The Washington times., 1921-07-03
/. GEORGES cARPENTIER.
C|TY-OWNED CARS
URGED BY NEWMAN
AS AID TO TRAFFIC
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loaded TO the guards. II whizzes past
you without stopping, because not
another speck OF humanity could he
jammed into It.
But does that cause you amazementf
Not at all You have that kind Of
experience every day. That's yor-
normal morning happening. You ex-
pect several cars 20 go BY loaded. aud
you wait patiently until one CONES
along that isn't so jammed full hui
you may crowd IN ami ride TO your
office packed into tight swelter OF
humanity
But still you have not been sur
prissd. You take that kind OF str$st
ear service as a matter of course, just
of water and the air that nils your
lungs Yet you keep thinking how
queer IL was that the water didn't
run for fifteen minutes that morn
ing. Even while subJscting yourself
to frfghtfully uncomfortable strrAet
car service, you can't forget tho
amusement of ols nfteen- minute In
terruption IN perfect water service.
Now there Is only one Fundamental
differences between water service and
street car service In the District OF
Columbia.
Tho water service is furnished by
your Government for your benefit
and .convenienoe.
The street car service IN furnished
by private corporations for their
profit
Right here some people WIN say.
"Oh hre a fo ftfFNx&y,na IA
tween running q water system snd
running a street car system.s
Whoever says that to you, ohsck
him up. Pin him down, and you'll
md out that. IL the water system In
given community were owned by q
prtvste corporation. he would be just
as much opposed to letting the
peoples government run that as he
is now opposed to the peoples gov
eminent running tho street oar lines.
He won't admit II tperhsps hsfwon't
even admit IL TO himself but his real
objection is that when the govern
ment takes over and runs q public
utility IL takes away from private
corporations the opportunity 20 make
money. That's the milk In the cocoa
nut, in his case. And II he's honest
with you he win tsN you that. were
the water system OF the District OF
Columbia I'm private ownership now,
he would oppose the Government
mendous rucoess whioh has been
made OF that enterprise here.
No. the only fundamental differ
enoe betweeo the District water
system and the District street car
system is that one Is run by private
parties for revenue and the other is
run by the Government for the good
OF the community.
And the success Of the wntsr sys-
tenn emphasizes with special clear
ness one point already brought out
before the House District Committee
in argument for public ownership OF
the street car lines. That point Is
the unauestioned sbiiity Of Congress
TO control the situation.
The principal reason that the water
system IL a success is that Congress
has never taken its eagle eye of OF
II since the project was launched.
Every detail of the operation of the
system is, by law, laid down before
appropriatins committees every year,
and the closest possible check IL kept.
Laws have been enacted. mandatory
and unacceptable. under which the
Federal and District officials In
charge of the system MUST run II
properly. They couldn't escape doing
a good job II they wanted TO. which,
fortunately, they don't.
Exactly the Same thing can be done
by Congress as TO the street car lines.
There r. no authority here but Con-
gress. No man, charged with respon-
slbility In handling the street car sys-
tenn, could escape that responsibility.
As IN the case OF the water system.
Congress is In position TO Make him
perform for the public good.
which IL why contend that, what
ever may have happened elsewhere, |
there ls nothing to fear from public
ownership OF the street railways In
the District Of Columbia