Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-21
REFUSES To YIELD
ON STATION TRACKS
= . =
House Sends the Bin Back to
Conference &!
DISPUTE. WITH THE SENATE
Three Main Points Of Difference on
s Proposition.
STOCK OWNED, BY: OFFICIALS
Mr.. Sims Declares That the Situa-
ton Is Such as to Be Embarrass-
ing to the Conferees.
stock OWNED, BY: OFFICIALS

Unless the Senate recedes from it's an
nounced position or the House of Repre-
sentat.ves experiences a complete change
of mind. the present session of Congress
will adjourn without enacting into law the
Union station permanent trackage bill.
Yesterday the House stuck to it's guns
and by vote of 217 to / returned the
trackage bill to conference. Representa-
tive Sulzer of New York cast the one dis
sentng vote. there being otherwise no
hint of party" in the question.
During the debate on the proposition to
return the measure to conference Repre-
sentative Sims of Tennessee took a shot
at Senator Newlands of observation-disclosures
not mentioning him by name-and Secre-
tary to the President Loeb. declaring that
the ownership of large blocks Of street
railway stock by these two gentlemen
made the situation embarrassing. al
though. as he explained, there was moth
ing legally wrong about their ownership
of the stock.
Points Of Difference.
1t developed during debate yesterday
that, as previously published In The
Star, there are three main points of diff
ference between the Senate and House
on the trackage bill
The House insists upon universal free
transfers. while the Senate will not listen
to the proposition.
The House insists upon supervision of
| the local street railways by the District
Commissioners. The Senate is just as
much set the other way.
The House insists upon two tracks on
the Union station plaza; the Senate wants
| four.
In r1ico,,ssipo tho copference renort in
the House yesterday Chairman Smith of
the House District committee said:
Chairman Smiths Statement.
After several meetings on the part OF
the conferees of the Senate and the
House We have failed to agree. The
Senate agrees with the House that the
service down New Jersey avenue is pref
cradle to that down North Capitol street.
and also that the crosstown service is
better legislation than that contained in
the Senate bill. The Senate insists upon
their proposition for tracks in front OF
the Union station, which, to make 1t clear
to every member of the House. are just
double the number of those on Pennsyl-
vania avenue. They insist also that on
either side of the plaza there should be
the same number of tracks that there are
upon Pennsylvania avenue, and also down
tion is to have in front of the Union sta
ton the same number of tracks that are
upon Pennsylvania avenue take the
| tracks from either side of the plaza. and
on the west side let them come up on
| what is called a new street. and upon
the east side upon list street. The
Senate conferees insist that they in
serted the proposition for tracks upon
the plaza in the Senate bill, not because
of their own wish. but because it was the
| judgment of the engineers-the engineer
of the terminal station. the engineers of
the railroad companies and the report OF
the Engineer Commissioner of the Dis
| trict.
Our second difference Is upon the
question of universal transfers. The Sem
ate insists that if we are to have uni
versaI transfers the passenger I'm every
case shall pay an additional cents-that
! is upon the proposition if you purchase
six tickets for quarter and desire a
transfer. that you shall pay an additional
! 2 cents. or II you pay straight f1ve-cent
| fare. that you shall pay an additional
cents for a transfer. One of the con-
| ferees of the Senate addressed letter to
| one of the leading lawyers. If not the
| leading lawyer, in the city on the ques-
| ton of whether or not the universal trans
| fer proposition would be legal or consti-
tutional Not having the time to read
the opinion. I can only say that he held
It would be unconstitutional. Upon the
other hand. we obtained the opinion OF
| the corporation counsel of the District,
4 ana ne LOOK OH OppOcitC view.
THE third proposition upon which We
| differ is the question of supervision by
| the District Commissioners. To this the
| Senate conferees object. and. in lieu OF
| the District Commissioners. we offered
then to accept the interstate commerce
| commission They offered a section in
| lieu Of section 49, but the conferees of
| the House did not and do not think that
the section would be acceptable to the
! House. Mr.. Speaker. we recognize. as
| conferees on the part Of the House. the
necessity of getting the tracks to the
| Union station and we can do so by yield
ing on all three of these propositions
| In reply to question from Repre-
sentative Madden OF Illinois Mr.. Smith
said he considered tracks to the station
one of the most important If not the
most important feature of the Union
station bill
Stock Owned by officials.
Then Representative Sims secured the
floor and declared that the most embar-
RAISING service in the House was the
service on the. District committee when
il was necessary to consider matters per-
| tanning to "franchised corporations here
whose emofuments grow out of grants OF
| legislation.
| Particularly was this so. he said. when
| high officials of the government were
stockholders in the corporations. 1t was
! not unlawful. he admitted. for a govern
| ment official to be stakeholder in these
| barrassing for Congress to handle the
situation. He mentioned the fact that
| one senator. a member of the District
| committee owned more than a thousand