Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-02
Urges Commissioners to
Withdraw UnfavorabIe
, Report on Bill.
CITES THEIR STATEMENTS
DENYING KNOWING FACTS
Declares Each Said He Relied En-
tirely on Letter Drawn Up by
Fisher and Stephens.

The District Commissioners in a
New Year day letter are asked by
Representative Thomas L BlantOn
Democrat, of Texas TO Withdraw from
the House District committee their
unfavorable report upon the scent
carfare bill. which he sponsors, until
ho has had an opportunity to convince
. ma jority of the board that the bill
should pass.
He says that individually the three
Commissioners told him they had not
personally directed the unfavorable re-
port. hut the letter had been signed
as drafted by E V. Fisher, secretary
Of the Public Utilities Commission,
governed by the opinion of the cor.
poration counsel Francis H. Stephens.
His only New Year resolution, MIR
Elanton says, Is to match wits with
Secretary Fisher and Corporation
Counsel Stephens in overcoming OBJ
lection to his bill and convincing Con
Gress that the street railway COM
panies should be forced TO live within
their charters and thus give a half
million people in Washington a scent
Carfare and save &C. 900 school children
from the crime" of an Scent carfare.
Charges $4,000 Spent for Bunk.
The North American Co. OF New
York. Mr.. Blanton advises the Com
nissioners, owns 7o per cent of the
common stock of the Washington
Railway and Electric Co. and the
controlling stock of the Capital Trac-
tion Co. and of The Washington Rapid
Transit Co.. and he and other mem
hers of Congress have received
specially prepared bunk TO gull Com
missioners and Congress, which cost
this holding corporation $4,000, he
clai
If and when the street railway
companies are forced back TO their
> charters Mr. Blanton tenders to the
Commissioners and to the people OF
Washington his services gratis to
defend the scent carfare bill all the
way to the Supreme Court of the
United States. His letter TO the Com
missioners follows:
"Gentlemen and Friends:
During the past week, after max
ing its first appearance through the
press, there came to the committee on
the District of Columbia your letter
dated December %, 1925, reporting un-
favorably my bill, Fl. r. 3S05, that
would require the street railways or
W
and perform their contract made with
the people of Washington by not
charging more than the scent fare
authorized by their charters. 1nas-
much as you constitute the Public
Utilities Commission, and these street
railways could not have charged more
than the cents authorized by their
charters unless YOU permitted 1t, and
in the face of these charters which
provide that said railways shall never
charge more than ) cents, you have
continued to permit them to rob the
haIf,million people here by charging
them cents. and the purpose of my
iii was to have Congress annul your
action. / very naturally did not eX-
pect you to approve 1t.
Says All Signed Automatically.
All of the high salaried general at
torneys of these street railways from
Washington to New York combined
together could not have framed a
more adroit argument III their behalf
than is contained in your letter. Even
before asking you about it | knew that
none of YOU had any personal knoWl-
edge about it.
When ! took the matter up with
YOU individually each one of you in
turn admitted that you had no per
sCnaI knowledge of the facts asserted
in your letter. but that YOU were de
tending upon some one else for same.
president Rudolph very frankly
admitted that he had TO depend upon
the office of Col. Bell. who had charge
of such matters and that he signed
such letters as president of the board,
without having persona. knowledge
Of the correctness OF the facts fur
rished by Col Bells office.
commissioner fennin% likewise
frankly admitted that in the very
nature of things he could not give
all such matters his personal atten-
ton but was forced to depend and
RELY upon the officials In Col Bells
office TO compile such facts and to
prepare such letters, and that he
couldn't personally vouch for the
correctness of the assertions, as he
did not have personal knowledge of
them.
Traced Back to Fisher.
LAS far as Col Bell would go was
to say that he had general knowledge
and felt morally certain that the facts
stated. figures given. and conc 'CSionS
drawn, were all correct, although he
did not dictate the letter and had
no personal knowledge of the correct
ness of it's contents, but that he had
10 depnd upon his assistant. Mai. Viii
Il. H.
facts. and upon Corporation Counsel
Francis H. Stephens for the law
Il then took the matter up with
Mai. Covell. He assured me that he
did not dictate the letter. and that
he did not have any personal llnowl-
edge of the facts, figure, and con
clusions stated therein. but that Sec
retary +. Y. Fisher had prepared the
whole matter, and was governed by
the opinion of Mr.. Stephens that
these railways must be allowed to
make a fair return on their invest
ment.
So. after all when traced back
your disapproval of this biz is found
cd on the action of Secretary Fisher,
guided by the opinion of Mr. Stephens.
1 do not claim to be a legal wizard.
but I have had 80 years experience
around court houses, s years of which
l occupied the Circuit bench in Texas.
and I am willing to pit my ability to
assemble facts against that of Secre.
tary Fisher, and l feel that my opin.
ion of the law should have equal
weight with that of MIR. Stephens
Hence l am going to request, as a spe-
cal favor to me. that you withdraw
Your disapproval of this bill from the
Continued on Page ,, Column 81