South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-04-07
CAPITAL CITY TO
OWN STREET CARS
President viii Doubtless Sign
Bill fer Municipal Owner
ship of Railways If 1t
Passes.
BY GIIsON GARDNER.

BY gibson GARDNER.
WASHINGTON. April 7.-Unoficial-
-, but no less certainly, il has now
become known that President Wilson
will sign the CrOsser municipal own
ership Of street railways bill for the
District Of Columbia If il passes the
two houses. And there is good pros
pect that il Will pass both houses II
II can be reported from the committee
on the District Of Columbia.
The passage OF this bill would be
the best possible demonstration Of the
principle Of public ownership Of public
utilities. The capital city would serve
Is "A beacon light in this respect for the
rest OF the country. Mr. CrOsser mas
no doubt that If this bill comes TO a
rOllcall in the house il Will pass.
Senator Morris is known TO favor
the Crosser BILL and it is understood
that he has practically assured Rep
resentative Crosser that it Will go
through the senate of the house
PASSES il. This is "a matter in which
every progressive citizens in the United
States is interested A demonstration
of the efficiency of public ownership
in Washington would make the fight
much easier throughout the country.
For this reason, special interests de-
string TO defeat the bill have become
particularly active
II can be stated with certainty that
six members OF the house district com
mittee viii vote in favor of reporting
out the BILL They are Ben Johnson.
Of Kentucky, Henry George, jr., of
New York, Claude l. Engle of Florida,
Joseph Il. Thompson, Of oklahoma,
II. Waters Anderson, of Pennsylvania,
and Robert CrOsser, of Ohio.
The men who mold the fate of the
bill in thvir bands ard who have not
committee themselves on il. are Wyatt
Aiken, Of South Carolina, William l.
igOe, OF Missouri Thaddeus II. Cara
way. of Arkansas. George T. German.
OF Illinois. Denis O'Leary. of New
York, Eugene +. Reed, of New Hamp-
shire, Archibald G. Hart, of New Jer-
sey, II. G. ClaypOOl, of Ohio G. p.
COady, of Maryland, VIM. j. Cary, Of
Wisconsin. SOlOman +. PrOuty, of
Pennsylvania, and Carl r, Napes Of
Michigan. A few discreet lines from
the home folks intimating to these
gentlemen that the writer's are inter-
ested in the votes on this bill would
help push il out of the committee onto
the floor.
4 favorable report is expected soon
on the Newlands river regulation bill
which President Wilson referred to a
special committae 81 his cabinet, con-
ssting of SeGretIries Lane Redfield.
Houston and Madison. These cabinet
officers will al hive a part in carry
ing out the com aFe6ensive flood con-
troll and reclansfsanf plan proposed in
this legislation. n and the president
wished them TO consult their bureau
chiefs and report as to their views on
the bin as drawn. The report, It is
understood. is favorable. OF course
the army engineers have used what
ever influences they may have with
Garrison (WhO is weak sister,
are closely tied up with the Mississippi
River LeVee association. which is the
creature of the railroads which have
killed water transportation on the
Mississippi and wish TO keep it killed.
When an accident takes place at sea
the only people who lose are the sea-
men and the passengers. These some
times lose their lives. AS a financial
proposition loss of ships at sea is
profitable. This is brought out clearly
iu the report of Andrew Feruseth,
made 10 the president. when Feruseth
returned from the London conference
ON safety at sea, and which report has
Just been made public. In this report
Feruseth quotes Joseph Chamberlain.
the famous English admiralty official,
as follows: when al ship is lost the
shipOwner may make a profit. the
owner may get more than the value of
his ship; the merchant may lose moth
ing, but may, and very often does. get
more than the value of the cargo back.
I'm the same way the underwater av-
erages his losses, and on the whole
makes a profit on the insurance of the
ship out of his premium" Mr. Feru-
seth notes also that "a hundred years
ago, before the days of insurance and
limitation of shipOWRerS' liability. the
ShiDowner demanded four years expe-
rieuCe I'm those whom he considered
qualified TO take care of his property;
now he considers a few trials enough
e. save life"
The London conference. dominated
hy shipowuers. and from which Feru-
seth resigned i'm disgust, adopted
standards OF safety lower even than
the present legal requirements The
seamens bill is now dying in the house
committee on merchant marine. Of
which Joshua W. Alexander, Of Mis-
souri,. is chairman.
The president is studying hard on
the Alaska railroad proposition. lie
has hung a big map in his bedroom
and when he has nothing else 20 do he
gets up and studies IL. The other day
he had six visitors in his bedroom con-
ferring as 20 routes and other fea-
lures OF the proposed system. He has
been going over all the surveys made
lrzcludlnE the full report OF the Taft
Alaska railroad commission. Secre-
cary Lane OF the department of the