Evening star., 1897-02-16
COMMISSIONERS NOT ASKED
Senate Appropriations Committee Ignores
the Districts Rulers.
Result of the Controversy Over the
Electric Lighting Contracts-Sena-
tors Who Feel Anronted.

The friction between the Senate appropri-
alton committee and the District Commis-
sioners over the local electric lighting oues-
ton has resulted in the ignoring of the
Commissioners by the committee in the
hearings upon the District appropriation
bill
When the subcommittee on the District
OF Columbia Of the Senate committee on
appropriations took up the District appro-
priatfon bill Friday 1t was promised that
tEey would follow the custom which has
prevailed since time immemorial and call
upon the District Commissioners for in
formation regarding changes they should
make In the bill which has passed the
House of Representatives. But the Com
missioners got no request to appear before
the committee. Saturday the committee
sent out notices to all the people who had
requested hearings. notifying them that the
committee would be ready to hear them
Monday, and. as related in The Star yester-
day, there was considerable attendance in
the committee room by people with re-
quests for appropriations. Yet the Com
missioners were not called.
The District of Columbia appropriat ton
bill Is now about complete and ready to be
reported to the full committee for final
actor, NEich is generally of a perfunctory
nature. The committee apparently has no
intention Of asking advice from the Com
missioners
This state of affairs has grown out of
the electric lighting controversy and the
Commissioners actions in granting permits
TO the Potomac Electric Power Company
to open streets of this city to Law its con-
du1ts. Members of the committee on ap-
preparations held that they had an iron-ciad
agreement in effect that the Potomac COM
pany should stay west of Rock creek and
that the territory east of that water course
should be occupied exclusively by the Unit
cd States Electric Lighting Company
The members of the committee claimed
that not only had the president of the Po-
tomac company agreed to such a division
OF the electric lighting territory, but that
the Commissioners understood it very we'll
They regarded the letting of permits to the
fotonsc Power Company to extend lis
condults over seven miles of the city as a
violation of an agreement. Much indigna-
tlon was shown by members of the com
mlttee over this matter. 1t was shown i'm
discussions which took place on the Cock
feH resolution, which had as its prrpose
the stopping of the work of digging
trenches and the laying of conduits
ne members Of the committee seemed
eh.remeiy desirous that that resolution
shouid become a law, but when -. Hiu
rushed into the breach and showed plainly
mar ne vas ready to talk it to death Mr
Cockrell determined not to press IL to lhe
u'.'s eneiusion OF other business. The res alt
mac company and for the Commissioners
especially Commissioner Truesdell who
Wa Was regarded as an ardent advocate en-
cnn,r nite OF the Potomac company. The
cohHittee ON appropriations was then nom
commHtai. but its ignoring of the Conn
Ii'Ssioners at this time is regard nj ,s
~. to.ice that the committee has decided 10
81 aIohs LOT time without advice or sug.
gestiohs of these officials The action 5f
the committee has been more marked he
~ ~eause the committee has had before n
- onisiais OF the District of Columbia
toe
ers. Auditor Petty was before the rommit
@ zee all day yesterday and most of .ola,.
me ne register of wills has also been :,efora
rao renrason,a.e ,race.icaliy Mr. Petty was the only
tspi ssehtatlve OF the District government
consulted by the committee, and its men,'
LII; .aihed TO him about many things thar
si'!a iulhariLy the Commissioners are asked to
And this is said tn ha M. A..
committees wrath. The next fhtnp tsat
peopIe concerned in the electric ljsbtinr
controversy controversy are looking to is the annrn.
priation for electric lighting IN t,e p,o
trict of Columbia MANY of thasa e lis lis
are ueeply interested in the action the com.
Hhttee may take in this matter II wo.,Ia
se oe Mnnin y the power of the committee to
SO frame the appropriation bill thai +ha
fotomac Power Company could NOT eso,,re
d penny or the money to be expended
what the action of the COMMITTEES on ,h..
SUBJECT may be is still secret s
The subcommittee is composed of so,-
H ato,s nelier: chairman; Allison. CulIom
Cockrell and German. The full comni.
Lees lee consists Of Senators Allison. chairman:
Hale. Cuiiom Teller. Quay, Pettigrew. Per.
K,ns. K Cockrell. CALL. German. Blackburn,
Brice and Faulkner. not one Of whom ha
said word in the Senate or elsewhere 40
tar nn as is known. in favor of the Potomac
TIC lighting Of the District of Columhia
4. rnese senator's have stood together solidiy
In thelr denunciation OF that COMPANY fo,.
what they regarded as a violation of eood
Iaitn ana IN their attitude toward the Com
missioners because they permitted the Po
tomac company to have a contract for
eiectric lighting and to dig up the streets.
IN TINS hight, headed by the appropriations
committee senatorial dignity and Senatorial
courtesy have played an important part.
When the Cockrell resolution was besore
tne senate committee on the District of
Columpia 1t seemed to have little opportun-
ity to pass that committee, but when mem
ners OF the Senate committee on appropria-
tions showed that they had taken il up as
matter Of personal affront the resolut,on
was promptly reported favorably.
FAVORABLY REPORTED.