The morning times., 1896-05-05
UNJUST 10 OTHER LINES
FURRY Cahssd by proviso Of the
Capital Railway Bill.
HEPBURN'S, BITTER WORDS
Provision Warmly Discussed In the
House Prevents Use of Certain
ting Off of Several Com pa MES Cars.
Metropolitan Objects to Heavy Cars.

The discussion ON the conference report
made to the House regarding the Capital
Railway bill was a general topic of gossip
long after the incident had passed into
history.
The proviso inserted by the conference
committee, and which caused the furry, is
as follows:
Provided further, That neither the
Capital Railway Company, nor any olher
street railway company In the District or
Columbia, shall be permitted TO run ears
over any underground electric or eaDie
road by a route or routes not speclfied III
the charters of the respective roads, ana
the amendments thereto, except by au.
thoTity of Congress hereafter TO be granted.
The claim Is made that this provision
would Immediately deprive the Eckihston
and Soldiers Home, the Belt Line ana
the Ahacostia road of the privileges
they now enjoy, OF using certain portions
OF the Metropolitan tracks. They would
at once be compelled to suspend JOINT
occupancy of the tracks, such suspension
TO continue until future period, when
Congress might anew grant them this
permission.
SWEEP AWAY THREE LINES.
There are comparatively few members
of the House who profess TO believe that
the effect of this provlso, adopted IN con
| ference, would not be TO sweep the three
| lines mentioned from the Metropohtan
| roadway.
The great majority of those who ex-
| pressed opinions held that the proposition
| was a knockout body blow and repealed the
| legislation enacted at the last session OF Con-
| grcss when the House would entertain DO
| suggestion except one providing Ior the
| joint occupancy of tracks in every Instance
| where coincident routes are used.
! The most rkable feature or the
| whole matter Is that the bill amending the
! chart of the Capital Railway, which was
| the subject of conference, is authorized
| by tie very act which IL is sought to repeal
| To occupy certain portions OF the AnaCosla
| Railways tracks. No explanation has as
| yet been offered regarding this glaring
| inconsistency.
Mr.. Hepburn, in the course Of bitter
| attack on this accmpt To repeal important
| legislation. which had been tie oi.tC0IHf
of many days debate, came very near
| going farther than Ee Intended, q Ed charac
| teriZed the whole proceeding as an uHde:
handed effort to rid the Metropolitan Coifr
pany of what they regard as triple IN
| cubus, and at tie same time Clear the
! statute books OF all joint occupancy !egis
lation so far as street railroads are con
| cerned.
WltHDRA WS 1hE "OhD-
But Mr. Hepburn caught himself before
| lie had formulated the direct charge on
| the floor OF tie House He paused in tht
| middle of tie word underhanded and after
| i seconds reflection said that lie woulC
Withdraw that word.
| Mr. Richardson insisted from first 10 last,
| with the utmost apparent frankEes s. and SIX
Cerity. that the proyiso vas not iuteaced
TO be in the nature OF snap judgment upUn
| the three roads Indicated, but that IL had
been inserted because the TN under CU!iSi'..
erution dealt with the question II Joint
! occupancy.
But despite these protcStatioHs and en-
phatiC deniais the House seemed satisfied
that there &as i ColOTed gentleman st
Creted SUue where In the wO dplie. II Il
also certain that the Speaker would have
decided that the conference committee had
| exceeded its Jurisdiction bad tie report u
been withdrawn.
| Mr.. Richardson 10 explaining the insertion
OF the provisu said that lhe engineers 81 the
| Metropolitan Company had explained "a
| him and convinced him that the running oi
! heavy cars over their tr1 CkS would breaL
the porcelain InSulators used in construct
! ing ;he underground electric system. II a
proposed 10 flt up the lexington cars witt
| apparatus so as TO use compressed air 3
motive power, and this would make th'
| cars SO heavy as to work great damage Il
the Metropolitan tracks.
At the same time IT is pointed out that
at the recent hearing given the EckinEtoI
people upon their Application for permis
sion TO use the pneumatic system. the off
Gals of that road declared that the weight
of their cars would be little, il any, in ex
cess of those run by the Metropolitan.
| President Phillips was present at tha
| hearing. but did not press an objection Oh
the ground OF excessive weight after hear
| ing the assurances OF the lexington off
Gals.
Much speculation exists as to the motive
| which actuated the insertion of the remark
able amendiEeu: and the full heighth ant
depth to which it would have gone. Judg
ing from the present street railroad situ
alton the Metropolitan would have bee
the Immediate beneficiary. as it would a
once have removed the lexington. Bel
Line and Anacostia cars from their tracks
leaving those three systems with praCt
caIly imperative roads.
But the fact is not overlooked tha
!. there is a bill pending to permit an eS
tension OF the Columbia in which the track
, OF the Capital Traction Company woul
, be used betwee Fifteenth and Sever
l teeuth streets northwest. The passage
the amendment would. OF course. hay
: rendered such dual occupancy less likely.
Several OF the outlying suburban roaC
I which seek to run their cars into the cit
| would also have been pretty effectuall
s stopped.
. OTDT0IJSIY TH0IUGHT