Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-27
DOLLAR GAS GOES OVER
Action by the Senate Deferred Because
Of Mr. Calls Objection.
Senator's Discuss the Bill-Reasons for
III
Reducing the Prize of Gas and Not
III
Chartering asNew Company.

The Senate Saturday evening came with
in an ace of passin4 the so-caHed dollar
gas bill, and but fof The opposition Of SEN
ator Call that bill would by this time have
probably been in conference between the
two houses. After the sundry civil hifl had
been disposed of Senator Mcmillan called
up the dollar gas bill, and the amendments
proposed by the committee were all accept
ed by the Senate. Just before vote was
to be taken on the entire proposition Mr.
Allen called attention to the provision that,
as the bill was drawn, in making increases
Of stock any one of the justices Of the Dis
trict Supreme Court may grant a permit
for such an operation, and on his motion
the bill was amended SO as to provide that
the entire court shall pass upon the appf-
cations of the gas company to issue bonds
mortgages etc.
MIR. Calls Objection.
Mr.. Cali then took the floor to demand
the full consideration of the bill. He char
acterized it creating monopoly until
1901, and he argued that dollar gas was
not only profitable, but as very desirable
and should be furnished the people of the
District at once
Mr.. Proctor agreed with Mr.. Call that a
dollar was fair price. and he said that in
dollar gas, but under the circumstances the
pending bill was the best compromise to be
obtained.
Mr.. Bacon of Georgia said the same
thing, and he stated that he believed that
he was serving the interests of the people
or the District in giving his assent to the
blu rs it was reported rather than jeopar-
die the passage of any bill.
Senator Gal]irger said that he started
out very firmly convinced that the people
OF the District ought to have dollar gas.
But he then knew nothing about the mat
ter. except what he had read in the news
papers and learned from public clamor.
The committee, however, had gone into the
subject most thoroughly, and he had come
to the conclusion, after examining all the
facts and figures available. that 1t would
be disastrous to the interests of the stock
holders if the rate were Immediately re-
duced to a dollar thousand.
Mr.. Call tried to find out what profits had
been made by the company, but he could
obtain little satisfaction. Mr.. Mcmillan
plalned to him that the trouble was that
most of the original stockholders had died.
while the present st ockholders have paid
very large price for their stock in open
market. There was running discussion
between Senators Call, Mcmillan and CAL
lnger as to the finances of the company, in
the course of which Mr.. Call suggested that
everything in the District of Columbia
seemed TO be a subject of some kind of
monopoly. which increases its cost beyond
what it Is elsewhere! II
Would Rnther,Pny More.
The suggestion that new company might
be chartered as a remedy for the evil hav-
ing been made, Senator Hawley expressed
the opinion that he would rather pay more
for gas than have hetstreets torn up by
new company. Mr.: Mcmillan assured Mr..
Call that the committee had made an in
telligent effort to solve this problem, and
! if Mr.. Call succeeded in defeating the bill
by Directing he would make the people pay
81. % instead of 81 a thousand.
Mr.. Call reiterated his objections to the
bill. and Mr.. George followed with brief
state ment that the argument in the case
reduced itself down to the following propo-
sition: THAT the company heretofore has
been allowed to Increase the value of its
stock by extortionate charges upon the pub
lie, and now. when Ne are undertaking to
regulate 1t, we are esthpped from doing 1t
because. after they had made these large
profits. they had sold the stock to other peo-
pie. and it would be unjust to make the
present holders take less interest than they
think they ought to get" Mr.. George did
not think this a fair argument against Mr.
Calls position.
Mr.. Call ended the matter by Directing to
the present consideration of the bill. in the
absence of Senator Faulkner. who, he said
seemed to know all about the matter.