Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-03
WHO OWNS THE PARKS?
Thurman Says That They are for Public
Use and Enjoyment.
THE GOVERNMENT COMMITS A BREACH OF TRUST
IN PERMITTING RAILROADS TO OCCUPY THEM
THE RED DANDANA SHAKEN IN THE FACE OF
GREEDY CORPORATIONS.

THE GOVERNMENT COMMITS A BREACH OF TRUST
IN PERMITTING RAILROADS TO OCCUPY THEM
THE RED DANDANA SHAKEN IN THE FACE Oh
GREEDY CORPORATIONS.
In the Senate in 1872 Allen G. Thur
man said, speaking Of the land proposed
to be given to railroads: 1T is part OF
that property known as the mall. 1t is a part
Of that property which was set apart and dedi-
Gated as a park in the very origin Of the city,
in the very plan of the city; and now 1 wish to
call the attention of the Senate to a fact which
involves the good faith OF the nation. The
original proprietors of a large portion Of the
land on which Washington is situated did not
demand that they should have pay for all the
land they sold. On the contrary they gave
| about one-half their property to the United
States without any price ut all, and then they
/ provided further that in respect to certain
other lots they might be sold and the money
| go to the government OF the United States; in
\ other words that il should be a money dona-
| ton. They gave thus donation not only of
land but of money. and that donation amounts,
as well as l can gather from the acts upon the
| subject to more than one-half of the property
| owned. That is what they did.
| Upon the faith Of what did they do it? Upon
| the faith of the government that it would
| maintain the seat of government here accord
| ing to the plan of the city, which had been ap-
| not
| do 1t otherwise. They gave by lots the very
lots marked on that plan. and the consideration
that they expected was the advanced value of
| the lots that they retained. Enhanced by
what? Enhanced by the existence of a city
| upon the plan that had been adopted and upon
| no other. BY no other means could the value
of the lots they retained be enhanced. 1t was
therefore, a part of the consideration upon
which they granted their property to the
United States and granted tho proceeds Of
other property which they authorized to be
sold and the proceeds paid into the Treasury
that the plan of the city should remain intact.
Otherwise the lots which they retained would
not be benefited. The whole value to them
might be destroyed il the dedication made by
the plan of the city could be violated and the
public grounds could be taken away and given
to private individuals or to private companies.
Sir, hold in my hand an act of the state of
Maryland recognizing these grants and con-
hrmlng them, and it shows this most extra
ordinary thing, too. The state of Maryland
went so far as not only to confirm the grants
made by persons capable of making the grants
but TO procure precisely the same thing to be
done where the land was held by married wo-
men, by minors, or by insane persons. In
other words the state of Maryland absolutely
condemned one-half the property which be-
lOnged to married women who were not sui
juris and to infants. and to insane persons.
and gave 1t to the government of the United
States upon the same conditions that this city
as plated and planned and approved by the
President of the United States should be the
capital of the United States.
Now, sir. in the face of these grants IN face
of the consideration that you received, in face
Of the plighted faith of the nation it is pre-
tended that you can take the only public park
in the city, the only thing that can be made
into public park, that you can cut it up and
give 1t to private railroad corporation. Sir,
if you can do that you can give them this Capt.
toll for depot. You forced the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad Company off Pennsyl-
vania avenue. You made it remove its depot
and go back from the avenue. You would not
have railroad depot on the avenue, and you
forced that company off the avenue. Now if
you are to allow this company to come up sub
stantially to the avenue, III You are to allow it
to cut up the public park and destroy it, how
can you refuse to do the same for the Balti-
more and Ohio Company? How can you refuse
to do it for the southern companies which are
to come into this city? How can you refuse to
do it for any railroad company?
''Oh, Mr.. President, how beautiful this park
lies for the convenience of these railroad com
paniesl How beautiful it lies, right in the
center Of the city, and how much they would
thank you abandoning all ideas of duty
scorning all esthetic thoughts unworthy of
a practical people: you were just to agree to
surrender all public property from the Capitol
to the White House in order that it might be
converted into railroad depots That would
suit this practical age, that would suit the prac
teal man, that would suit man who thinks
that mankind we're made to live for no other
purpose in the world than to build railroads
and put money in the pockets OF the stock
holdersl Is the Senate prepared to
do any such thing that? IL you are not il
you intend to hold the scales of Justice, per-
fectly even and firmly balanced between these
two railroad companies, ii you allow one of
them to set up on this park you must allow
every other one to do it; and then instead of
having before this Capitol and before the
presidential mansion in this city park that
will ornament the city, that will contribute not
only to the pleasure Of its inhabitants. but con-
tribute to the pleasure of every man. woman
and child in the republic who comes here and
which will contribute to the health of the city,
you will have before you a vast railroad depot,
or
A SERIES OF RAILROAD DEPors PROM HERE TO
THE WHITE HOUSE.
And now, Mr.. President since the
idea of those who laid out this city has some
prospect of realization, since its magnificent
distances are no longer the subject of ridicule
since its wide avenues are boast instead of a
scott and a scorn, since Its public grounds are
to be improved and beautified-and we all
want to see them improved and beautified-it
does seem to me that anything that mars the
original design of the city ought to be dis
countenanced by us. This city was not laid
out by hazard. Its streets were not COW paths
1t was laid out by the line and the plummet
IL was lald cut Dy the engineer, 1t was laid
out with design. Everything in the plan of
it was the subject of mature consideration by
both the engineer who laid it out and by
the sound intellect Of George Washington
who approved the plan, himself no mean
engineer, no mean designer Of any great
work Of the kind; and part of that design
was that from the Capitol to the White House.
from the hall i'll which the Representatives
and Senators should sit to the Executive
Mansion, there should stretch a beautiful park
1t is a part of the design. just as the square
opposite the Presidents house was devoted
to the public park-just as Judiciary Square.
Just as Lafayette Square, just as Lincoln
Square, just as Franklin Square were all de-
voted to this purpose-so this greater
piece OF ground. from Capitol Hill to the Ex-
ecutive Mansion, designed to be beautiful
10 its health. We who have it marred and
spoiled by the miserable canal that was suf-
fered to go into decay have no idea of what il
was before it was thus married We have no
idea Of how beautiful it was when it was in its
native condition and OF how beautiful it NAV
yet be when that nuisance shall have been re-
moved. Now it is proposed to break up the
original design of this city; now il is proposed
that what was intended to be the most beautiful
feature in the whole city shall be abandoned to
business, to commerce, to depots for railroads.
and that instead of that which should please
the eye and crafty the taste and swell the
heart as you stand on Capitol Hill and look to
the west or stand at the Executive Mansion
and look to the east, that shall be yielded I'D
to the hum and dirt and confusion and noise
of railroad depots and all the ordinary bust
ness of the city. Why, sir, it does seem TO me