The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-02-14
Give the People Supervision.

As to street railway legislation in
the District, The Times would pick
its way slowly.
It's interest is chiefly in the pat
rons of the road. as must be clear TO
its readers. But il cannot in justice
be blind TO the welfare of the in
vestOr whose money has made the
road possible.
1t would have the roads bear every
cent of their full burden of taxes.
But it cannot see the advantage of
fiat levies, superseding or contra
dieting every established principle
OF local taxation. Instead it would
prefer to have the taxes so imposed
rs to turn back into betterments or
lower fares every cent Of profit
| above a fair rate, in order that the
citizen who rides and makes the
earning possible should have the
benefit.
But The Times does not have to
pick its way slowly to the conclu-
sion that the objections made on
behalf of the Washington Railway
and Electric Company to the bill
/ giving the Commissioners supervi-
sion over local street car schedules
are not impressive. According to
the general maj ager of the system,
in statement 70 the House Com
mittee on the District of Columbia,
it would take two hours to discuss
the matter fully; but he has pre-
scented an epitome of the opposi-
ton in This form:
The Commission ers' bill stands for
municipal control. Let us not hide that
Now this legislation provides
nothing for the street railways that
is not now provided for many other
forms of District industry. 1t pro-
poses 10 vest in the Commissioners
no control which those officers do
not now exercise over the manage
ment of employment agencies, the
operation of hacks, the use of auto
mobiles, the conduct of dairies and
dairy farms, the condition of market
houses, and every branch of every
building trade carried on within the
borders Of the District.
In none of these widely different
businesses has their supervision had
the character of municipal opera
ton, which is evidently what the
general manager meant to say of
corresponding supervision over the
street railways. 1t has had, instead,
the character of control by the
community, by the people whose in
teTests are mainly concerned.
Study of this control will serve to
answer every objection so far urged
against the Commissioners bill.
They have not had to be expert
dairymen, or butchers, or plumbers,
or plasterers, or carpenters in order
to see that diseased milk, or foul
meat, or unsafe buildings are avert
ed for the Capital. Nor in the case
Of the haclImen and drivers of au-
tOmobiles have they had to take
over the detailed management OF
their vehicles,
They have simply supervised them
in the interest of the people-in
some cases excellently, in others,
perhaps, not vigorously enough; but
il is hard TO see how their failure to
be severe enough can be used to IL
lustrate the danger of giving them
power to be severe As to street
railways all they may reasonably be
expected to do, all they win under
take to do. in the light of expert
cnce, will be to see that cars enough
are supplied to all citizens alike.
Furthermore, Congress has al
ready passed on the desirability of
this sort of control and the House
has recently affirmed it by unan-
imous vote. Under the law as it
stands this very day, authority TO
supervise street railway schedules
in the District is explicitly imposed
upon the Commissioners. The
trouble is that it has been and is
an empty authority, without power
to enforce it. Last Monday, how
ever, the House adopted without a
single negative vote an amendment