Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-28
LIGHTING, PUBLIC PARKS
Col. Wilson HSs Deferred Action Until the
Opurt Dsoides.
o. the Advice of he Attorney GEN
eral He viii Await the Settlement
Of the PendinE Suit.

Acting upon the advice Of Attorney Gen.
eral Harmon, Col. J. NJ Wilson, the en-
gineer officer In charge Of public buildings
and grounds. will take no further action
In the matter of the electric lighting Of
the public parks until the courts have pass
ed on the main questions at issue between
the District Commissioners and the Poto-
n'ac Electric Power Company and the
United States Electric Light Company as
TO the right Of the Potomac company to
open streets and avenues in the city of
washington east of Rock creek for the
purpose of laying conduits.
owing to the serious differences Of opin-
Ion among the various local authorities
as to the legal right of the District Com
mlssioners TO grant permission for such
work, ana for the better protection Of the
interests OF the government in the matter,
Col. Wilson thought it best to get the off,
clal views of the law officer of the govern
Lent before committing himself to any
particular line of action.
Data Furnished.
He furnished the Attorney General with
all the data in his possession in regard to
the electric illumination Of the public parks
and the controversy between the rival
electric light companies, including a brief
statement of the law making appropriation
for the electric lighting OF Franklin, La
fayette, Lincoln and Judiciary parks, u
schedule OF the bids received for the work
from the United States and<Potomac COM
panleS and copies of the extensive CORE
sponuence with the District Commissioners
On the subject. which includes the opinion
OF Inc attorney for the District of Column
bla and the majority and minority reports
OF the Commissioners of the District
Ihe bid of the United States company for
nghtns the parks was at the rate of IS
cents lamp. and the bid of the Potomac
company was q cents a lamp. But for
the doubt of the legal right of the Potomac
company to operate in territory east of
ROCK creek the contract for the work
would undoubtedly have been awarded to
tnat company as the lower bidder.
The Course of Safety.
In view of the existing legal compiled
lions between the various parties at inter-
est, Col. Wilson concluded. however, that 1t
would be the part Of safety to defer action
Tor the present, and at least until he had
secured the opinion from the Attorney
General as to the advisabiity of proceed
ing with the work of Introducing electric
lights into the government parks without
awaiting the settlement of the question
pending before the courts as to the right
or the District Commissioners to contract
with the Potomac company for lighting
certain streets and avenues in the territory
east of Rock creek.
Official Advice.
AS already stated, the Attorney General
has advised Col. Wilson to defer ac ton in
the matter until after the legal questions
have been passed upon by the courts II
the courts decide that there is no legal OBJ
lection to the extension of the system of
the Potomac Electric Power Company to
the territory east of Rock creek it is a
reasonable assumption that that company
Will receive the contract for lighting the
public parks for which appropriation has
been made.