Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-01
GAS AND EIlO.QUENCE
Municipal Lighting Discussed by
the HOUSE.
TALKING ABOUT MONoPoLlEs
Members Who Think There Should
d
Be Congestion.
THE GREAT FALLS POWER

After the close of The Stars report yes
terday, the House continued the discussion
of the District appropriation bill, and final
ly adjourned, without completing it.
Mr.. Cannon in replying to the objections
made to the provision permitting the Com
missioners to authorize the lowest bidder
for gas lighting the streets to lay gas
mains, said that the right to make such
provision was necessary to the function
of providing for the lighting of the streets.
1.-THE lighting of the Streets" he said, lis
evidently a public object for which we can
appropriate money. If that is true. it neces-
ssrily follows that we can procure lighting
through appropriations, as we may provide
or limit in a clause making the appropria-
ton. In other words. this appropriation is
made for public object. Now We can, If
we choose, contract that this money shall
be used for hanging old-fashioned lin Ian
terms upon posts to .be erected on every
street corner"
The Great Falls Power.
Mr.. Newlands said he. understood the
purpose of the provision to be to open to
public competition the lighting of the
streets Of Washington by either gas or
electricity. He said the light of the future
is the electric light.
He referred to the water power at the
Great Falls, and proceeding said:
Now, it seems to me that this is the
time while electric lighting is in It's in
fancy, and while no corporation of that
kind has yet any very large vested right in
this community, to determine the question
whether the municipality itself shall not
own an electric-lighting plant and whether
it cannot operate such plant in connec-
ton with its water system to the great ad-
vantage of the District and with great
economy to the taxpayers. am quite sure
that the District Commissioners, If they
are given authority, will inaugurate sys-
tenn of electric lighting vastly superior to
any that would be provided by private
corporation under the provisions of this
bin, for l take it that no private corpora
ton will invest any large amount of money
in an efficient system Of lighting with the
threat hanging over its head, as provided
i'll this bill, that Congress may, whenever
it sees fit, forfeit the right: in other words,
that the privilege. of using the streets may
be taken away while the property invested
in the Improvement still remains there. 1t
seems to me that the wise, the rational,
the prudent solution of this question Is to
take the District Commissioners into the
confidence of Congress with reference to
this matter and devise a system of munich
pal lighting by electricity, and not to pro-
vide for the destruction of the streets of
Washington by giving the Commissioners
power to grant to some new corporation, or,
to some Individual the right to lay down
new gas mains and electric-lght conduits.
Mr.. Dockery contended that if the rule
held good against the laying Of pipes
wires, it ought to lie against the right of
the Commissioners to order the repair of
the streets. snthat invoked the, necessity
Of making excavations. He argued ex-
haustively against the position taken by
Mr.. Hepburn and Mr. Baker. and contended
that the laying of pipes and wires was an
incident of legislation in pursuance of the
law governing appropriations.
Would Annul Legislation.
Mr. Babeock, chairman of the District
committee, said that there was now in
preparation in this city bill which pro-
poses that the government shall acquire
the balance of the property at Great Falls,
of which It now owns nearly all. By so
doing it would control that enormous water
power, of sufficient capacity to light the
city of Washington with electricity. That
measure would be brought before this
House. ....,
We have pending before the committee
on the District Of Columbia" he said "a
bill to reduce the price of gas TO 81 per
thousand and to increase the Illuminating
power to twenty-five candles. We have
also before two bills asking for new
charters to be granted In the regular way,
each for lighting and heating company.
Now, the gentlemen asking these charters
are men of means, of capital and ability.
If this bill passes. 1t will practically fiuliify
all of such legislation, and it will be useless
to report 1t from the committee to this
House. Why? because in the provision now
pending here we propose to give anybody
authority to bid for gas-lighting cleo
tric-lighting in this city. Congress- by this
provision, proposes to delegate the authori-
ty it has jealouSly guarded for many years
to control this subject in the District of
Columbia. All this authority it proposes
to turn over to the Commissioners in this
District, and to permit anybody to come in
here, whether responsible or not, and make
bids for gas or electric lighting; and to the
hn nrtN no
the Commissioners can give authority to
tear up the streets and put in new gas
mains or wire conduits."
After some further discussion, the chair
man lMr. Payne) made a ruling, sustaining
the point of order that the provision was a
change Of existing law.
A Dollar Proposition.
Mr.. Hepburn then proposed to strike out
the entire paragraph and insert the follow
ing:
provided further, That the District Com
missioners are hereby invested with au-
thor1ty and are required to fix the price at
which gas shall be furnished to consumers,
including the District and the United
States, at price not to exceed 81 per thou
sand feet: And provided further, That said
Commissioners are authorized to determine
the candlepower of all gas to be consumed
in the District of Columbia"
Mr. Pitney raised the point of order
against this that 1T was obnoxious to an
other provision in the bill. He then with
drew 1t, and Mr.. Bartlett raised the point
that 1t changed existing law.
Mr.. Mahon moved to strike out the clause
relating to the authority of the Commits
sioners to let the contract of lighting the
District of Columbia to the lowest bidder,
on the ground that the provision authoriz-
ing the lowest responsible bidder to lay
pipes or wires in the streets had been ruled
out of order He held that without the. lat
ter the former must fall of itself, and was
therefore irrelevant infthe bill.
The One Gas, company.
Mr.. w. A. Stone said there was confess
eddy only one gas corf1pahy here that has
power to enter upon the Streets of the city,
and, therefore, to undertake to advertise
for bids would be a mere farce.
Mr.. Grout-"The gentleman says that
'confessedly' there is no other company ex-'
cept the one in existence that has the right
to lay down pipes. Eswould like to know
who has confessed it. The gentleman from
Pennsylvania may confess it, but certainly
the ruling Of the chair does not make it
so. If the gentleman had remembered the
ground which took On the point of order
a moment ago, he woald hardly have said
!. was confessed that there was no power
left to take I'D the Sfreef9 and Law down