Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-02
Personal Tinge Given Ques-
tions Regarding His Advocacy
of Municipal Ownership.
URGES PUBLIC CONTROL
OF DISTRICT UTILITIES
Corporation Counsel Before House
Committee Which Is Considering
the Crosser Bill.

the element OF risk has been taken out o
the operation of the concern under pri
vate ownership. He also told the commit
tee that when it comes to a question OF
whether watered corporation should bt
allowed to continue as a private enter
prise the greater good of the public at
large should have more consideration
with Congress than the fate of the small
investors.
Then you say that these people. who
have put their savings into something
which you say is watered, should DC
n,ad. to lose all they have saved by a
law which would be retroactive. was
the comment made by Representative
Winslow. who conducted a cross exam
nation of Mr.. Syme from the standpoint
o: one opposed to the Crosser bill fol
municipal ownership of the street rail-
ways of the District of Columbia.
Clash Brings Personal Tinge.
Mr. Syme's statement today ranks
among the strongest yet made to the
committee in favor of municipal owner
ship. and at one stage the clash between
him and Representative Winslow began
to take on slightly personal nature.
when the Massachusetts, congressman
read 1912 list of stockholders in the
Washington Railway and Electric Com
if the Conrad H. Syme shown in the
list was the same man appearing that
moment before the committee. MIR. Syme
said that he and his father and wife
had owned ten shares apiece in the
Washington Railway and Electric Com
pany, and that he and Mrs: Syme had
sold their holdings when he became cor
poration counsel.
Then up to the time that you be-
came corporation counsel you did not
Tn fal
she were holding stock in a damnable
enterprise that was cheating the pub
lie" said Representative Winslow.
II decline to answer that question, as
turned Mr.. Syme with anger in his
voice.
"All right. ! will put it to you in this
said that the acts of the men who
effected this organization in the
street railways were bad, and yet you
held on to your stock in the concern
until you became corporation counsel"
Admits Nothing.
.I admit nothing I bought the stock
and paid for it,
"As corporation counsel you are ac-
customed to weighing evidence?"
..Yes-and motives am weighing
them now.
SO am L. retorted Mr.. Winslow.
That's nice answer
Later Mr.. Winslow asked the corpora
ton counsel what he would do with the
stockholders of the companies, and what
the effect would be if the so-called water
should be squeezed. out. II any was
there.
when there are two evils" Mr.. syme
replied lit is better to choose that one
which might have been guarded against
If it is for the interest of the general
public that these two corporations
should be operated by the public, then
frjal, we should look out for the many
n other words to bring about the great
sSr GOOD for the greatest number
Then the people who bought this stock
iiave got to suffer when you take over
ne companies
or the people at large must suHef-
syme Responds to Challenge.
CORPORATION Counsel Syme opened his
testimony by referring to the challenge
Yesterday by President King OF some OF
Mr.. Syme's figures regarding the Wash
;ngton 1sailway and Electric Company S
equity in the branch roads taken in under
the consolidation. Mr.. Syme said ten
ears ago the stock went on the market
at figures which would indicate total
valuation of about S;,0O0.OOo. He said
the stocks had been manipulated entirely
by brokers'
THE present value has been the result
of this he said, and their value is a
made value He said. also, that Con-
gress authorized sl5.OOO.OO0 stock issue
and that inasmuch as the stock was sold
at 10 for common and at 30 to 35 for pre-
ferred. Mr.. Syme deduced that the total
solid rock foundation value of the COM
pany in consolidated condition was in the
neighborhood Of 100000.
Turning to the connection between the
al "a md hn D~t0
tr.c Power Company. he said. the pub
il. utilities commission bill to separate
. that concern and the Washington Rail-
! way and Electric Company might not be
fective at all. He said the relations
re so intimate and intricate that it nigh,
be impossible ever to get at the bottom
of the relationship.
That the Washington Railway and
Electric Company pays its dividends
largely out of the earnings of the power
company was strongly contended by the
corporation counsel.
He said that il the company was linn
tied to an earning power of per cent
or per cent, II might be so unattractive
10 the ordinary management that the
question of municipal ownership would
follow naturally and easily
Discusses Effect of Crosser Bill.
Answering a question put yesterday
b: Representative Caraway, Mr.. Symt
said he does not believe that the coun
t-S 1T large could take the enactment
oi the trosser bill as public an
r.r.acernent that Congress favors the
general idea of municipal ownership.
Tn" District of Columbia is the ward
o: congress. he said, land whatever
Congress does for this city is done
locally and not for the United States
Are the gas companies connected
with the street railway" asked Repre-
sentative German.
II am sure there is no connection in
any way" said Mr.. Syme. The gas
companies had a good thing here foI
wears and ! don't think they wanted te
divide il with any one"
Representative Winsiow asked him IL
lie appeared before the committee ad-
Nocatirg his own views or those of the
commissioners. The answer was tina,
Mr.. Syme believes. both personally and
officially. in municipal ownership.
in epitoIniZing his ideas in relation I,
municipal ownership Mr.. Syme said tina
an Engineer Commissioner and his arm.
officer assistants could operate a stree
railway as well as the army enginee
could dig and operate a Panama canal
end the situation between the Poto
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