Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-10

OF the interior is in keeping with the plain but
effective front and the entire house il one of
Edm onston, the veteran builder.
THE NATIONAL zoo.
IL the Public to Be Shut Out From the
Grounds?
QUESTION THAT INTERESTS THE TAXPAYERS OF
WASHINGTON WHO PAY HALF-rHE NQuIRl
PROPOSED BY ME- ENLoKs REVOLUTIONARY
LEeED DELAY II ExEcUrNG TIE LAW.
The following resolution was introduced in
the House on the It'll by Mr.. Enloe and re-
ferred to the COMMITTEES on expenditures in the
Interior Department:
Resolved, That the regents Of the Smithson-
ian Institution be, and they are hereby, re-
quested and directed to furnish to the House OF
Representatives a detailed and itemized state
ment Of the expenditures which have been
made from the appropriation provided in the
act approved April 80, 1880, entitled IAN act
for the organization, Improvements and main
tenance Of the National Geological Park" and
they are further directed and requested TO
report whether or not any of the lands pur-
chased for park purposes have been reserved
from the public, or set apart for scientific or
other purposes than those for the Geological
Park: also to report whether or not any part OF
the said appropriation has been expended in
violation Of the provisions of said act.
The following communication has been re-
ceived by The STAR in relation to the subject
of the resolution:
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
The bill 'for the organization, Improvement
Park became a law on May 1, 1880. It's
urgency was based on the necessity Of begin
ming work at once on the permanent improve
ments in order to get the animals at the Smith
sonian out before the winter of 1890-91.
1t was claimed Tin letter from g. P. Langley
to Hon. Seth L. Milliken, February IS, 1890,
House report No. 305), that 'the collection of
living animals at the Smithsonian Institution is
suffering for the commodious and healthful
quarters which can be prepared for them in
the Geological Park before the beginning Of
another winter, If work can be commenced
without the loss of more than half Of this year,
working season."
Congress granted, promptly and generously,
every dollar that was asked for, both for the
site and for the Improvements. Eight months
OF valuable time have been frittered away with
out the construction Of q single building, cage,
pond, road, bridge or anything whatsoever for
the reception and care of animals or the &C.
commodation of the public, and now that win
ter has come all work has been suspended.
The live animals at the Smithsonian are still
building. The rarest and most valuable animal
in the collection (mountain Sheep has died
from lack Of exercise, which with proper man
agement it might easily have had in the Zoolog-
ical Park.
The principal work that has been done in the
park-the building of the outside fence and
horse barn-was unauthorized by the act Of
Congress. The fences provided for were flor
the custody of animals, !" and were specified in
the estimates.
There was no appropriation made (or asked
for) for the horse and COW barn that has been
built at the Holt house. The barns provided
for were shelter barns '.for the custody of
animals and are specified in the estimates.
That horse barn was built without the authority
Of Congress for its cost and the barns for which
the animals at the Smithonian are still suffer-
ing for them.
The estimates submitted to Congress-, ac-
cepted in full by Congress and duly honored,
have not been lived up to. And yet the
ss2, goo appropriated is being spent and build
for example, of which the foundation is said to
be laid now, and the park is being improved
without any one at its head or near its head
who Is a zoologist, or who has expert knowledge
about the care Of animals in captivity. The
work that is about to be done under the direc--
ton of the secretary of the Smithsonian In
stitution will not be based on knowledge and ex-
perience, and the chances are that whenever
an expert is placed in charge this work will
have to be undone.
Instead of devoting the 1863 acres Of the z. P.
to the uses for which it was intended and
carrying out the professions and promises
made to Congress and the public they have set
aside 80 acres only to be occupied by animals
and the public. The rest is reserved" 10 acres
for an ''astro-physical observatory and IA
acres or more (the Holt property for the pri-
vate grounds of the park administration
The land thus sequestrated cost S54 900 of the
people money, half of which was paid by the
District of Columbia. Positive refusal has
been made to allow the buffalo, elk, deer, &C.,
to be CHARTERED on the Holt property the finest
place in the park for them. Instead, the
buffaloes and other ruminants are to be located
on the opposite ridge, on clay soil, where there
are no large shade trees and no trees save
miserable ''lob-lolly" or old field pines, which
give no shade whatever. This is the poorest
place In the park for the buffaloes.
Instead OF having, as Congress and the public
were informed we would have, the finest Zoo in
the world, where all the animals would have
from four to ten times the space such animals
have in other geological gardens, only thirty
eight acres have been set aside for the animals,
thus giving them no more space than they have
In Philadelphia, Cincinnati, London and other
geological gardens. The rest of the land is re-
served for private grounds, from which both
the public and other animals are to beexcluded,
and yet they demand eight acres more of land
for the park. With n 16S-acre park provided
by Congress the animals are to be restricted to
thlrty-eight acres in the poorest part of it, and
the accommodations provided for them by law
are to be taken for an astronomer and human
anatomiSt.
The iberality Of Congress has given this
country the funds for the establishment and
Development Of the grandest zoo the world
ever saw. Is this opportunity to be wasted?