The Washington times., 1908-02-28
Chairman of Dis trio t
Committee to Draft
Measure Repeating
Contested Law.
Representative Praises
The Times for Its Fight
Against ExactionS
of Trust.

Acting under instructions from his
committee, samuel W. Smith. chairman
Of the House District Committee, is now
preparing a bin he will introduce in the
House to repeal the law now on the
statute books allowing the Washington
Gas Light Company 10 water It's stock
According TO the sentiment in the com
mlttee. as disclosed by an informal dis
cusslcn, the bin viii be reported 10 the
House for passage
1t viii be drawn in such terms as to
remove all possibility OF the company
watering its stock and thus Offering
an argument in the future against a
reduction in the price of gas, It is this
provision that the Court OF Appeals Of
tho District declared unconstitutional.
The Gas Monopoly will take the matter
before the United States Supreme Court.
But the mOnOpOIy's insistence will be
In vain when Congress enacts into law
the bin Mr.. Smith is now preparing.
Friends of People Move.
It developed today that the Imitation
clause" Of the gas legislation was dis
cussed IN the meeting OF the House
District Committee yesterday. ChagrIned
by the long silence Of the committee I'm
regard 20 the exasperatIng tactics OF the
Gas Monopoly, the friends of popular
rights arose In their places about the
committee table and suggested that the
time had come for action. So patent
was the truth of this remark that the
committee agreed in a few minutes 10
have Mr. Smith prepare and Introduce
in the House a bill repeating the On
natiOn" clause
At the close Of the meeting. which
was in executive session and. there
fore. behind closed dooe~. the fnfor,na-
tion was given out that the committee
had virtually decided TO report TO the
House a bill providing for the appoint
menJ by the President OF a public utn-
iues commission consisting OF three
members. Nothing. hswever. was said
about the proposed repeal Of the in
hation clause.
Means Gas Must Come Down.
Today It became known that the com
mittee had taken the action which e
OF more Importance to the pe9ple ~ tbs
District than anything else before rba
committee. In other words. the conn
mittee has laid the foundation for to-
islation which will prevent the qss
monopoly's keeping its prices IN fov
any great length Of time.
That the public utilities co,nniseio,,
VIII be made a reality, is undoubted
And II is equally sure that this com
mission. when il ascertains how tba
gas monopoly has been robbine the
people and growing rich on exorbitsnt
rates for gas, viii lose no time I'm Dut- I
ting down the price Of gas In this IL 1
will be aided by the fact that the re-
peal of the imitation clause will have
prevented the watering Of the stock .of /
The concern.
Representative Praises The Times. /
Realizing that The Times has led 5ba /
ight for fair treatment Of the public 4
)y the gas monopoly. a member of the 4
House said today TO Times reporter:
Your paper deserves the thanks ana
Of all the people of .
for what has been ac-
But it would be we'll TO re-
mind everybody that vigilance il the
'nly price of liberty. You may expect
he gas monopoly to fight the repeal of
he imitation clause in more yyavs than
me.
The TroDects now for the enactment
IF the le sislation are good. It is up 10
he friends OF the people 20 see that /
he enactment is made a certainty"
Tt is a notable fact that when the
was made in the COMMITTEES
hat the bill repeating the imitation clause
,e introduced, no opposition to II was
'olced by any member present.