Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-28

everything that they did not themselves
approve, and who were largely responsible
for the efforts to bring about municipal
control without even a suggestion of the
equitable corrollary, municipal ownership,
and said that this had brought fnanciers
almost to the point of declining to invest
money here.
What His Company Will Do.
He then said: 1.-The great combination Of
benefits accruing to the public from our
investments necessarily made deep, and, we
hope, lasting, impress on the congressional
mind For years there has been steady
growth of congressional sentiment favor
able to congressionally controlled monopo-
lies in public service corporations, and
when the testimony of the syndicate was
submitted there was no remaining remnant
of doubt. Authority to consolidate was
Immediately given-unquestioned evidence
of congressional approval. This was in line
with all recent law-making conclusions as
| to the Quasi-public concerns in the District
OF Columbia-one gas company, one tele-
phone company, one electric lighting COM
pany-and established precedent not
easily to be ignored. Why, then, should
there be any legislation authorizing an adj
dition to the number of existing companies?
IF there is real public necessity for add
tional lines in any part of the city would
it not be much better to require construc-
ton by one of the companies now doing
business? Free transfers would then be
natural and certain. To charter another
company simply puts into the market
another organization ready and, 1t may be,
willing to be acquired, at an advence, by
those already in existence. If extensions or
| cross lines are needed they should be sup
piled by the people now in the field Con-
gress has the power to require US to make
extensions. Why will it not exercise that
power rather than permit the introduction
OF temporarily discordant element that
may soon be converted into an expensive
acquisttion? If there be real public demand
Ior adoltionai facilities l am authorized to
pledge the Washington Railway and Elec-
trio Company and it's associated companies
to do everything that may reasonably be
asked of them. And Congress shall Judge
as to what Is reasOna ble.''
At the conclusion of General Harries'
statement he was asked whether he thought
there should be north and south road for
Northeast Washington. He replied that in
his Judgment such a road would be desir-
able, and said that his company has now in
contemplation the development of passenger
lines there by means of automobiles These
automobiles. he said, they proposed should
heved that to be feasible plan, and that
1t could be put into effect in the near future
Mr.. Ridout's Statement.
Mr.. John Ridout, attorney for the Great
Falls and Old Dominion, made statement
in favor of that roads project for building
a cross-towp line. Mr. Ridout said that
there had been an argument advanced be-
fore the committee that he could not see
the force of. 1t was that the Capital Trac-
ton and other systems of road having been
in operation here had in some way secured
a monopoly of the business, and that their
vested rights had become superior to Con-
gress. He thought the whole line of their
argument amounted to nothing more than
this proposition that they had vested rights
which should not be interfered with by al
lowing another railroad to come into the
District.
Not only had they no such rights, he said,
but on the other hand the Capital Traction
having for forty-two years enjoyed the bene-
fits of its charter in the District 1t should
not now stand in the way of any project on
the part of another company for serving the
purposes of the people by building another
road II that doctrine that they had exclu-
sive rights were to be adhered to there
would be nothing in tho District today ex-
cept the Capital Traction, because that pre-
cedided any other company.
Mr.. Ridout said there appeared to him a
great inconsistency on the part of the gen.
tlemen who opposed the building of this
extension of the Great Falls and Old Domi-
MON in the District of Columbia.
"They say, on the one hand that this
enterprise will never succeed: that it will
never pay, one of them going SO far as to
declare that IL the charter is granted the
road will never be built. On the other
hand. they show by their entire conduct
here that they are apprehensve of the re-
suits to themselves of the building of this
road
He said that IL the road took in no fares
and did not pay, then 1T could not do the
existing lines in the city any harm. He
declared that their attitude toward this
proposition showed that there is public
need for the road the Old Dominion pro-
poses to build.
Proposition Fair One.
Mr.. Ridout said that he considered that
the provision that the Old Dominion should
have the same rights granted to the other
roads in the District was a fair one He
saw no reason why one road should have
more rights than another. The trackage
arrangements that had been made in the
past were presidents good and sufficient to
permit the Old Dominion to use the tracks
of the Capital Traction on M street until
they reached 26th street
He referred to the recent legislation for
the building of the union station and said
that it was provided in that bill that IL any
other road should come into this city 1t
should have right to use the viaduct to
be constructed by the existing roads and
the station privileges upon the payment
Of just proportion of the expense. That
same principle he wanted applied In the
case of the street railroads SO far as 1t re-
lated TO the bill before them. He believed
that that action N relation to the steam
roads was a just one, and that 1t Indicates
the attitude of Congress on this nature of