Evening star., 1911-06-02
DISTRICT COMMITTEE
SCORED BY In TOILETTE
Senator Tells Of Gas Company
Investigating Resolution In
troduced Years Ago.

The workings Of the Senate District
committee came In for soms comment
from Senator La Toilette in the Senate
yesterday afternoon. The Wisconsin
senator was pleading not to have the
Lerfmer inquiry intrusted to the Senate
standing committee on privileges and
elections, and he made sone incidental
comments upon the manner in which
some Of the committees were made up.
II remember. and I am going 70 say 1t
right here now" he remarked, Il ren1em-
ber years ago I introduced resolution
here for the Investigation Of the Wash
ingt0n Gas Company-I guess. upon re-
nection. the resolution was originally In
troduced by the senator from Nebraska
(Mr Brown). but 1t was not q resolution
which was broad enongh, in my opinion.
That resolution. by an inadvertence, was
sent to the committee on corporations OF
the District Of Columbia, and that COM
mittee, when the committees OF the SEN
ate are being arranged. does not receive
much attention. 1t is not expected TO DC
committee OF much Importance. and
most anybody is on that committee ana
I was put on that committee. So was the
senator from Nebraska (Mr. BROWN ana
one or two other senator's. That was re-
garded as . committee that It Was per
fectly safe to put men on who might do
things.
Now, Mr.. President, when the soma
tor from Nebraska, Mr.. Brown, intro
duced this resolution, which was an
Of the Washington Gas Light Company.
he asked to nave 1t referred to the
committee Of which he was q member.
which was the committee on the or
ganization Of corporations In the Dis
trict Of Columbia, and 1t went to that
committee. and when it got into that
committee the senator from Nebraska
and 1 conferred about 1t, and that reso-
luton was brOadened good deal to
make an investigation Of the real val
Gas Company with view Of deter
mining the basis upon which they
could charge rates.
Resolution Died in Committee.
"Well, that resolution was amended and
reported back hero to the Senate ana re-
ported back with a view Of having II 90
to the committee on contingent expenses
In order that we might be authorized to
subpoena witnesses and employ a stenos-
rapher and all that sort OF thing. Then
. fight took place on the floor.
1.-The committee on the District Of CO.
lumbia claimed that resolution and quite
Q contest took place. OF course, it was
carried on q high plane. There was not
q word said how the resolution Itself
was to be affected by sending IL to that
committee instead of the committee on
the District Of Columbia, but there was
q whole lot said among members on the
floor here about what would happen.
Scores Of members said, Of course, IL 1t
goes to the committee on the District OF
Columbia 1t never will be heard OF again.
'>Now, It was common talk on the floor
49, AA~A f~AA HA~ 40
ganized' in such a way that a resolution
Of that sort could not get out OF 1t. 1t
did go to that committee by a vote on
the door of the Senate and 1t never came
back out Of that committee. 1t died the
death there. That IL just one instance.
I cite that committee. It Is not different
from other committees, many other Inn
portant committees, In the Senate"