Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-11
GAS MERGER PLAN
KILLED IN SENATE

| MLEU in SfNAIf
CONTINUED from First Page)
principle as strongly as any govern
ment can be pledged" said senator
| Lodge.
Appeals for Humanity.
| Senator Smoot made a direct appeal
to Senator Thomas not to make
point of order against the proposed
appropriation for the municipal hos-
pital. on the ground Of humanity.
Senator Hoke Smith Of Georgia called
attention to the fact that the senate
committee had cut out Of the bill the
so-called Borland amendment: He sns.
gested that the owners OF abutttns
property should be made to pay part q
| the cost Of paving the streets. as pi O.
posed in the Borland amendment. Sen
ator Smith urged that it would be fair
to charge one-third Of the cost Of paw
| ing to owners Of abutting property on
one side of the street. one-third be
charged against the owners Of the prop.
erty on the other side and one-third
be charged against the District.
| Senator Smith said that in other
cities owners of abutting property were
| compelled to pay a part or q whole OF
the cost Of paving the streets. He was
| supported in this statement by Senator
Kern Of Indiana, who said that In many
cities the owners Of the property paid
the entire charge.
| Of Maryland insisted that 1t would be
an injustice to owners OF small houses
along streets still unimproved to put
this burden upon them. Senator Gal.
streets Of the District. along which
were to be found the homes Of the
wealthy, were already paved. and at
the expense Of the District
IF such q provision 10 made 1t will
hit, hard the owners Of small homes
| said Senator Gallinger.
Against Gas Merger.
Senator La Toilette Of Wisconsin gave
notice that he intended to make a point
Of order against the committee amend
ment authorizing the merger of the Wash
ington and Georgetown Gas Light COM
panies. 70, ,e t.r-- --.:-.',.s
| Senator Reed of Missouri Immediately
began an attack on the proposed mer-
I ger. He said that he considered it I'M
| CONSTITUTIONAL to attempt to condemn
benefit Of another. On this point of
view he was sustained by Senator Over
man Of North Carolina.
Senator Reed said Congress had no
more right to pass law saying that
the Georgetown Gas Company shall
turn over its stock at $155 per share
to the Washington Gas Company than
1t had to pass law saying that Sena-
| tor Gallinger should turn over his
watch to Senator Overman for S25. He
said he was opposed to legislation per-
hitting the merger of any public serv-
| ice corporation with another in any
! event, unless there were some very
good reasons advanced for IT.
- 80
that the committee had believed that II
would be to the interests of the people
Of the District to permit the merger
He pointed out that the price Of gas IL
while 1t was IS cents in Washington
He said that this could be rectified by
| the proposed merger. He said. too. tina
the two companies were not competing
In any sense Of the word. since they
| covered different territory.
Favor Public Ownership.
Senator Reed declared that the Dis
trict should own the gas companies. n,
insisted that the people would recetv,
better and cheaper gas. He announced
himself as strongly in favor of govern
ment ownership OF all public utilities IL
the District. T.
In this he was supported by Senate,
tention to the fact that Alexandria. Va.
owned Its gas plant.
Senator Williams Of Mississippi pointed
out that municipal ownership Of gal
plants was nothing new.
Long before the civil war" he said
'Lynchberg and Alexandria, Va, made
and distributed gas to their citizens
Amendment Ruled Out Of Order.
In order to hasten, II possible. c. I
sideration Of the District bill, Senator
Smith Of Maryland asked that the chail
rule Immediately upon tho point Of or.
der which Senator La Toilette had an
nounced he would make against the
gas merger amendment. He made this
request without waiting until the
amendment was reached in the ordinary
consideration Of the bill.
The chair ruled the amendment out
OF order.
Lauds Senator Gallinger.
The District bill was called up in tn,
Senate late yesterday afternoon by Sen
ator Smith Of Maryland. Before begin
ming the actual consideration Of the bill
Senator Smith lauded Senator Gallinge
for faithful and constructive work in tn,
interests Of the District during the many
years the New Hampshire senator wa
chairman of the District committee. ane
urged the Senate to approve com
mittee amendment to the pending bill To-
the establishment of a new muntcipa
hospital to be named tho Gallinger Hos
pital. He said:
Before the secretary proceeds to reat
the bill there is one item in 1t to whicl
II wish to direct the attention of tn
Senate. It Is the item providing new
municipal hospital for the District O
Columbia.
This Is a 'sorely needed improvement
as the present hospital is utterly I'm
worthy Of the capital of the nation. q
indeed Of q city even Of the tenth class
."ro the members Of the committee OF
appropriations and the COMMITTEES on tn
District Of Columbia it has seemed ap
nropriate that this municipal hospital
! because 1t promises SO much improvement
| 10 washington and so much relief from
sickness, care and misery to the people
he named in honor Of the distinguishes
! senior senator from New Hampshire
j. Jacob H. Gallinger. I am convinced tn
, senate, regardless OF faction or auzh
| s,no paCn3nfZe hA Yo