Evening star., 1915-04-04
CITIZENS MEETING
L|VENED BY CLASH
Head of Capital Traction Line
Has Tilt With Assistant
Assessor Oyster.
HAMILTON DEN0UNCES
JITNEY BUS AS UNFAIR
Tells Federation Of Associations
Street Railways and Public
Should Be Protected.

President George E. Hamilton of the
Capital Traction Company termed the
jitney bus an unfair. irresponsible ana
purely experimental competitor of es-
tablfshed and responsible railway cor
norations. in an address before the Fed
Grafton of Citizens Associations at the
Chamber of Commerce rooms last night.
He asserted that the modern spirit OF
equity and fair play demands that II
jitney buses be allowed to run IN
Washington they be regulated as pup
lie carriers and placed under the same
obligations to the public as those ex-
acted from the street car lines. He
pemised his demand on the part which
the Capital Traction line has played in
the development of the city and the
fact that unre gulated and irresponsible
competition detracts from the patron
age which the established lines must
have in order to pay for the service re-
auired of them by their charters.
Following his talk. questions were
put to him and F. W. oyster, assistant
assessor of the District. a delegate to
the federation from Petworth Citizens
Association, arose and IN the course
of short speech said:
st strikes me that the talk of Presf-
dent Hamilton is one of the best argu-
ments for municipal ownership that !
liase ~ .t a,,,s W - nnastion
as to whether individual lines paid, but
whether the whole system pays.
nave heatu = sd.d &c. si...s - -
mas one OF the pest raii"ay systeIns ~
the country ana II .hls Is true oanea
cItes mus Hdse sois oap
stock in the railway corporations of
Terms ASSESSMENTS ootches
Il do not want to answer the gem
tleman.s statement about municipal
ownership" replied Mr.. Hamilton, but
when the gentleman uses this oppor-
tunity to talk about watered stock I
must say thar IL the comnlatnt against
., ~ -. I
.ae h,,nsa;.
~ ene eoin piaine aiMse u. ~ naa
80. ther ,o,',d inSa a W 81 ..a,4
oarnn,.t -
piaihl -
hi',,a 80 - - 90 :, :" 80 WIS
49, - i ~, o,
or ~ ,i' - di,ricts ,ba -
s..naas co,,Id "a ,rit;,1i.d ,d nav
IouL py Htuit.Ptu a.
a,h ~ ,,tar,,.,,ad 1,air,.a,un p..d,h ar
! NJ C,,istar ardaororad - &c. ~ =
400 hnt Ias nrsventad nv noInts ~
3D. ~ faw rrinntss +b.r. u-ae
gusnicion ~ teneton in rho air h,t Mr.
IJa,oiIton c1aarad tba sitratior ~ da.
cIarine he would withdraw his re-
marks ahout the assessments.
II inst wanted 70 saw that we have
the hest system and the best assessor
we have ever had" said Mr. OYSTER as
Sketches History of Line.
MT. Hamilton outlined the history OF
the Capital Traction Company with
speciaI reference n the Mari tho COR
70. a'o'i @t'd - - anu par
eht organizations played IN the de-
,I,-tr1t,,s. 49,. .iss -" sE z ~
ot the Original lncofporators and the
- oG 80 ia,, si,I.,a { aoii
the N.tionaI Canttal Ha laid ara.t
weight upon this portion of his talk
ana referred to 1t later in his dis
course when he asked IL ii would be
fair to impose on O street railway
cornpanv the unregulated comuetitiou
OF a iItney bus service which has no
responsibility to the bubble" Mr
II.niltnrse address ~ 49,, u.s. as 80
lows.
"rg tho n,t,tc sar,ica oo,..;o No.
.tt - 3, soI ~ POI atioli Ives
=, 80 60 utiiiiS aiii PEI ioi ms
od. 49,, ~. ooi4sitloils s -
! c!di!l' .he uuty u .he government TO
sise - .nis eoI pofatloii lair ana con
s,uefdte tfedtHlent ana 70 protect II IN
- me e.Joy ihsnt % ~ ieRal rights; ana
II IS the duty OF both the government
ana the people with regard to such a
corporation % give II fair trea tment
ana consideration, 70 protect It from un-
equal competition, 70 permit 1t 70 max
usefui ana needed extensions and to aid
rather than hamper its progress and
dtEelopment
lie spoke OF President Wilson's speech