Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-11-08
PRETTY PROSPECT.

The New Home of President Cleveland
which Has Drawn Upon Him
Charge of Specializing i'm Real Es-
tate.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7.-Statements have
recently been published accusing President
Cleveland of being interested in grand real
estate speculation engineered by men whom
he has appointed to Office in this district.
Among other things it is intimated that the
President is not bona fde purchaser of the
Pretty Prospect home, or, in other words,
that he has not paid anything for it. These
statements do the chief magistrate an injus-
tice. The facts connected with the purchase
of Pretty Prospect are simply these: The
President just before his marriage determined
to procure home for himself and wife out
side of the White House, which at best is
only suitable for an executive Office and as a
place to entertain on state occasions, and SO
he finally selected and bought Pretty Pros
pect-its mansion and twenty-eight acres
bought it with his own money, paid for it
with cheque Riggs bank and this cheque
when the property was transferred was hand
ed to its former owner, and this is all there
was of the transaction. Right here the real es
tate speculation began. Real estate brokers
commenced to boom suburban property
improved and unimproved in the neighbor
hood OF the Presidents home. Individuals
of Democratic and Republican predictions
were undoubtedly among the boomers. 1.-The
boom" does not boom very well, at least the
telephone has not been called into requisition
to transmit orders from would be purchasers
of this suburban property. To help it along
the District commissioners were petitioned
to extend Massachusetts avenue-one of the
broadcast and finest residence thoroughfares
in the eity-way out to the neighborhood of
Pretty Prospect. OF course objection to this
project came from many directions, from
property owners along tine line of the pro- |
posed extension within the city limits, who |
if this thing goes through will be taxed for |
what they regard as an unnecessary improve |
ment, and from real estate dealers inter- |
ested in suburban property elsewhere; |
but the objections of the latter might be /
quieted if the commissioners would decide to |
extend the city avenues toward their goods
and grounds. The President, a supposed
party, when told by the commits
sioners of the proposed Massachusetts avenue |
extension at once expressed himself in words
that conveyed anything but approval. Col
onel Lamont's name has also been dragged in
to the real estate pool speculation
As matter of fact the colonel does not own
a foot of land in the District and spec
ulation in suburban property is business he
has no time to think of, much less engage in.
It seems difficult to undelHtand how any
man can blame Mr.. Cleveland
for purchasing country home, or IN the
face of these facts accuse him of speculative
designs. In fact many people here think
he deserves credit, not due to any of his
of late years, at least, for getting
away from the executive Office and securing
for himself and wife home with home pri-
vacy and comforts where after the trsnsac-
Sinr, Of 10 1oi1x a. huc ha
his own and his wife's friends socially in a
place freed from the conventional restraints
that hover about the atmosphere of the
White House.