The Washington herald., 1914-08-04
Some Defects IN the Crosser Bill.

For the first time since the Crosser bill providing
for municipal ownership of street railways in the
District of Columbia, was drawn its provisions are
discussed in detail in the minority report on the
measure signed by seven members of the District
of Columbia Committee and submitted to the House
of Representatives yesterday. The report is striking
contrast that of the favorable report of majority
of the committee, majority growing out of per-
sonal differences and charges of bad faith in
necton with other legislation That report was con-
fined to a general Endorsement of the bill, without
dealing with its effect.
The minority report, prepared by Representative
Winsow, points out some very serious obstacles in
the way of acquiring the railway property casts grave
doubt upon the ability of the city to meet the obga-
tions which would be entaed upon it. questions even
the liability Of the District for securities thus issued
crtcises the bill for its incompleteness vague word
ing and inconsistencies and arraigns the District
Commissioners for blindly advocating the measure
without having studied the effect of its provisions
The report is valuable solely because it points out
the serious dangers in loosely drawn measure dan
gers which cannot be denied by the most enthusiastic
advocates of municipal ownership With the facts
before it, the House has been saved if it had any
intention of doing so, from enactng bill that could
never be put into operation.
The report referring to the utter failure of the
District Commissioners to present tangible program
for municipal operation of the roads, failure to
which The Herald has repeatedly called attention is
pointed in its comment 1t says:
Only blind enthusiasm in advocating the general
principles of municipal ownership gross Careless
ness in studying the structure of the bill can explain
the failure of the Commissioners to point out with
friendly criticism if they wished, the many and
serious faults IN its structure The House of Repre-
sentatives is entitled to more efficient service than is
given in the Commissioners report.
There were no facts suggestions whatever pre-
sented to the committee TO show how fares could be
reduced under this bill. The only basis for hoping
reduction of fares would result is the hope that an
award by the courts would make it possible TO bIy
the railroads at amount considerably lower than
the market value of the outstanding securities on
April Il, 1914, S47,7oSIo2. =
Insisting that there is no demand whatever for an
experiment with municipal ownership in Washington.
the report takes this facetious fling at the testimony
of some of the fifteen witnesses who appeared in
support of the bill Some were in favor of public
ownership of all manner of enterprises even to fruit
stands and hshboats, and some were in favor of
municipal ownership of all kinds of enterprises ex-
cept their own business"
"The most voluble witness of all" is described as
a man who with doubts in his mind is willing TO
make Washington the goat None of those cities
he has lived in and where was discovered this desire
has seen fit to try the experiment He is not resi-
dent of the District, nor taxpayer with anything
to lose by financial disaster to the District"
The report does no violence to the theory of
municipal ownership but it does point out clearly the
reasons why the Crosser bill cannot become law and
why the District of Columbia is dangerous ground on
which to experiment