked Mr. Mitchell This amend
| ment is intended to limit the use of the
| tracks and yet 1t does not limit ii at all"
| Mr. Mcmillan thought that it was neces-
| sary and that 1t covered all cases The in
| tention was originally, he said. to allow rail-
| roads. which cannot get into the heart of
| the city otherwise, to use the 9th street
| tracks But too many roads of this char
acter have applied for this privilege, and
| 1t is necessary to protect the public and
| the Metropolitan Company. MIR. Mitchell
| asked IL the House bill did not give the
| Commissioners sufficient power and discre-
| ton in the matter.
THAT Is hardly fair to assert" said Mr.
! Mcmillan. The Metropolitan road does not
| want horse power to run over their line af-
| ter the IMPROVEMENTS are made. and thus to
! interfere with their transit, which will be
| at higher speed. What would you do?"
| he asked I'm conclusion
| II would strike out the whole thing If
| had my way. answered Mr.. Mitchell.
But he did not have his way and Mr.
! Mcmillan refused to amend the bill. At Mr.
| Stewards suggestion an amendment was
| inserted In this same section, providing that
| the compensation for the use Of the tracks
shall be determined. in case Of disagree
| ment by the Supreme Court for the Dis
| trlct- The bill read: District Court of the
| United States for the District Of Column
| bia." n
| The Bill Passed.
The bill was then passed Mr. Mcmillan
was very happy when this had been accom-
| plished. This bill. he said to a Star re-
! porter later. IS one of the most important
| that has passed Congress this session in re-
! gard t. local matters: 1t settled q most OBJ
| noxious problem which has worried the
| company and the District authorities for
| Seye-aI wears and ple res the comDapy In q