Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-05
PRESIDENT NEARS
.UT|L|T|ESDEC|S|ON
Names of Two Civilian Men,
berS May Be Announced
Next Week.
BY j. RUSSELL YOUNG.

President Coolidge was today rep
resented as nearing the conclusion in
he matter of selecting the two civilian
commissioners to serve on the newly
created Public Utilities Commission.
The President is known to have
been giving serious thought to this
matter in the past few days and has
succeeded in eliminating number of
which he is now giving his attention.
By this process of elimination the
President is understood to be consider
ing less than five or six persons for
the commission.
This was learned following confer
ences which the President had yester-
day with Attorney General Sargent,
who has been assisting him to the ex-
tent of interviewing aSpifantS and
others who have been recommended
for the commission, and today with
Samuel j. Prescott, chairman of the
Republican State committee, who also
has been assisting the. President in
looking over the field of availables.
Three Years Residence Required.
The President is known to have as
cribed his difficulty in making selec-
tions to the requirements of the law
regarding the three-year legal resi-
dence in this city on the part of those
TO be appointed.
Those who have conferred with
the President regarding these ap-
pointments have expressed them
selves of the opinion that he will be
the next week or so. One of those
who is in the Presidents conference
indicated that the President has
virtually decided upon one of the
commissioners, but is undetermined
regarding the other. He also is un-
decided regarding the appointment
of the peoples counsel, who. accord
ing to the amended utilities law, will
represent the interest of the public
of the District at all hearings and
in all transactions and who is to re-
ceive an annual salary $500, the
same as is to be received by the
two civilian commissioners.
Among those whose names are be-
fore the President for the commits.
are John w. Childress, for many
years real estate broker, but who
is now engaged in the manufacturing
business; Louis Addison Dent, an at
torney who is now associated with
"A
Tweedale. for many years auditor
of the District and at one time treas
urer of the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration; Jesse c. Suter, former
president of the Federation of
Citizens Associations; Ringgold Hart
assistant corporation counsel; Harry
Gflligen, an attorney. member of
the Board Of Education; Eugene
H. Abadie, consulting engineer;
Stanley w. Lynch, attorney; l.. R.
Perkins, attorney; r. F. Cogswell.
attorney; A. NJ. Fisher, and w.
Mex. Clayton of the Federation of
Citizens Association. attorney.
Qualifications Are Restricted.
Mr.. Clayton, who is chairman of
the public utilities committee of the
Federation of Citizens Associations
and two or three others who have
been proposed for the Commission
nave been suggested for appointment |
as peoples counsel.
Besides the part of the law re-
quiring that appointees to the COM |
mission and as peoples counsel be |
bona fide residents of the District for |
three years, the President is known |
to have been somewhat restricted in |
considering availables by another |
question of the law which prohibits |
the President from appointing any |
one who has had any direct or in |
direct relationship with the public
utilities in the District.