Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-19
ON THE DISTRICT BILL
General Debate Resumed in the
House.
LITTLE INTEREST SHOWN
Only About twenty-five Representa-
tives in Their Seats.
CRITICISM OF THE SCHOOLS
Mr.. Madden Discusses the District
Fiscal System and Reviews
Local History.
CRITICISM OF THE SCHOOLS

General debate on tho District OF Co
iumoia appropriation bill which was be-
gun IN the House late yesterday afternoon
was continued at today's session Repre-
sentative Burleson of Texas n member OF
the District subcommittee of the House ap-
preparations committee. spoke briefly In ex-
PLANTATION of the bill His remarks were
rather In the nature OF an academic dis
cussion of various phases of the admins
trative methods OF the local municipality
generally speaking Mr.. Burleson thought
that the form OF government of the District
OF Columbia was probably as good for the
purpose as any that could be devised. He
criticised some features. however. among
them the public school system, which, he
said. taught the children of the District of
Columbia to expect too much from the fed
eral government.
Representative Madden of Illinois. also a
member Of the subcommittee spent some
little time in a discussion of the District
financial system
The interesting character OF the general
debate on the bill may be judged from the
fact that hardly twenty-five members were
in their seats on the floor at the time. or
these only about ten paid any attention to
the proceedings.
Continued Neglect of the Capital
In the course OF his remarks. Mr. Mad
den said:
Many people wonder why the federal
government is called upon to pay one-haIf
or the expense incurred in the maintenance
OK the District government but when 1t is
understood that the federal government
owns more than one-half OF the property
WITHIN " the District and that this properly
Is not subject to local taxation and when
1t Is further understood that the expense
incident to the management OF the city on
account of II containing the capital of the
mot b. 49,,
taxpayers could not we'll AFFORD TO hear
one can readily see why the burden Of
maintenance of local government should be
equally divided"
Mr.. Madden reviewed the early history Of
the city. calling attention 10 the dificllty
OF securing improvements In the early days
ana said that In 1885 a report was made TO
the senate by one of Its committees calling
attention to the neglect of the national cap
ttal by the federal government, and RECON-
mending that 1t should pay one-half of the
expenses OF maintenance. But Mr. Madden
said no action was taken on the report
and 1t was not until 1871 that Congress au-
thoriZed the board of public works and a
territorial form OF government for the I'm
provement OF streets and avenues.
Mr.. Madden then reviewed the. financial
system under which the local government
operates, and gave facts and figures In con-
nection with the assessed value of property,
the property exempt from taxation and the
tax rate and collections.
The Lighting Proposition.
In his discussion of the lighting PROPOSE
ton. Mr, Madden said:
THE city pays S245 400 a year for street
lighting. The price heretofore paid fer fat
fame burners for street lighting was SD a
lamp. Fifteen dollars is considered a high
price for this service, and the committee
reduced the compensation to that figure.
There are 6.5o7 OF these lamps which at So
uo,r
District of s32 535. There are $50 Welsbacn
Lamps, for which the city was paying So
a light and the committee believed that So
was all that should be paid for that kind
or service. and therefore has reduced the
figures
There are $50 arc lights for which the
city was paying $50 lamp and that has
been reduced to $50, thus making a saving
on the street lighting Of about Si2,24
The strange thing to me is that where
the Welsbach light is used an outside COM
pany has bid on the lighting. This COM
pany has no gas, but is obliged to buy IL
from the company which owns the gas
plant, whereas am of the opinion that the
company which is granted the privilege of
manufacturing and furnishing gas to the
municipality ought to be obliged to furnish
gas direct to the municipality In any form
in which Ii may be required and at reason
able prices.
THE fat-fiame burners. which consume
five feet of gas hour, are used on an
average of 1000 hours a year. This would
make 10000 feet of gas burned in each lamp
each year. thus indicating that the gas COM
pany charges the District of Columbia 81
thousand
My own judgment is that not much
more than half of this price should be
charged for the street lighting, although
the price fixed by the committee amounts
to IS cents per thousand The new meth
DDS of manufacturing gas admit of its
production for much less price than was
possible when the gas company was first
organized and the price paid now by private
consumers should be reduced, in my judy
ment, to at least So cents
of Street Car Companies.
Discussing the committee requirement
that street. railways be compelled to
sprinkle the parts OF streets occupied by
their tracks, Mr.. Madden said that he
could not understand why no attempt had
been made TO compel this before now. On
this point he said:
THE inconvenience caused to the public
on account OF the dust made by the opera
ton of the cars would seem to call for
some radical change in the method OF oper-
ating, and your committee has recommend
ed that all the street car companies be
obliged I'm the future to operate sprinlSling
cars to relieve the unpleasant conditions
heretofore existing
Congress has appropriated 1926. 900 for
the construction of bridge over the Ana
costa river This bridge is to be used by
the ANacCStid rallIOaC ana because OF lildI
it was required to be built eighteen feet
wider than would otherwise have been nee
ossary.
"Tfie street car company occupies 20 per
cent of the bridge. No recommends zion
was made by the District Commissioners
for the payment of any part of the cost
of this bridge by the street car company.
After careful examination of the
president Of the railway company he adj
rnittsd that his company should pay
portion of the expense. This suggestion
was that $4,000 would be the fair pro-
portion Of the street railway company,
but It requires no great step of the
imagination to understand that this
would be neither just to the taxpayers OF
the District nor to the people at large.
and your committee thought that So. 800.
or 10 per cent of the cost, would be just
proportion of the railroad company for
the expense of the construction OF this
bridge.
Daniel o. Hofman's Charges
Representative Clark then read from a
number Of affldavits by patients and at
tendants at the asylum. describing alleged
conditions One of the affidavits made by
Daniel Oscar Hoffman in Milwaukee, Wis.,.
told of horrible conditions alleged TO exist
across the river. Mr.. Hoffman swore that
he had been seized at his home, 1913 Both
street and taken to the asylum without OPP
portunity to consult counsel; that once
there he had been stripped. scrubbed down
49, tz-r.aI bet