Evening star., 1913-11-13

noon papers that this inquiry was begun
| by the public utilities commission. / do
not recall. however, that the papers gave
| very much emphasis to the thing which
Impressed me more forcibly than any
thing else tnat came out at that session.
The thing that impressed me was the
| Iiterated. reiterated, declared and rede-
clared statement of the representatives
| of the street railway company that the
Washington Railway and Electric Com
pany - private corporation: that its
books. records, papers and accounts are
private. and that they must be considered
private by the public utilities commission.
must emphat!cally, unequvocally and
lunalterably dissent from that view. \
institution at ALL It is a public institu-
tfon. Every transaction of the officers
directors and the employees of a street
railway company ought to be open TO the
public
why was the public utilities law passed
last winter. and why has the District Of
Columbia now a legally instituted public
utilities commission. It is because from
length to breadth of the United States
the amiable theory that a corporation do
ing a public business still remains pri-
vate corporation has been taken by the
scruff of the neck and thrown overheard.
That theory is so ancient that 1t is bald.
toothiess and gray whiskered.
/ T cannot conceive how an intelligent
representative of a public service cor
! poration can have the effrontery to stand
/ up In the presence of any community in
i the year 1913 and still make that worn
out claim. The very public utilities law
itself Is nothing but a reflection Of the
demonstrated conclusion acclaimed uni
versally by the people of the United
States that corporation transacting a
public business nz,Ds,s is pu5' aas thaa lnd
the only justification in the world
for the control and regulation of these
companies by governmental agency is
the fact that 1t is engaged in a public
business in which the primary interest
Is the pubiic's interest. which the serv-
ants Of the public are directed to con-
serve.
Public to Get Facts.
TN this connection l want to explain
to you why, feeling as / do about the
public character of these corporations,
l consented to shut the public from the
present investigation. We did not do
that because for one mbment we admit
the contention of the representatives of
the street car company that they are a
private corporation and that their books,
records. papers and accounts are private.
but because we felt that We could get
to the bottom Of the inquiry which We
have started more rapidly by making a
!; star chamber investigation.
! 4 want to tell you. too, that before ar
member Of the interstate commerce COM
| mission, who Informed us that it is the
universal custom of the commission to
make its investigations as we are max
ing this one. When comp icared ,ua-
/ tion such as now confrontS us, concerns
i the commission, it designates one of its
| members or one or more of its agents to
make an investigation for the pu pose of
ascertaining all Of the facts N the s tua-
ton. That inquiry is usually conductei
by direct examination of the railroad
| conpany's books and accounts. 1t is
1 never public inquiry. However, when
| the investigation has been completed, the
/ board or agent of the commission makes
complete report upon what he has
| learned and submits It to the commission.
That report is then made of public record
ana the whole commission then conducts
a public hearing on the basis of the re-
| port. all of which is usually made public
| as the hearing goes on. 1t is our nten-
/ ton to follow this practice which aD-
pealed to US as effective and more speedy
than would be an effort on the part of
the commission of three at public ses-
sionS TO get the same information. 1t
means also that the results of the inquiry
will be withheld from the public only
/ temporarily.
! more about the public character of cor
i porations which render public service.
| FOLLOWING the experience of most othel
American states and cities, and the eX-
perlence of the national government
| itself we here in Washington have en-
| tered upon a period of control and reg
| ulation. Congress has said to us, .Th,
stock of these corporations in the Dis
| trict of Columbia Is owned by privat,
individuals. but the business of thess
| corporations is public business
Therefore. the District governmen