Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-17
ONE CITIZENS VIEW.
Express Opinion of Bill Relating to
Washington Gas Company.

The District Commissioners having an
nounced through The Star that, pending
their report on House bill $500, relatlhs
to the Washington Gasiight Company,
they would be pleased to receive from IN
terested citizens written views thereon
number of citizens have accepted the
invitation, although the Commissioners
found it necessary to submit their report
earlier than was anticipated. One OF those
sxnressing views upon the bill is Mr.. W. j.
Morris,
."The bill" he wrote the Commissioners,
proposes to give to our chief munc1pal
MONOPOLY the Washington Gaslight Com
panv the right to absorb all other lighting
concerns in the District, and to confer aodi-
tional privileges and powers. Can such
things be, and overhang us like summer
cloud without our special wonder? The
Washington Gasiight Company has had
over half a century of rarely profitable ex-
istence.
Its profits have been so great that, to
prevent Congress from finding out how
great, the company some years ago de-
stroyed its books, or, as Its officers claimed,
sold them for junk. Enough was developed,
however, in one congressional investigation,
to show that regular and extra dividends
of, as 1 now remember, over 20 per cent per
annum had been continuously declared
I'VE all remember that when company
of citizens at the head of whom was An
thony Pollok, a millionaire resident sought
a charter for an opposition company, offer
ing as a condition to furnish 75-cent gas,
Congress failed to grant the charter, but,
instead provided for an insignificant reduc-
ton in the price to be charged by the ex-
listing company. We know that the present
price of $l.10 per 1000 cubic feet is exorbi-
tant
I'VE know it because we know that many
cities not differently situated than Wash
L@ OF
producing materials, are getting gas Of as
good quality for a less price. The people
| of Cincinnati, for instance, pay but 80 cents
| per thousand for gas when used for fuel
purposes, and rs cents per thousand when
J used for illuminating purposes. The Gin
| clnnati Gas Company was glad couple
| wears ago to agree to these prices in re-
| turn for twenty-fve-year renewal Of Its
| charter which was about to expire.
| What we need here is for Congress to
| enact a law that will cause the charter OF
| our company to expire In the near future.
| That would / verify believe, give us 81
| and 75-cent gas also. And why not? Does
| any man suggest that it would be unjust
| to this concern, which has had profitable
| monopoly for tifty-odd years, and whose
! stock of the par value of $50 Is worth in
I the market 1853 or thereabOut? Does any
| one whisper under the breath Sacred vest
| ed rights must not be taken awayF vest
| ed rights in what? To do business on my
| land and yours, the public streets and al
| leys. l cannot see 1t that way. Congress
| gave and Congress can take away; blessed
| be the name of Congress.
Right here l take the liberty to call the
| attention of your honorable board to the
| report of Senator Proctor in the first ses'
| sion of the Fifty-fourth Congress, Calendar
No. III, being a report from the committee
on District of Columbia upon the bill. Sen
ate 1889, having for its object the taking
by the government. under the right of EN-
inent domain, of the water supply at Great
Falls for the production of power for cleo.
Heb, ALI
| 1.-The Senate District committee made :
unanimous report. recommending that thu
| water rights should be taken, and taken a.
once. They said the power would be ample
for all purposes of lighting the city and De
partments The chief of engineers Of thu
United States army made an exhaustive
report, showing the entire feasibility of thu
| proposition.
But 1t died, and has never been revived