The Washington herald., 1908-02-22
TRACK BILL TO PASS
Day of Discussion Shows the
House Fay0rS Measure.
CANNON is DISTRICTS FRIEND
sIdetracks "POint-of-Order" Mann
and Leaves Him Boxed Up in the
Chair. InnOcuOus-Three-c Fares
and Other Amendments Are Voted
DOwn-Made Decide Bill To-day.

Although the Union Station trackage
bill. the first measure taken up in the
three-day District of Columbia session Of
the House. had not passed when the
House adjourned at 5:O5 O'Clock last even
! ing, much progress had been made on the
bill. and the fact that every amendment
tending 10 materially change the bin as
reported by the District Committee had
been consistently voted down was taken
to indicate that the bill satisfies the ma
iority Of the members. and that It's pas
sage in practically its present form Is
assured.
The bin will be taken up again to-day.
and its passage will probably be en-
compassed in the course OF the after
noon. Once it is got out of the way.
il is believed that rapid progress will
be made on the many other District bills
which are awaiting consideration.
Tbree-cent Fares Rejected.
Representative Shaekleford made an ef-
fort 20 have his amendment providing
for the sale of eight tickets for a quar-
ter by the street railway companies
adopted. but the proposition was over
whelmingly defeated. The companies
! came in for considerable oratoricaI rak-
ing during the day, but they We're vigor-
ously defended by other members.
/ Speaker Cannon proved himself a friend
/ in need for the District early in the day.
The House having. on motion OF Rep
! resentative Smith, Of Michigan. resolved
/ itself into Committee Of .he Whole for
| the consideration Of District matters, the
! Speaker asked Representative Mann, OF
/ Illinois. to take the chair. Mr. Mann and
/ his points of order are famous as OBJ
| structors Of legislation Of which the Iui-
/ nois obiectOr does not approve and
/ while there was no ground for believing
/ that he disapprOved Of the trackage bill.
/ the members OF the District Committee
4 evidently breathed sEore easily when they
/ saw him safely boxed up on the Speak
I er's rostrum. He made an admirable
| presiding officer.
Smith Acts as PedEGoEue.
\ large map Of the section which viii
be affected by the proposed changes in
! the trackage arrangements Of the city
was brought in on an easel which had
been attenuated 20 make IL III the map
/ legs. and was set up TO the left Of the
Speakers desk. Then Mr.. Smith as chair
man Of the District Committee and mem
! Der in charge of the pending legislation.
resolved himself into a school teacher for
the purpose Of instrueting his colleagues
in the details of the bill He started life
/ as pedagogue in Michigan, so tnat
/ the part came naturally 10 him.
With long rattan pointer in his hand.
/ he took his station before the map. and
announced that he would tell an there
was TO tell about its mysteries But be-
| fore ne got started, NJ. Shackleford
arose and asked that he be allowed one
minute in which 10 present certain
amendments. Instructor Smith obliging-
! ly yielded The time. as Mr. Shackleford.
being one OF the big boys" OF the Dis
trict Committee and inclined 10 have his
own opinions on things affecting street
I railways, is a good man to keep in a
pleasant frame of mind until the bill has
been PASSED.
ShacklefOrd Pursues His Ideas.
He offered two amendments. one pro-
posing the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
plan. the other providing that where Joint
l
pensation arranged between the two com
panies should be based on the actual
value OF the physical property involved.
without taking into consideration the
theoretical value Of the franchise Of the
company owning the tracks
Representative Sims. Of Tennessee. then
climbed 20 his feet and made a suggestion
fFRF ra.Ia 90 fr.awal II.
boys to imbibe the information con-
cerning the map which Teacher Smith
was about to impart. He wanted every
body TO move over in front Of the map.
so as TO condense the audience into as
compact a body as was possible. Nobody
objected to the suggestion Of the pupil
from Tennessee, but nobody acted upon
it, either
Then Mr.. Smith got to work He ex-
planned that the various extensions. as
they affected the different companies.
were shown on the map in variegated
cOlors As he explained. he used his
pointer with practiced hand, and the
! class behaved with admirable decorum
all but a few boys in the back rows
who would insist upon taking-paying
strict attention. The bill had been read
in full before he began. but at his stig-
gestion. the clerk read each section as he
explained il on the map.
Find Where Capitol Is.
Representative Driscon. with an eve
single TO the ease with which he was 10
get 10 the station when he found it sud
denly necessary to get to New York.
asked where the Capitol was supposed
TO be on the map Mr.. Smith showed him
with great pains. Then Gen. Keifer. Of
Ohio, got up, primed with questions. He
wanted TO know what difference there
was between the bill as it came from the
Senate and as ii was reported by the COM
mittee. Mr.. Smith could have told him
very easily by showing him the amended
bill. which contains the Senate bill. with
lines drawn through all its sections. and
followed by the House committees ideas
on the subject with just a suggestion
Of the Senate bill here and there
But Mr.. Smith didn't Instead. he went
to some trouble TO explain the differences.
Hepburn Is InauIsitfve.
Then Col Hepburn, one of the most at
tentve of the students. wanted to know
! whether the committee had reason to be-
lieve that the companies would comply
with the provisions of the bin if it should
pass. Mr.. Smith replied that he had been
given TO understand that the Capital
Traction Company would perform the OBJ
legations placed upon it by the bill. and
that he believed that the Washington
Railway and Electric Company would DO
likewise In reply TO a further question
as TO whether the> companies could be
cnn,raIled 10 hidn h,- tl,n torr,r ,c a. =