The morning times., 1896-01-30
TRUEsDat- UNDER FIRE
Subcommittee, Asked Sharp
Questions AbDullights.
POSING AS SPECIAL PLEADER
His Interest inG Getting Federal Lights
tee to Ask Him some Things-His
Dog-iHthc- Munger Attitude Regard
Ing New Condnlts. M ...5..-.

Mr.. Dockery, of tie Subcommittee on Ap
Preparations OF the House, is reported to
have knocked out Mr.. T1uesdcli as special
p!cadcr for the Potomac Electric Light
and Power Company la the very firstrOund.
The testimony taken before the committee,
If 1t ever sees The light, win make some
interesting reading.
The Potomac Company is, or has Eeen, be-
fore the subcommittee with proposition
to light public parks, streets. etc, for
81 in the city and e5 cents in the county
with arc lights. Incidentally that PROPOSE
ton Will include the lighting or Ecking-
ton, but with incandesoent lights, which
are the Kind practicable with the plant
which Mr.. TruesdeIt sold to the Potomac
| company
From all the accounts which have come
through the doors of tie subcommittee in
session, II is reasonably certain that Mr..
| Truesdell has done some very valiant dipio-
matte ana legal work for the Potomac COM
paDy. The public knows that. had not the
Potomac Company been placed IN the posi-
tion by permits granted by Mr.. Truesdeii
and the other Commissioners to string
| wires, they would not now be i'll position 10
be asking privileges toward the granting
of which Mr. Tucsdelrs arguments have
| been directed.
STILL LHARPING on STREETS.
Mr.. Truesdell in. his argument for the
Potomac company said that the Com
| missioners were not in favor of allowing
| the streets to be torn up, although he
| strongly insisted that the Commissioners
had been all the time anxious TO get
electric light AT a price cheaper than at
present. He even said that he would not
grant any permits for that purpose to any
new company for such privileges.
1t was at this point that Mr.. Dockery
| asked Mr.. TruesdelI the very significant
ana embarrassing question, what was
the difference between allowing the
streets TO be torn up by a new company or
by the Potomac company?'
Mr.. Truesdcll here made the extraordinary
defense that he did not regard the Potomac
company as n new company, but as one
already existing. He also stated that it
was not the intention to let the Potomac
co.apany III on the streets occupied by the
United States company. Inasmuch as the
public lighting by The United States Electric
Company is done on three or -four streets, If
the Potomac companyis deba rre,i from hose
streets, it would Be hardly possible for the
Potomac company TO make any contract
worth anything with the Commissioner at
all The public lighting amounts only to
about $4,000. '-'1
SOME SLIGHT CONFESSIONS.
In order to patch up the Inconsistency
OF this position, it IS reported now that
the aGammisstio9nsTS gre willing to let the
Potomac in on ope Side or The street.
while the United States company occupies
the other. This viii amount to tearing
UP OF the streets in any way it is consid-
cred although the Commissioners are on
record as obiecting TO the tcariug up of
streets for cheap gas companies or for
rival telephone companies.
Mr.. Truesdell- in his plea, made the
point that The Potomac company as at
present ruu was at the time of the grant
ing of the permits IAN old existing COM
pany." The news comes from Alexandria,
however that the company WIS chartered
there last Saturday.
Afr. Crosby, with Mr.. Lieb, who fig
ure 10 the proceedings in Injunction now
before the courts, have been the only tan
gible persons to deal with ever since the
purchase of Mr.. Trucsdelfs plant. This
question was incidentally touched upon by
the subcommittee when Mr.. Pitney asked
who the company We're. Mr.. Crosby de-
clined to answer this specifically.
In his desire to locate the personnel or
the company Mr. Pitney wanted to know
II anv officer in the District Commission
ers' office was connected with the COM
pany, to which Mr.. Crosby said no; ard
also that Mr.. Truestieli was not connected
with it. 1t was stated, however, to the
committee that the stock of the company
was $500, 900, 100000 of which was
paid in.
Mr.. Pitney said that the promises of
the company reminded him of the promises
of a PARTY out of power.
WHAT TRUEsDELL SAID.
1t is reported on good authority that
Mr.. TrusdcIl stated some time ago while
the permit business was in process of en-
actment, that the Potomac Company would
not come east OF Rock Greek 1t is evident
now that if the company be given the right
of constructing conduits to light public
parks and streets in Washington. they will
come very largely east OF Rock Greek.
/. 1t was learned last night from the office
of the lexington and Soldiers Home Rail-
way, the trolley line, that the lighting for
Mr.. TruesfeHs plant at lexington was
done at the power-bouse of the trolley
line. and that Mr.. Truesdelrs privileges
with that company have been transferred
to the Potomac Light Company. 1t thus
comes out that last summer when the Com
missioners were thought to be fighting the
| fapnai1 trolley
company had a business relation with Com
missioner Truesdeil.
And from the information gathered last
night that relation, was continued up to
the time of the sale of the TruesdeH plant
to the Potomac Electric Light Company.
In the absence of any explanation by Mr..
TruesdeH of the terms OF his sale to the
Potomac E.ectRic. Light Company it is
difficult to obtain information as to
whether he has, SOLD the trolley privilege
to the Potomac Company or only leased it.
ANOTHER LINE OF INQUIRY.
There are other matters, on which
it has been suggested that the Com
missioners should a make some inquiry
in case it be not first made by
the court in which the United States
Electric Light Company and the Potomac
are now involved. 1t is said that the Po-
! tomac company. Notwithstanding the in
junction of the court, has built a conduit on
NJ street, in Georgetown, and that, via
this, the electric cars are run on the west
side of the Aqueduct Bridge.
If not by overhead wires, how else does
the power cross the bridge? Mr.. Trues-
dell is the police Commissioner and the con-
nection of wires from the power house with