Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-25
GAS AND PUBLIC SPIRIT
A COMPARISON WITH THE sITUA-
TON IN PHILADELPHIA.
To the Editor OF The Star:

IN common with Its esteemed contempo-
raries here and the country over, The Star
has edftorially commented upon the various
phases of the popular uprising in Philadel-
phia against the gas ring" and its affili-
ated public utility monopolies. commenting
the present attitude of the people and I'M
sparingly condemning their former torpid
and Indifferent condition and submission to
the exactions of the gas and other rings
One of The Star editorials referred to the
humiliating spectacle afforded by the in
ability OF Mayor Weaver and the citizens
reform committee to secure a Philadelphia
lawyer OF the first rank to take the case OF
the people against the gas company, on
which account they were obliged to go to
New York and get Elhu Root. The Star
even did an unusual thing IN printing the
names of six or seven of these reputable
Philadelphia lawyers who, when appealed to
to take the case OF the people. said in ef-
feet: Il pray thee. have me excused" They
were all shackled by their gas company and
trust interests The Star also printed the
statement OF the chairman OF the reform
committee that what was true of the law
yers named was true of thousands of Phila-
delphias reputable business and profession
al men,. Their mouths were closed by their
various entanglements with the municipal
utility corporations
The Star properly characterized this re-
markable state of affairs.
Now, one is led to wonder how 1t is that
The Star and its Washington contem-
poraries, can see so clearly and denounce
so vigorously the absence of a proper pup
lie spirit In another community, and can
not and will not see the practically similar
conditions existing right here
Wherein are much better OF in re-
spect to the price We pay for gas and cleo
trio light than they in Philadelphia They
pay 81 per thousand cubic feet. We on the
east of Rock Creek pay the same and on
the west $l.25. And Philadelphia gas COM
pany offered what looks to us reasonable
terms for an extension of the lease. Its
offer was to advance SIS, 600, 900 without in
terest, to furnish free gas for all street
lighting and for the public parks. build
ings, etc: to expend million dollars
year for extensions, etc, and to gradually
reduce the price to 50 cents. In fact. the
company claimed that had its offer been
accepted the city would have Melted, in the
period Of the lease. the sum OF $4SI, 81.
227.4S
If that claim was approximately true, the
company's offer looks pretty good to q
Washington man. In any event. ii doesnt
lie in our mouths to censure the people OK
Philadelphia for their submission to The
exactions of the gas gang and other pubic
utility corporations.
We here act as though We had reached
the summit of municipal felicity In the
matter of cheap gas So far as appears
from the attitude of our newspapers, our
board of Commissioners, our citizens asso-
Citations. Board of Trade and business men
dollar gas is to be desired. We all KNOW
of course or ought to know. because IT can
not be disputed that 81 per thousand rect
is at least % per cent eXtortionate we
know that few years ago We were oneleu
15-cent gas and we know that the propo-
sition was made in good faith, and thae
we could have 15-cent gas today III tho
people of the District were not, as SO re-
Gently were the people of Philadelphia. in
a co,natose state We know that 10 cents
is a generous price. which would perm't
reasonable dividends on the stock or the
gas company. To be sure IL would not
allow Of the 100 per cent extra dividenos
every now and then that $1.oO gas ailo"e.
1t would be just to the company, now,
ever and would induce the use OF seVefai
times the present product for heating por-
poses
We know that 81 gas here Is extortlonato
by such testimony as that given IN the
investigation in New York, where IL was
proven that one company delivers gas IN
the mains of another company at 30 Genus
ner thousand and is satisfied with the
profit made. -
We also know it from the statistics OF the
profits of $50 municipal-owned plants IN
Great Britain, and from their producing
gas at prices ranging from y TO W cents
per thousand.
nublic sentiment here in favor of cheaper
gas and electric light? The Senate and
House District committees bank upon TINS
condition, as was illustrated IN the iass
Y u
manfully to pass a bill allowing the gas
company to water its stock from less than
four to nearly fourteen millions. Had TINS
bill passed ii would have prevented any
future reduction in the price of gas. IN
case by some miracle, our people shoulo
ever wake up and set about the reduction.
The bill was defeated, but not from any
alertness of our people or of the board OF
Commissioners 1t was defeated through
the efforts of a few friends or PRESIDENT
Roosevelt in the House. and because OF the
position taken by him in his first message
against the overcapitalization or gas, eiec-
trio light, etc, corporations
The bill was sent by the House District
committee to our District Commissioners
for report. They reported, entirely ignor-
ing the stock-watering feature. have yet
to know that their action in this regard has
ever been reprobated by one of their con
stituents" What shall be said of a citi-
zenship which would remain dormant while
such a bill was being championed by the
chairman of the Eouse District commit
tee? q do not mention the bait offered
by the company-the reduction OF - cents
to Georgetown consumers. 1t was too pail
pably bait)
1t is not only in gas and electric light
prices that our people have proved them
selves deficient in proper public spirit.
They could have prevented some street rail-
road stock watering. They could take note
of the present Inadequate annual rental
paid by the Central Market Company for
the large block of ground they occupy.
The ground was granted originally third
of a century ago, for the sum of $4,000
a year Before the end of the first year
the owners of the stock got the rent re-
duced to 800 a year, which is an absurdly
insufficient amount for the ground in that
locality. The difference between the price
they offered to get their bill through and
the price they have paid would, in the years
that have passed, amount to more than half
a million dollars. 1t would come near build
ing the much-needed auditorium. This
amount has been lost because one took
notice. and the average Washington BUSH
ness man will not do or say anything an
tagnstic to the interests of a felow-busi-
ness man, especially when vested inter-
ests" are concerned.
1t seems TO the undersigned that if We
here would submit ourselves to a process
of introspection we would begin to realize
that the millennium has not yet arrived in
District municipal matters, and that we
not justified in saying to our Phila-
delphia brothers, We are holier than
thou" w. ]. MORRIS
New Pastor for Local Church.