Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-25
THE GEOLOGICAL PARK.
Should Any Portion OF fits Cost De
Charged 60 the District?

THr DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS rnrxx Nor-cox-
eREss DID EoT 90 ESAcr-IHK PARK STRICTLY
ASArIoSAr- NOT A LOCAL rxrEarRrsE-rHE
QUESTION RErERRrD TO TIE FIRST CONTROLLER.
Inc Commissioners to-day submitted the fol-
lowing letter 10 the FIRST controller,
Inc commissioners invite your attention 20
"na' appears to be an ambiguity in the Get
making appropriations for the support Of the
District Tor the current fiscal year, upon which
they desire your opinion.
section 4, under the head Of the vater d.
partment, provides for the establishment Of n
geological park in the District OF Columbia.
and appropriates s2oo, 900 therefor. The Conn
missioners desire TO be informed whether i'm
your opinion, any portion Of this appropriation
Is chargeable TO the revenues Of the District Of
Columbia. In their Judgment il was not the
intention OF Congress 70 place any portion of
this burden upon the taxpayers of the District
The appropriation contains no requirement Of
that character, but, on the contrary has every
evidence OF being an independent provision,
having no relation 10 the municipal adminis-
trasion OF the District.
The clause in which IL is contained comes
under the head Of water department. the
appropriations for which are required 10 be
paid wholly from the revenues OF the water
department 1t therefore cannot consistently
be held that the park appropriation is gov
erned by the first clause in the appro-
priation law, which prescribes that one
half of the following sums named re-
speetiyely shall be appropriated out of the
District revenues IL this were 50, that clause
would control the entire bill, and al the water
department appropriations would also be
chargeable in equal parts 10 the United States
and TO the revenues of the District
Neither can II be reasonably presumed that
81
out OF the revenues Of the water department.,
with which II has no conceivable connection.
The object OF the park, a. stated in the bill,
Is the Advancement of science and the instruc-
ton and recreation of the people. Nothing ap-
pears in the bill TO show that the District Is so
specially interested in the advancement of
science that park under the control Of the
united States should be established at its
expense for that purpose. The Smithsonian
institute, the Agricultural and other DEPART
ments have that object in view but no part Of
their expenses is charged 20 the District gov
ernment Therefore, II is evident that the adj
vancement OF science referred TO in the lawunder
consideration is the improvement in national
education, and the facilities provided are not
TO be restricted TO the few persons perma-
nently located in this District. The instruc-
ton and recreation Of the people evidently
means all the people Of the Union who NAV de-
sire TO visit the capital for the advantages ID
offers IN these respects.
Furthermore, the fourth clause Of the Sec
ton referred to provides that the land pur-
chased shall be held for public use without re-
strlctlng such use 10 the District or giving the
District officers any part in controlling IL.
The intention to give il a national character is
further indicated by the requirement that
payment for it shall be approved by the Presi-
dent OF the United States; that the United
States shall take the title to the property SO ac-
CURED, and that the survey should be made by
United States officers
The only possible color for a claim that
Congress intended any part of the expenses of
tins park TO be borne by the District is that
derivable from the fact that the appropriation
occurs in the District appropriation bill.
But this the Commissioners hold is not suffi-
cient TO justify the imposition of such burden
upon the District revenues. The most plausi-
Die inference seems to the Commissioners to
be that the item for the park was inserted in
the District appropriation law merely for some
purpose OF Legislative convenience"