Evening star., 1897-02-18
THE DISTRICT BILL
The Appropriation Measure May Fail
to Be Acted On.
ELECTRIC LIGHT FIGHT ONE CAUSE
Feeling of Hostility on the Part
of Many Senators.
THE PROBABLE RESCLT

There is possibility that the Distric; of
Columbia appropriation bill will not b,
passed during the present session OF Con-
gress, but that II will he left to the next
Congress 10 provide appropriations for th.
District at its special session. Such A.
course would require the bill to come up as
a new measure and be acted on again by
the House before II could be considered by
the Senate for Ii would be entirely new
legislation
This possibility is brought about by ;he
TACT that there are number of items in
the appropriation bill as reported to the
Senate by the committee on appropriations
which will call for considerable contro-
versy, and on which the conferees on the
part of the Senate will insist DESPITE oh
jections that may be made by the confer
ees on the oart of the House. AS shown in
The Star yesterday afternoon, the Senate
committee on appropriations increased th.
amount ellowed in the bill as Il passed the
House by about a million and a quarter
The appropriations recommended by the
Senate committee are largely of d charac-
ter that is regarded as urgent by the mem
bers of that committee, and there is little
disposition TO give in to the House i'm any
wholesale manner.
The attitude of the Senate committee on
the subject of electric lighting i'm the Dis
trict of Columbia is also stirring up a good
deal of feeling, which will be an element in
the disposition of the appropriation bill
Members of the Senate have but little in
cifnation TO give In to the House of Repre-
sentatives should the conferees of that
body desire to strike out the provisions OF
the bill as reported to the Senate, which
will not permit the Potomac Electric Power
company TO do any lighting OF the streets
of Washington during the next fiscal year.
The chief champion of the electric power
company In the Senate is Mr.. Hin. whose
term In the Senate expires on the Ith Of
March He Will not be there in the extra
session. which may be called upon to dis
pose of a District appropriat tion bill. and il
is regarded as likely that he would adopt
dilatory tactics In order TO prevent the
measure going through the present Con-
gresS.
The lively fight that has gone on between
the two electric light companies. and es-
peoially between the Senate committee on
appropriations against the Potomac Eiec-
trio Power Company, is still progressing
Senators on the appropriations committee
were informed this morning that the Po-
tomac company had kept men at work all
night In order to push to completion their
seven miles of underground conduit before
the District appropriation bill could 5ecoms
a law The provision in that bill which
prevents any further tearing Up OF the
streets of this city until Congress has de-
termined upon general subway plan H. in
effect reiteration of the provisions of the
Cockrell resolution which was so visor-
as the District appropriation bill becomes
a law the Potomac company will be obliged
10 suspend Its work OF laying conduiis pro-
vided the clause regarding the layins con-
duits In the District Is retained in the
bill. For this reason many friends of the
Potomac company would not object TO
ing the measure defeated.
A good many of the senators are in
censed over the fact that the Potomac
Company appears to he making excessive
Efforts to get its conduits down since the
character of the appropriation bin affect
iLg their power to lay conduts has become
known, and, If anything, it has siifr.n-,.
them In their determination TO carry their
point. suggestions that they will be de-
feated In the House of Representatives
only serve to fun ther strengthen their de-
termination 10 pass the legislation INCLUDED
in the District bill.
The senators Of the appropriations COM
mittee were informed this morning that ne
Potomac company worked its force all last
night about Judiciary Square and was
actively digging trenches for oonduits
around Lafayette Square this morning