Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-12-01
THE LIE DROIT PARK FENCE.
What Col. Ludlow Did Say.
A SENSATIONAL SCANDAL CORRECTED.

What Col. Ludlow Did Say.
A SENSATIONAL SCANDAL CORRECTED.
Among other charges brought against the Dis
tr1ct Commissioners In recent vindfctiye pubca-
lions in newspapers outside OF the city is one that
Col. Ludlow made the proposition to the property
holders Of lie Droit park that if the fence enclos
ing that subdivision was taken down he would
have all the streets in the park paved at public
expense. Col. w. w. Dudley, formerly commits
sloner OF pensions, with committee OF property
holders called ON Col. Ludlow, and II was to this
committee that the alleged proposition OF Col
Ludlow was made. A STAR reporter called on Col.
Dudley for the purpose OF getting him to give the
facts In the case. He was just on the point OF
leaving his bank to go to his home in lie Droit
park but stopped long enough to talk with the
reporter. He said: "PerhapS you may know that
the residents OF the park have an association for
the purpose OF conducting their affairs Recently
the subject OF street improvements came up, and
as our property has been paying the regular city
taxes for years 1t was thought that we were en-
titled to some street Improvements. There was
streets, Mr.. Barber, who made the subdivision,
claiming that the title vested in him. He, how
ever, made deed transferring the property to the
commissioners and they questioned their right TO
receive IL as long as the park was enclosed by
fence and considered a private holding. There
|. were some OF us, however, who were Of the opin-
lon that the declaration made by Mr.. Barber in
recording the subdivision, the appropriation OF the
street to public uses, was final. A committee was
therefore authorized to call on the Commissioners
and further urge the street improvement question
This committee was as follows: Representative
Prince, w. Scott Smith and myself. In one inter-
view with Col. Ludlow he said that he did not see
how the commissioners could authorize the eX-
pend1ture OF the public money on our streets when
the park was enclosed by a fence, and in the IA
ture OF private holding. He said that II the fence
was removed that he supposed that the residents
money appropriated for the improvement OF the
city streets. He said that petition had been re-
n6 f~fNV lnrtJf tot hn nrfl, ,f
ing that Linden street be opened, and, as that
street was the natural thoroughfare, it would not
be right for the Commissioners to countenance the
existence OF the fence.
''Ihis is about the substance Of the interview"
resumed Col; Dudley, "and think it but justice
to Col. Ludlow to say that the interview was
sought by us and not by him, and that nothing
ture referred to-"
A Talk With Col. Ludlow.
The delegation from LIE Droit park that called
on the Commissioners yesterday, called again this
morning to see Col. Ludlow but went away with
out seeing him as he was not there In his Office.
Col. Ludlow speaking to STAR reporter OF the
LIE Droit park matter and the changes that had
grown out of it, said that the correspondent
who had sent out the reports which he
characterized as untruthful could easily have as
certained all the facts by applying to the District
buildings, but no such application had been made
there. The persons representing the LIE Droit
Park association who had been urging that i'm
provements be made there had been simply in
could consider the question, OF accepting
the streets in the park as public
sna fne and part the Of the city
affected the streets must be removed. II made no
promise whatever" said Col. Ludlow. 81 could
not have made a promise, and If 1 had 1t would
have amounted to nothing, as the Commissioners
can improve only such streets the schedule
approved by Congress" SO far as the District
cerned, Col. Ludlow says that that it was set out
in letter he wrote to Gen. Birney on the 10th OF
November, representing the lie DrOit Park asSOcia-
ton.
In this letter Gel. Ludlow said: "Replytng to
your note OF the 10Th instant, beg to say that
think must 6e quite clear to the owners OF prop
they desire the park to be included in the eXpendi
lures made by the Drstrict for public purposes it
trance and passage through the subdivision should
be removed. This appears to me to be an entirely
rational and logical proposition. 1t SO happens
that Linden street IS the only street which now
has a rectilinear prolOngatiOn beyond the park,
and the retention of the fence at this point and OF
the gates at other points seems to me TO operate
toward considering the park as portion OF the
city plan. / am very DESTROYS OF reaching some
adjustment OF the matter, and am quite willing to
make concessions, but certainly not, unless the
owners themselves are prepared, in taking advan-
tage of the public character OF these streets and
avenues, to surrender their Isolation and aSsump-
ton OF privacy,-Oil and water not mixing"
owners in LIE Droit park, Col. Ludlow said, had
been pressing this matter ever since last spring.
The Commissioners had not brought this matter
up. The owners had been urging that they should
receive their equitable share or public improve
ments, and the Commissioners had suggested
to them as as a preliminary that the
fence should be removed. They could expend
public money on private streets, and they would
not consider improvements there until the park
streets were made practically as well as theOret1-
cally public. While this matter has been pending
since spring, within week or two Mr.. b. H.
Warner had filed plat with the District Com
missionerS of subdivision OF property
he had purchased north OF the park.
This was a matter the commissioners had
nothing Ito do with except to reject the plat, II
they did not think the streets were suitable in
width Or direction. The Commissioners did not
propose to improve these streets. AS to the
mOval OF the fence in LIE DrOit park the Commits
siOnerS did not care what the owners did. There
was no public demand at present for pushing
streets through the park; when there was such a
demand the Commissioners would put the streets
through.