Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-09
House District Committee Re.
sumes Hearing on Gas.
Mr.. CoUDREY cRITIcIsEs
Intimates That Company Is Not In.
clined to Act Fairly.
REVIEW BY G. c. HAZLETON
Declares There Is No Evidence to
Show That the First Capitalize
ton Of Body Was Paid.

| The House committee on the Distric
! of Columbia met at its House Office build
ing headquarters last night at 8 o'cloc
and resumed the hearing on the resolu
| ton, offered by Representative Coudrey o.
| Missouri, to prohibit the Washington Ga.
Light Company from increasing its out
standing Indebtedness by the further is
| sue Of certificates or other paper Before
the hearing adjourned the committee
weary Of hearsay evidence and the testi
mony of experts not connected with the
local company, decided to demand ..le
presence before it of the officers of tina,
corporation.
R. H. Goldsborough, attorney for the
Washington Gas Light Company, prom
ised the committee, as result OF the
demand made. that William F. Hart. gen.
eral manager. and other officers of the
company would appear before it at the
adjourned meeting next Tuesday night.
The members of the committee. par
ticularly Mr.. COudrey, showed some dis
pleasure as result of the failure of
officials OF the company to appear.
Mr.. Coudrey's Criticism.
THE gas company doesn't seem inclined
to play fair with u.s. Mr.. Coudrey re-
marked ''inasmuch as it is not inclined
to give the information we need, and it
does not seem to want to help us.
do not understand why we should accept
hearsay evidence from an outsider when
the officers of the company should be
presenting it themselves
Mr.. Pearre expressed the same views.
Yes he said what We want to find
out is how much General Manager Hart
nd hoe ut g
Review by G. C.. Hazleton.
George c. Hazleton, former member of
Congress, and at one time corporation
counsel of the District of Columbia. ad-
ing the financial operations of the Wash
ington Gas Light Company from 1s4S
down to the present day. He reviewed
the increased capitalization of the COM
pany from the first $4,000 of stock au-
thorized by Congress. He declared that
the destruction Of the company's books
In 1886 threw doubt on all transactions
prior to that time. There was not q
scrap of evidence. he was certain. to
show that the first capitalization OF the
company had ever been paid In.
Mr. Hazleton quoted the report of Sena-
tor Spooner's committee during an In
vestigation In 1895 to show that the sec
pany, and analysed other increases In
capital since that time.
What are you fighting for, II every
thing IL all right?' he asked. turning to
Attorney Gol6zborough. Lets have the
sunlight let in on some Of these trans
actions. Why don't you come out in the
open and fight? Show your hand. Bring
your executive officers before this fair
and impartial committee and let them ex-
plain things themselves, instead Of send
;per
Asks for Debt Statement.
why, this company is trying to in
crease capitalization by offering debt.
Where is it's debt? Let's see it. There
is strong rumor that its own stock
holders are divided on this question. The
conservatives are for holding back and
doing what is right. but those radicals
want to fight this committee and this
resolution of Mr. Coudrey. 1t is perfectly
natural that they want to Ovefrule YOU.
1t is natural that John X. Mclean is will
ing to lie down one night with his hold
ngs in the company and wake up the
next morning and find them doubled.
why, this proposition Will beat Wa!
street methods the transactions OF Stand
ard Oil, or the certainty OF roulette
wheel, where the marble is fixed to fall
in the right number every whirl,' con
tinued Mr.. HazletOn That board of
directors and these officers are bright
set of men They are money makers. OF
course, they want to keep the consumer
down.
"Goidsborough, there. can't sleep nights
Think of it--more millions to divide. md
the only thing that stands in the way is
this honest committee and this Coudrey
resolution
Put the searchlight on them. Get
them before you and ask them about
these things that ! have told you. They
can't give you satisfactory answers. They
bring DIR. Humphreys here from Buffalo
to talk to you. He il no doubt an honest
man. but he is an advOcate-he is talking
for the gas company