The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-10
HIT THE TROLLEY HARD
Continued from First Page.

Informed, the House has agreed tostrike o,s
or the bill tue paragraph with reference 20
the advertisement IOT public electric light
ing, etc, found upon page 20, and IN lieu
Thereon 10 insert the provision heTet OfOFc eX-
Guided from said bill practically granting
franchise to the Potomac Light aud Power
Company, | have tue LOUOr to submit the
folio wing.
l. The claim that he Potomac Light and
Power Company Is IN IossesSIon or d plant
lying principally west OF Rock Creek, Which
supplies territory not row OCCupied by tie
United States Electric Lighting Company
II not in accordance with the facts The
whole plant OF the Potomac Company II
entirely aU overhead system, and as TO that
portion or II lying west or Rock creek, IN
the city or Georgetown, Is aud has been at
all times paTaleled by the underground
system OF The United states Company In
other words, the United states Electro
Lighting Company mas complete and PEE
! feet underground system capable OF sup
plying aud actually supplying all tbedem1nd
for either puDhc or private electric lighting
wherever In this territory the Potomac
Company has the Objectionable overhead
system.
In the construction Of tie respective
plants ! II this territory the United states
Company has expended for every mile uf
service over $4,000, 10 $3.50. OF there
abou,s, expended by the predecessors Of
the Potomac Company The cost OF main
tenance of the two SYSTEMS Is relatively
about the proportion OF the above figures.
3. The Objectionable overhead plant OF
| the Potomac Company, as has been de
cided 10y the courts OF the District, was
erected IN violation or II W, and has been
so maintained since its erection It's ex-
istenCe has Away been, and is now, / d
violation OF The act OF July Is, 1855.
4. The amendment as proposed by the
House diScriminates III favor Of this chedpiy
constructed and ubieCtiODa BILE oveFEc cad
system, prohibited by law. against the
legal and acceptable underground system
of the United states Company, which has
2. rs suFrrzaE
Of the other. The amendment, IN fact.
legalizes an Objectionable overhead sys-
tenn. occupying a portion OF the city OF
Georgetown, previously and now covered
bv the United States Company with under
ground CUnduit5-
). There is no portion of the territory
in question in the city OF Georgetown west
OF Rock Creek which cannot be supplied or
is not now supplied by the United states
Company by means OF these underground
cOnduitS.
So far as any other portion of the
District OF Columbia IS concerned outside
of the terri tory above mentioned, the
United states Electric LGhtir.S Company
has always extended its service ~ accord
ance with law to meet all demands, and
stands now ready 10 extend its service TO
meet all demands, by the approved and
accepteduud erground system ToeffectUdte
| such an extension at Mount Pleasant
| aud Columbia Heights the United states
! Company has had for months past an
aDDlicatiOn before the Commissioners or
| the District asking for q permit to extend,
| mt the request Of the residents. its under
! ground system into these localities.
| Z Our company has always been ling
| to occupy and anxious 10 occupy all the
| territory in the District OF Columbia With
/ its underground system, Wherever dethahd
| was made for lighting 10y the pubic
8 In the establishment of It's present
! nfant our company has expended an am0un,
| largely in excess OF Si.uOu,Ooo, three
! fourtilS of which has been invested. ut the
! dcma nd or Congress. in ills expensive under
fHSl-E hg
! Investment Of the POtOma C Company Is rep
resented by the purchase OF the old George
/ town plant. which We have repeatedly ds-
/ serted in court and elsewhere. WITHOUT con
| tradiCtion. to have cost them bat about the
! sum of $1,000 and the ST. called lexington
plant, which VIC have likewise asserted,
/ without contradiction. To- have cost tnen
| not TO exceed $50. 600, If, indeed. this last
/ mention ell plant has ever been paid for al all
9. The United States Electric Lighting
! Company has never had sufficient tine
/ before the Appropriations Committee OF
! either House 10 present the respective rights
! and equities of the two CcmrafiCS III re
speCt To the question of admitting the 70
! tolnac Company TO q iranChlSe IN the
! District. Indeed 10 has never supposed
that that question Was q proper matter
/ for legislative action by the Appropriations
| Committee OF either House. The full aud
! courteous hearing extended by the sub
| committee Of the Senate Appropriations
| Committee was understood 10 ne limlted
! to the question OF the price for publlC
/ lighting. and not TO embrace questions OF
/ legislation. AS matter of fact. the Ap-
| preparations Committee of the Senate,
now called upon TO recommend legislation
| in this regard, has never heard the claims
| of the United States Electric Lighting
! Company in this regard
| 10. The subject sought to he legislated
| upon by this amendment is now pending
| before the House Committee on the Dis
| trict of Columbia una cted upon therein
| aud il has already been before the District
| Committee of the Senate, with the result
| of CIisagFeeiug reports, which reports ;frP
| now before the Senate Enacted upon. In
| this situation of affairs we submit that
| important legislation Of this kind should
! not, be incorporated into an appropriation
| hill On the contrary. il should tie left 70
| the deliberate Judgment and coDsidera-
/ ton of both houses of Congress, through
| the medium of the proper legislative COM
| mitteeS
! II. The United States Electric Lighting
| Company is willing to accept the House
| figures for public arc lighting as We have
! already proposed. providing our company
| can have a contract for fiveo mOreyears-
IL. The United States Electric Lighting
! Conpany stands ready to take offthe hands
| of the Potomac Company at its actual cost
| to them with interest at 8 per cent 10 date,
/ and other incidental expenses, all the plant
! now owned or possessed by said Potomac
| Company in the District OF Columbia, and
| with proper authority from Congress to
| light every portion of said District as Con
greSs may direct. 1t desires to do this
| through the underground system in every
| settled portion of the Dist riot.
Respectfully submitted,
/ A A. THOMAS.
| President United States Electric Lighting
| Company.
| In conclusion, Mr. Gallinger said that
| it would be much better to let the whole
| question go by the board than have the
| amendment be made into law in the way
| proposed.
| Mr. Harris then got up to reply to Mr..
| Gallnger He argued that the Commits
| sioners were men OF integrity because Mr..
| Gallinger had changed his opinion, s
| Mr.. Harris claimed, on the question OF
| public lighting
/ This practically closed the argument.