The morning times., 1896-08-07

Acted in the Face of Mr.. Ross and
the Boards Legal Adviser.
Thebargain bet ween Commissioner Trues-
dell and the Potomac Electric Light and
Power Company, which was more than
hiDted at on the floor of the Senate, has
at last been apparently consummated by
Commissioners Iruesdell and Powell voting
to give the protege company contract to
light the. streets oil Washington cast and
west Of Rock Greek.
Commissioner Ross has voted against the
last act in a long list OF movements, be-
ginning IN November last, all or which
nave been condemned by Congress, and
which it now appoaIs had but one logical
conclusion-the granting OF special privi-
iegcs and franchises 10 The Potomac Light
and Power Company, which were not only
refused, but forbidden TO be exercised by
that company.
1t is not likely that the public has for
gotten the various stages OF the scheme
which las been worked by a majority Of
the Commissioners, but In view OF the ex-
traordnary proceedings of Messrs. Trues-
dell and Powell, who have been told
flauy by Mr.. Ross, the only lawyer on the
boa rd, that they are acting illegally, these
steps may warrant repetition.
About this time last year Mr.. Truesdell
had an incandesccnt electric light plant at
lexington. He had used 1t for some years
to give value to his lexington lots. 1t
had apparently served its purposes last
year and he wanted to sell it,
SOME LAST YEAR HISTORY.
He offered it to the United States Elec-
trio Light Company, bat that company did
not want il and declined to buy 1t. 1t
was desired to sell it after several annual
attempts had been made by Mr. Trues-
dell and Mai Powell i'll able arguments
before the committees Of the House to get
Congress to make appropriations for the
lighting of lexington, which appropria-
tons would have gone to Mr.. Truesdell's
plant
After these failures Mcssrs. Crosby and
Lieb, one of them friend OF Major
Powell, came to town and bought up the
plant of the old Potomac Electric Light
Company, operating in Georgetown. and
which had been sold at receivers sale. The
company was failure and it was tolerably
certain that any new attempt in the George
town territory alone would be "a similar
failure.
1t leaked out one day last fall that
Mr.. TrueSdell had sold his lexington plant
to Crosby and Lieb, and almost concur
rently it filtered through the press that the
Commissioners had issued per Inits to
Crosby and Lieb to extend overhead wires
eastw ard through the country with a
probable terminus at lexington. This was
so contrary to the existing law as to over
head wires that the country people were>
up in arms against Is.
The United States Electric Company took
the matter into court, and Crosby and Lieb
andthe scheme and the Comm issioners were
knocked into a cooked hat and there has
been no reversal OF that decision which
was given in an elaborate opinion by JUS
tce Bingham, OF the supreme court OF the
District.
For a while matters were at standstul,
carried up the case the Supreme Court
would have sustained Justice Bingham
THE NEXT ATTEMPT.
In the meanwhile Messrs. Crosby and
Lieb were growing rcstive They had the
lexington plant, in fact, or ostensibly, as
the terms of sale were never made public.
They were running the plant at a loss and
threatened to shut Off the lights. Mr..
Truesdcll grew active again, and after con-
siderable scaling down OF requests, 1t is
believe that the lexington plant did get
something like 5000.
As the court had declared the law there
tI,,. rzS,e N
TO do but to appeal to Congress. Several
bills were prepared, each OF which had in
view the giving OF the company certain
franchises in the District. These bills were
kept in allegiance while the promoters OF
1t were acting in a different direction
They resor,ed to finessing on the appropria-
ton bill, n old trick that gets through
occasionally when there is only one in the
game.
Although there were bills In favor OF the
company in the House, they were permitted
to slumber. Finally the cat jumped out OF
the bag when Congressman Pitney of Ne W
Jersey offered an amendment to the appro-
priat ation bill which, In a few words, gave
the Commissioners the right to grant fran
chises, which had heretofore been reserved
TO Congress.
There was also an attempt made to
legalize the permits given by the Commits
sioners which had been declared illegal
by the highest authority in the District.
TOO BALD TO PASS.
This scheme was so patent and SO evt
IDENTIFY intended for favors to the Potomac
Light and Power Company that it was
killed, although after a hard fight by the
United States Electric Light Company.
The Times attacked the scheme editorially,
and its editorial was read in the Senate to
show the inside working of the project.
Notwithstanding the defeat Of SO flagrant
an insult to the court and to square-deal-
ing generally, there was an attempt made
in the expiring hours of Congress to reha-
bilitate the Potomac company on the ap-
preparation bill in the Senate In fact,
two attempts were made, the first having
gone out ON point OF order.
When it came up the second time Senator
Gallinger opposed it in speech, in which
he called a spade spade. He read for
the information OF the Senate from The
Times the genesis of the favoritism shown
the Potomac Company by the Commission
ers, the sale OF Mr.. Truesdelrs plant to
it, the consequent Issuance of Illegal per-
mits, and, in fact, the history OF the case.
Asa result, thePotomac Light and Power
Company was, by a law specific In terms,