Evening star., 1899-03-06
ABOUT LEGISLATION
How Some Important Bills We're
Defeated in Congress.
COMMENTS BY Mr.. CHARLES MOORE
Price of Electric Light and Gas
Now Considered Equal.
THE RAILROAD PROBLEM

seen by star reporter today and in reply
to questions talked interestingly in regard
u the iesiSiauoi OF the last session of Con
gress. Mr. Moore referred to various laws
that had been enacted and exp ned lie
circumstances that had bought them
ABOUT, as wei as the purpose which they
We're to accomplish. He made reference tD
number of things that it was desired to
secure for the District, and in many in
stances showed how legislation on these
matters had been defeated
After several years of unsuccessful ef
Iorts to deal with the electric light oues-
ton' said Mr.. Moore, Senator Mcmillan
uhaerlook at the beginning of this session
" get up a snort Dill that would accomplish
TWO thlngs; namely, that would place exist
ing ING oterRead wires underground, and would
bas tdos loe Tor the necessary extension of un-
foreground conduits. He was STRENGTHENED
IN MS position by the appeals from manv
cltlzehs, who said they were only a block
OF Two from electric light conduits and vet
retary Langley of the Smithsonian Jnsti
luton who wished to make connexions
with electric light conduts, and the Secre-
taries of State, War and Navy who were
anAious TO secure electric light for the
oulolngs under their charge A bin was
iiLaiy prepared that was at once satisfac-
Tory TO the Senate District committee. to
lne electric light people, and to the Com
missoners. ~ 'te Oo
senator Cockrell and others desired to
wbieb l1Ie some h legislation in regard to rates
@ @Hnich the electric light company could
charse, and the District Commissioners
were appealed to, and they supplied ali the
information that was available in relation
fDIi, Iiiat @ subject. The amendment, as it
iai! ! was incorporated in the District an
Pioptlalon Dill, was substantially the Nc
MILAN bill, in addition to that portion of
tis vHe .sineLdment zen. relating to rates No pro
s nision was made for taking down overhead
wires The electric light comnanies boa
ever ever nave promised Senator Mcmillan that
S,;it Just as soon as they can enlarge their con-
luis oh ana u streets their wires will
come down. If this should nor he dnno IN! Td!
supJect VIII receive attention at the begin.
h-hs OF the next session of Congress.
The Lower Rate for Light.
Inc electric light proposition was the
SUBJECT of repeated adjustments all tbrougb
the night preceding the adjournment of
congress. Representatives of the connanias
hhaHy secured price below the rates in
cues OF this size, but believed to be liv
ing rates. The average charge is u cents
per thousand and this is considered eor,I
TO gas at 81 per thousand feet
AT the second session of the Fiftvfrst
congress ooth the Senate and the House
passed bills authorizing and requiring GER
tain extensions to be made in the lines of
the Capital Traction Company There were
three propositions in this bill that were inn
portant. The first was a loon around tho
Nialtpy y puiId1ng' the second was an extern
sion on Pennsylvania avenue east to
the Anacostia river. The first of these ex-
tensions was a modified extension of the
capital Traction Company, which at first
anHiously desired to go across the Capitol
front on the east, and this was opposed by
the Senate District committee for the third
time since Senator Mcmillan has been
chairman of that committee The comnro-
mise or a loop around the Maltby building
was opposed by certain senator's who OH
lected to looping around a school building.
The extension on F and G streets was ad-
Vocated by the property owners on those
streets with the exception of a few people
who had bought property in that section of
the city to make quiet homes. Among these
were the widows of a number of naval Of
icers and the chief justice of the United
States Supreme Court. The extension on
pennsylvania avenue to the Anacostia riy-
er had no opposition whatever and would
nave been very great benefit to that sec
ton of the city, and also by connection
with the East Washington Heights railroad,
would have opened up the region across the
Anacostla nearly to the District lines. The
Senate bill, after having been passed. was
held up on a motion to reconsider, made at
the instance of certain property owners on
F street. The House bill was antagonized
by several senators who thought the road
was not paying sufficient taxes
How Railroad Bills Were Defeated.
These objections, however were finally
smoothed away, and the bill as it passed
the HoIse was ready for favorable action
in connection with other street railroad
legislation. At the second session Of the
Fifty-fifth Congress the House also passed
a bill for the extension of the METROPOLITAN
line from its present terminus on Columbia
road to Park Street. through 18th street
There were many objections to putting the
Underground road on 18th street. on ac-
count of the mechanical difficulties in. the
way OF installing such a system on n new
street. These difficulties were obviated by
providir g for the extension of the line rIp
Columbia road, and the use of old 10th
street. proposition that involved the
widening of both Columbia road and old
10th street at the joint expense of the prop
erty benefited and the railroad company
This bill was satisfactory to the railroad
company and to the property owners as far
as heard from, the company giving official
sanction to the bill. The interests which
have recently purchased the Eckngton the
Belt, Anacostia. Capital and Briehtwood
railways desired to combine the CAPITAL
Anacostia, Brightwood and Belt railways
INTO one corporation and to make certain
extensions with view to connecting their
properties There was no objection to this
proposition in itself considered The Metre
r0atan company; however, desired to use
the opportunity to free It's tracks ON 9th
and oth streets from the cars of the other
companies. 1t was this desire that led to
1he combination between the Metropolitan
pany to defeat all legislation, with view
to forcing the Anacostia cars off 9tb streat
under the provisions of the abandoned
n
time during which horse cars could he
operated on rapid transit lines to lime Ok
1899. uie 90
Trouble That Threatened Anacost,.
"Inasmuch as under the law the Anacos.
tia could not change its motive power with
out special authorization by Congress. al.
though under its present ownership it was
reaoy 10 90 SO, the operation Of the aban-
doned tracks law would have put the neo-
pie of Anacostia at decided disadyanta ee
in getting to and from the center of the
city. An amendment was, therefore. pre-
pared by Mr.. Mcmillan to the general de-
ficiency BILL and reported from the District
committee of the Senate, giving the Ana
costa the right to change its motive power
and to operate its cars, as 1t had been oper.
ating them, until the 1st day of October
next. This provision was retained in the
bill as 1t was approved.
For ten years attempts have been made
to find way for breaking through the
misfit subdivisions Immediately beyond the
northern boundary of the city. that is
north of Florida avenue. A highway ACT
was passed, which proved ineffective large
1rr