Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-18
TELEPHONE WIRES
The Commissioner Opposition to
the Home Company Bill.
hR. HEMPHILL HASA HEARING
He Says There is No Chance for the
Commissioners Conduit Plan.
OTHER DISTRICT MATTERS

Mr.. John ]. HcmphtH, representing the
Zone Telephone Company. appeared before
the Commissioners this morning in the in
tereSt OF that company. He called atten-
| ton to the unfavorable report of the au-
thoritles upon the bill which seeks. to char
, Ter this company. 1t was made 10 doubt
| because Oh the idea of continually opening
| the streets of the city. He criticised The
omnibus bill of the Commissioners, but did
not think the people should be made to
wait for cheaper telephone rates until that
bill was passed.
The bill Of the Home Company has been
amended so that it might lay an under
| ground conduit system which could be used
by all companies owning overhead wires
| and further to provide that at the end Of
| nifty years the system shall become the
| property OF the District. After two years
| the District could come in and purchase
| the plant at fair valuation. The COM
Pany also proposed. he said, to care for all
| tne wires belonging to the District free of
| charge.
This should be accepted in lieu Of rent
| 10 ne pald the District, especially since at
the end Of a certain time the system be-
comes the property of the District But
| suppose other companies should come in
and ask for similar charter. the Com
|
| said Commissioner Ross
| 1T was just exactly that very thing I"
| said MIR. Truesdell. which Influenced the
| commissioners In opposing the general
SUBWAY phi! Several companies were try
| iEg to get in and the Commissioners could
| not decide which was the best All of
| them were represented by reputable citf-
zens, and 1t would be charged that we
| favored your company if the bill which you
represent were recommended favorably by
| the Commissioners"
Mr.. Hemphll said in reply that he had
| talked with a number Of legislators at the
| capitol and none of them thought the
bill recommended by the Commissioners for
general subway system would ever be
passed. They all believed it was a good
| idea. but no one was for 1t. After an ex-
perience of ten years in Congress he was
| convinced the bill would never be heard
or, because there was no one for it.
Commissioner Ross said the bill, being a
| good one. would stand on its merits He
had that much confidence in Congress
Mr.. Hemphill replied that bill with no
| one behind it. no matter how meritorious IL
was, mad not ghost Of n chance to pass.
| why, ne might as well try to beat the
Bell Telephone Company without a char
| ter as to try ard pass a bill with no one
| tehind IT. If the District had a representa-
ton IN Congress the matter would he bet
| ter. But 1t could not be expected that q
congressman with daily mail of several
hundred letters from constituents could or
would fight to pass such bill. He then
of telephones was concerned
Commissioner TruesdelI said the Commits
| s!oners would prefer to build this general
subway system if they had the money
Municipal control of the subways was much
| to be desired.
For Other Uses.
| The Commissioners have notified Mr. A.
| f. Randle that the old frame school build
ing on Congress Heights ca mot be used as
| a library building, it is the intention of
| the board of school trustees to make a
manual training school Of it.
Flags for School Buiidins..
The Commissioners in a letter to Senator
Mcmillan today, recommend favorable ac-
| ton upon Senate bill ISL making appro-
priation to furnish flags for school houses
| in the District of Columbia" They say the
| board of school trustees is also in favor
| of the bill
| MiscellRH eOux.
| According to an order Of the Commits
| sioners. no more licenses will be granted
| to hold entertainments. fairs, &c, at the
hall corner of 9th and streets northwest
| The Commissioners have directed the Po-
| tomac Heat and Power Company to re-
| move all poles that have not been erected,
| and to forthwith fill up all holes made by it
| for the erection of poles.
! The time for the completion of the Ten
| leytown school has been extended to
| May II.
| Sunday Observance.
| Senatc bill 2iS5. which has for its object
| the further protection of the Sabbath, was
| the subject OF a hearing before the Com
| missioners this morning. Rev. DR.. ]. H.
Elliott. representing the Churchman'S
League, and Mr.. Wilbur F. Crafts who has
devoted a number Of years to promoting
Sunday observance, We're present
| Rev. DIR. Elliott read the old MARYLAND
| law. which provided for the filming of yfo-
| lators of the Sabbath, and the payment of
| certain number of pounds of tobacco, and
| said he did not think it was necessary TO
| argue against such a law 1t could no: he
enforced on account of ascertaining the
| penalty. The object of the bill was to re-
| turn to the statute books law which would
protect the day. At the present time there
was. he said. no law in the District to pre-
| vent the opening of stores on Sunday, ex-
| cept bar rooms and barber shops. There
| was nothing to prevent every store on Penn
| sylvania avenue or F street from opening
| wide their doors on Sunday. and the Com
| missioners had no law to compel them to
| close.
One OF the Commissioners asked DIR. Ell
lott what was the real situation, the pres
| ent danger that he complained Of in press
| ing such bill.
| decided drift in the direction of opening
! these places gradually. This should be
prevented at once He had recently had a
conversation with the captain of police re-
| ouAioo5 oOociSdHCe ana Cnat OIL
cial had remarked that the only reason
| IN his opinion why people did not keep
| their places of business open generally was
that they believed the old Maryland law
| was still in force.
Commissioner Ross said he thought diff
ferently. The people of Washington were
| a law-abidfng people, who had no desire to
| work on Sunday.
Dr. Elliott said 1t was not to compel an
| observance of the Sabbath but to try and
! arrest the tendency to violate it,, It was
| not the object of the bill to get up ian IDEAL
| Sunday. but there was hiatus In, our law
| which should be filed.
Mr.. Crafts rehearsed the subject general
| ly. and gave some interesting data concern
| ing the law in other cities.
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| Mrs. Ashmcad-Bartlett Dead,
| Mrs AShmea6- rnofhar Of ST.