The Washington times., 1908-11-16
Directly Contrary to the PreSi-
dents Whole Career.

For more than a year the local Gas
Monopoly has been fighting desperately
against legislation required to protect
the community from overcharges tor
gas, poor quality Of gas, and such new
financing as viii clamp the present over
charges permanently on the people Of
the National Capital
As an incident to that fight, the
Washington Post-since it has been
controlled by the president of the gas
company-has been used to interpose
every obstacle TO the legislation indi-
Gated. 1t has refrained from printing
news of meetings of citizens at which
strong protests were made against the
gas company. 1t has never printed a
reference TO the course of the pending
gas bills, though these measures OBJ
tanned columns of space in every other
newspaper in Washington. 1t has not
even published proceedings in court,
save for brief mention of an appeal
taken by the gas company from a deci-
sion of the Court of Appeals that the
act was invalid under which the monop-
oily proposed TO triple its capital stock
and so establish for good and all the
present charge for gas. Finally, it has
come to light that in such a course it
has had as a partner the chairman of
the house Committee on the District of
Columbia.
All this was bad enough. But it did
not 90 so far as the propaganda which
lately the Post has espoused for a
change in the form of the District
government. Whatever the most trust
ing can regard as the purpose of this
newspaper, the reasonable effect is
clear-that any serious proposition to
frame new organic act for the Dis
trict in the forthcoming session of Con
gress must SO clog the two Committees
on the District of Columbia as to pro-
vide an apparent excuse for neglecting
the pending gas bills.
In this cause the Post has displayed
an energy unprecedented in its atten-
tion to Iocal affairs otherwise. It has
misrepresented and misquoted citizens;
it has assigned groups Of men to searches
of District records III the fruitless hope
of tnaing something wrong; it has ex-
aggerated conditions in our school build
ings; it has used in support of its posi-
ton interviews which were radically OPP
posed.
Now, the District government may
need changing. 1t is more than pos
sible than changes in the direction of
development would improve it. Many
honest and disinteresteu citizens think
so. But the tendency of the gas bills
and the recklessness of the newspaper
indicated make it more than difficult
now to approve any, proposed change
without playing into the hands of
monopoly which in the District of Co
lumbia has earned a condemnation as
severe as that which has been visited,
rightly or wrongly, upon the Standard
Oil Company in the larger field of the
whole nation.
The Post is authority for the state
ment that the President of the United
States would recommend to Congress in
his forthcoming message such a change
in the District government as it urges.
If that has been the Presidents pur-
pose, it Is impossible he has understood
the conditions which have developed
while he was absent ii Oyster Bay.
His whole official life has been given
to fighting Just such corporations, Just
such clouding of the public understand
ing, Just such effort on the part of
corrupt influences to use a cause with |
merit for the protection of another |
cause without merit.
A recommendation from him for
change in our form of government at |
this time would have the effect of |
making practically impossible the en-
actment of legislation seriously and inn |
peratively needed if the Washington
Gaslight Company is not to prove it
self master of the District of Columbia. !
That he would take such step in full /
UNDERSTANDING OF all the IdcJS Is IN (
conceivable. That those who are his |
true friends would urge him to it is |
also inconceivable. He and they and !
all Of us who have no special interest
in the Washington GasIight Company
viii desire least Of all to prevent the en-
sctment of laws needed TO hold that cor
poration in proper relation TO the people
whose privileges it enjoys. When that
has been done-and not before-then all |
of us can enter upon the work of improv-
ing the District government as nearly
as possible without confusion and be-
yond any danger Of playing into the
hands of the gas company as we do it.