The Washington herald., 1906-12-27

TN through now with Congress.
and all I want is TO leave It right
right. you understand, I've got all
the money / need-money TO burn
that is. / can't spend my income-and
I've earned a rest. But I don't hold
a dollars worth Of stock in any pub
lie service c6rpOration-never did.
Why I could have bought Traction
when il was down 10 45. ike a
whistle, and made a fortune-never
touched it, though. This gas pTOpO-
sition-they say it's making so much
money. 1t don't look good 10 me.
selling at 50. Not for mine. I'm here 10
do my duty by the people, and If the
street G.rs arc making too much
money well have universal transfers
OF reduced fares. or something, and If
gas can be made cheaper now than il
could ten years ago. we'll have
cheaper gas. I'm in the public SER
| vice, and when / get out Of IL / want
20 get out right"
Thus spoke the Hon. Joseph Weeks
| BabcOck, Of Wisconsin, expiring Con-
gresham and expiring chairman OF the
/ House Committee on District Affairs.
/ yesterday afternoon. at his home on 3
street He used the words and ierkv
phrases quoted in concluding an inter-
/ view on gas. His views were sought to
/ illuminate the subject now engrossing the
thoughts Of all Washington. When it was
/ first broached-gas-by the interviewer.
| the passing statesman was tOuchy He
was pTOfane in fact. His language was
awful-unfit to print He had a copy OF
The Washington Herald before him. and
had been reading the account printed in
Wednesdays issue. in which Representa-
tive Sims told how the house killed the
stock watering gas scheme in 1901 and
how, IN its indignation, it ordered the
District Committee TO report d bill reduc-
/ ing the price of gas-and how the COM
mittee did not co it.
True Friend of District.
| An interesting bit Of gas history IL was,
/ but the passing statesman from Wiscon-
sin did not like H. He disputed the
printed version and gave shocking ez-
/ plosion to his wrath
/ The. accuse me of taking no interest
| in this gas question: he said. after the
Iprofane outburst. and when he mad quieted
down Why, 1 am the only man who
ever reduced the price of gas and electric
/ light in the District of Columbia"
! When was thiS2"
! "Oh, / can't remember the dates. Ny
secretary is not here Eight OF ten years
ago 1 reduced the price OF electric light
/ from Is TO 10 cents, and OF gas from 81 =
/ 10 800 II never would have been done
/ but for me
/ But about this matter Of the bill that
was referred from the House TO your COM
mittee, reducing the price Of gas on a slid
I ing scale so that on July J, 1g04. il would
have been % cents. Why did you ignore
that?"
/ I didn't ignore it. 1 was III. Why.
/ had been i'll for four months. Jenkins had
/ the bill In charge. But 1 crawled up to
! the House and called it up. and that was
I all ] could do. I was too ill.,"
/ In the bin which was passed reducing
the price Of gas from S1-25 10 S1.O0. did yoEr
! committee agree upon any standard cam
/ dlepower at which the gas Was to be fur
nished?"
"Yes. We made it twenty-six candle
power"
/ Why tWenty-six7"
| Because that is the limit That is ths
/ best quality Of gas that can be fur
| nished"
Heard About the Joker.
Did you know that subsequent to that
a joker was slipped into the appropri-
alton bills fer the District Of Columbia,
Producing the requirement in this regard
to twenty-five candlepower?"
/ Yes, heard something of it"
| Did you or your committee pyottT
| against this reduction in quality?"
Not protest We inquired. and founs
/ it was ali right.
How all right?"
why, they showed Us that the gas at
/ twenty-five candlepower was in reality
"A good deal better than that at twenty
/ six candIepower The lower grade gas
/ is more purely coal gas; TO set the
/ higher power, they have to put more oil
/ in the gas.
/ rs ii cheaper TO ftSnish twenty-five
/ than twenty-six candlepOwer gas?"
! How in the h 90 / know? I'm not
| a gas expert. Look here
/ The Representative from Wisconsin,
/ this interview was held in the office in
/ the basement of his house-weat over TO
the manteipiece and lighted the gas. 1t
burned with clear, steady flame
! Beats an Electric Light.
Look at that he exclaimed. Isn't
that a fine light? It's brighter than that
whole bunch of electric lights Now that's
/ the gas the people Of the District are get
/ ting It's better gas than is furnished in
any city of the Union. II burns clear
and steady-a fine light-yes. sir, a fine
/ light"
! He was as enthusiastic as if he were
selling gas himself and demonstrating its
/ exceliences.
rs the District of Columbia getting gas
as cheaply as it should, in your opinion2'
! well, I'm not sure of that. When 1
/ went into the matter before I went clear
| to the bottom of it. / demanded from
/ MT Orme, the secretary Of the company
/ a complete statement as to their expenses
/ for the year, their income. their pur-
| chases OF coal, the cost of their labor
and so on AS I remember, that report
/ convinced the committee that the gas
company was serving gas to its customers
at about 6S cents a thousand, delivered.
On that showing we made the price 81.
And what about now?"
We'll. we shall have TO wait until the
matter comes up
Has it not already come up? Is not
/ the bill OF Mr.. Madden in the hands OF
your committee nOw?'
''Yes-well, We shall probably ask FOR
the same sort Of report again. and shall