The Washington herald., 1921-07-02
Must Bring Lower Fares.

THE Herald has no interest whatever in either
of the street railways of this District We have
a great and abiding interest in the people of this
Dist4tJ We do not merely believe, we know. that
the people of this District entitled to have
terialiy lower street railway fares. We know that
they entitled to lower fares now, and our only
interest in merger is to for them the lowest
possible fares through reduction of operating
and the elimination of overcapitalization
Tbs Herald's very first statement in the series
of editorials upon the merger was that it must
bring lower fares, and that is "the one and only
interest the people have in merger" We wish
also to repeat what was then made the basis of all
subsequent articles: They not interested in
having merger make a good investment of a bad
one at their expense. They are only interested to
prevent this. 1t is the people whom Congress rep
resers, and not the street railway companies. III
isithe peoples interest with which Congress should
have chief concern, and not those of the street rail-
way companies"
No one can controvert this statement. Yet it
sevfdent that certain members of the District Com
mittee using their abilities and efforts to serve
the interests Of the street railways, wholly gnor
ing tie people. There is not member who would
venture to vote in his own home district for the
Ball-Focht bill, for the Woods bill, which diff
fers from the former about as tweedledee does
from segeedledum.
Tie Woods bill permits a merger, but the
CapitH Traction franchise now contains this right
Any further permission is superfluous 1t permits
the absorption of the Potomac Electric Power Com
pany, eoincident with merger, only differing here
from the Ball -Socht bill in that this provides for
the, absorption of the electric utility with the w.
R,z&1E. before merger. This difference is but
nominal both bills make the street railway and
electric services one and indssolube, without
porste distinction and practically impossible of
Iaf,nn to Pofh raIe, IL
perpetuate the w. R. E. overcapitalization and
force the people of this District to pay dividends
upon such capital Neither gives any hope OF re-
dneedr flares, and neither provides for such fares.
q The only bills which have yet appeared which
drawn in the interests of the people of the Dis
trict are those OF Representatives Hammer and
Keller and that of Senator King. Mr.. Keller pro-
videsfor District ownership of all the public utl-
ities. - There is such feeling of absolute
tainty that this will not have a show in Congress-
and in fact will be considered there, that the
street railway interests have used it as toboggsn
to put under the Hammer bill
Tbs Hammer bill, as Senator Kings, aims to
COMPEL merger. OF course, both said by the
railvsy interests to be unconstitutional, charge
that IS, nvariable as to any measure dspeasing to
a corporation. But the street railway measures,
and this is all the othets are, not only would
promote lower fares and merger, but would tend to
prevent this 1t is common knowledge that the
Capital Traction Company has no desire to take
ovef the electric utility, and is not eager to take
the w. R. & E, which states that it will take
SIo6ooooo to put its properties in efficient condi-
tions Any gifts to the W. R. & E. at the expense
Of the people will not aid in merger, and it openly
states will not reduce fares. The way to reduce
faresis to reduce them. Congress has this power,
and accidentally, this is also the shortest route to
mexsE