Evening star., 1955-07-31
Senate Debates
Franchise With
Eye on Clock

Eye on Clock
A nervous Senate. talking
about ghosts and precedents,
took two and a half hours last
night to decide it would like to
cancel the Capital Transit Co. S
franchise.
After all the talking was over,
the Senators-many Of them
said they did so with misgivings
voted for the bill with a
chorus Of ayes. There was a
scattering of noes.
AS they debated, the Senators
ifiguratively watched the clock.
They were working against ad-
ljournment, expected this week
and said they didn't want to
leave the District Commission
ers without power to do some
thing about the long walkout
which has left the city without
mass transportation since July !
The debate also disclosed the
Senators misgivings that the
franchise cancellation and seiz-
lure would establish an unfortu-
nate precedent in a labor dis
Ipute, a precedent that might
rise to plague Congress later on
Amended Four Times
The bill as presented by the
Senate Subcommittee headed by
Senator Mcnamara. Democrat,
Iof Michigan, was amended four
times. One of the chief amend
|ments put in specific protection
flor the company's right, whether
under contract with the District
lor in a court suit, to compensa-
Ition for the use Of its property.
| Another amendment provided
THAT If the company is operated
Eby the District Commissioners
service could be continued ir
adjacent areas of Maryland.
| Senator Morse, chief pro-
Iponent Of the measure. said thai
1.-The District Committee hat
reached the conclusion "that thu
responsible officials of the loca
Igovernment" had presented
|strong case to substantiate theil
submission of the bill.
He cited the legislation OF 1893;
under which Capital Transit wa!
formed. He said this act per.
, mitted the cancellation Of thu
franchise and that Congress
could cancel it without provid.
ling compensation for the fran.
Ichise. The bill passed by tht
Senate is an amendment to tht
1893 act.
i He said the cancellation of thu
act would make it possible fol
the city to take over the pro.
perty without paying the bool
value of the company, much II
excess of its real value.
Court Suits Expected
The procedure is not going Il
be carried out without cour
suits, he conceded. He addes
that the Commissioners in ask
ing for the authorities in th'
bill were not asking for an!
rights city fathers of other cite
do not have. He said it Is tim
for Congress to give the Commis
sioners authority they shoult
have. Seizure under the bill. h
insisted, would not be confisca
ton.
Citing the alternates, author
ity for the Commissioners t.
: seize and operate the propert,
or to make a contract witt
) Capital Transit for the compan,
to operate it, he said he wa
! convinced the second plan woul'
be followed providing there is
l reasonable proposal by Capita
Transit"
Senator Capehart, Republican
of Indiana, expressed his mis-
givings about the bill.
Here we are at the tail en'
of the session." he said, land /
seems to me we are considerin
one of the most far reachin
pieces of legislation that ha
come before us. 1t may affect u
e for q long time. Yet there ar
: few Senators on the floor ant
j there seems little interest"
r At one time a count Of Sena
: Itors present showed about 20.
"A Certain Rich Man ;"
Senator Neely, Democrat o
West Virginia, in q rousinl
speech waded into Louis E
Wolfson, Florida financier whit
: lis board chairman Of the com
lpany, and his group.
He said he would take hi
text from Luke, X:30. This is
"a certain rich man went dowr
'lfrom Jerusalem to Jericho ant
Ifell among thieves which stripped
him of his raiment and wounded
him and departed, leaving hin
half dead"
For the certain man, he said
: substitute the million people II
5 the Washington area. He likenet
] the Wolfson group to the thieve
: who took the mans raiment ant
e elcharged, Nothing has surpasse'
H. = ~ y III