Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-19
SECURE GAS LEASE
Corporation Acquires the
Philadelphia Plant
AGAINST ALL PROTESTS
COUNCILS PASS MEASURE BE-
CAUSE MONEY is NEEDED.
Scenes Of Unprecedented Disorder in
Both Branches-Police Called in
to Stop Disturbance.
AGAINST ALL PROTESTS

A dispatch from New York last night
| says:
| Amid scenes of disorder unprecedented in
the annals of Philadelphia's legislative
body, the city councils tonight voted to
lease the city's gas works to the United
Gas Improvement Company for term
| of seventy-fve years for the total sum of
$25,000,O0O, the money to be paid in various
amounts before the end of 1907.
Councils chambers and committee rooms
| were crowded with excited men protesting
against the lease to the United Gas I'm
provement Company from / D. M, when
the proceedings opened in the finance COM
mittee room, until after p. M, when Sc
lect council passed the bill and sent it to
the mayor.
The climax was reached when the vote
in common council was announced after
| three hours of debate. The moment Presi-
| dent George McCurdy, of common council,
started in the gallery. which was crowded
| to the door. From all over the gallery came
Kisses and cries of thieves" The outburst
was somewhat startling to the presiding
Police Called In.
Finally he sent for squad of police to
clear the gallery, which started the disorder
anew. The crowd continued to hiss and
call the councimen thieves and other
names until the police arrived and started
to clear the gallery. AS the people moved
| out they sang uncomplimentary songs. In
clearing the gallery there were several
clashes between the police and some of the
| spectators, but no one was hurt.
All through the session of common coun-
| Gil there was disorder In select council
there were many policemen on duty that
no one dared to interrupt the proceedings.
| There was neither cheer nor hiss when
| the bill passed that body
| The agitation against the passage of the
| Dill resulted in common council amending
| the measure SO as to provide for slight
reduction in the price of gas. The amend
| ment as adopted provides that the price of
| gas from the da tie of the lease until January
| l, 1911. shall be 81 for 1000 cubic feet, the
same as the present price; from 1911 to
| 1921, 90 cents; from 1921 to 1896. 80 cents;
| from 1886 to 1856 SO cents. and thereafter
until the expiration of the lease in 1850, 80
cents
Mayor Viewers Position.
Mayor Weaver has announced himself as
unalterably opposed to the lease and in ia
vor of a postponement of the whole Ques-
| ton until 1907, when the first ten years of
the present. thirty years lease to the United
Gas Improvement Company will expire At
that time the city has the right to take
back the works on payment to the gas COM
pany Of the amount Of money expended in
improvements Mayor Weaver Is expected
to veto the bill, and in that event both
chambers will probably pass it over his
veto.
The vote in the common council was "A
to and in select council 81 to f. There
Is only one democrat in each body, and
both voted against the lease. There is some
talk among citizens who fought the lease
to take the matter to the courts
The proceedings Of the day began at
7 pm. when the finance committee held a
public session to hear protests from cit
| liens organizat tons. There was a large
crowd present and disorder began almost at
the start of the meeting
The committee had before it two propo-
sitions one from the United Gas Improve
ment Company and the other from E. B.
| Smith & Co., bankers of this city, repre-
senting New York and Philadelphia capital
| lists. In general the propositions were the
same. The Smith bid differed from the
other in that 1t proposed to share the
profits with the city at the rate of one
third for ten years and one-half for the re-
| naming sixty-five years, and also provided
| that the city could reduce the price of gas
| as the profits increased.
The committee began its session with the
hearing of the report Of subcommittee
which favored the lease of the United Gas
| Improvement Company. The report stated
| that the city was in immediate need Of
100000, and that the present borrowing
| capacity Of the municipality was only $15.-
100000. In view of this, the report stated,
the gas works for long term of years, the
| money to be paid in advance, and that the
offer Of the United Gas Improvement Com
pany was the better proposition in hand.
Asks Postponement.
A letter from Mayor Weaver was read,
asking the committee to postpone action
for the present. No action was taken on
the request
The committee then announced itself
ready to hear protests from citizens. Select
Councilman Charles Seger, one of the re-
publican organization leaders of the city,
moved that each speakers time be limited.
This suggestion was received with Kisses
and cries of shame and robbers" Or
der was restored with difficulty and Mr..
Seger's motion was withdrawn.
Those who spoke against the United Gas
Improvement Company's proposition were
John c. Winston, chairman of the commit
tee Of seventy, municipal reform organ
iZation; Francis B. Reeves, chairman of the
committee of nine appointed at recent
mass meeting of citizens; William Potter,
ex-rninister to Italy; w. T. Tilden, a mem
Der of the committee of nine; G. w. Norris,
representing the Smith syndicate, and ex-
Judge James Gay Gordon.
At the conclusion of the meeting which
continued stormy throughout the commit
tee faYorably reported the gas company's
lease to common council.
In the latter body the debate was bitter.
The chair half a dozen times threatened to
have the gallery cleared, but did not put
his threat into execution until the bill had
passed. when he completely lost control of
the crowd. Several amendments offered by
opponents Of the lease were voted down.
Fifteen minutes after the bill passed COM
mon council 1t was taken up by the select
chamber, which had taken a recess to await
the measure. 1t was read quickly and q
motion to postpone action for the present
was defeated. Samuel Crothers, who
fought the bill In this chamber, shook his
fist In the face Of the leaders and said it
was the blacklist crime ever perpetrated
by councils on the city of Philadelphia"
Those who favored the bill said the city
was in urgent need of money and that pub