The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1895-11-17

The Commissioners held a two hours con-
ference yesterday afternoon with three
prominent attorneys. These were Messrs.
Chaplin Brown C. II. Armes and w. L. Cole.
They declined to state what was the subject
discussed.
There is good reason to believe. how
ever, that an argument was made upon the
subject of street extension and the pros
pect of passing bond BILL made upon
the lines of the $7,50O,0O0 bill that was
defeated at the close of the last session of
the Fifty-third Congress by the opposition
of Senator Allen.
Mr.. ArIues stated to The Times reporter
Just before the conference began that 1t
was understood the Commissioners were
intending to try some plan by which the
| new Congress could be induced to pay half
the expense of the street extension out OF
| the revenues of the general government.
CONGRESS TO PAY ONE-HALF.
One plan suggested was to have all the
ordinary expenses for street repairs and the
| like charged to the District revenues alone
| and urge this fact upon the attention OF
the new members as a reason why the haif
| OF the payment of the proposed bondsshould
| be borne by the general government.
The Commissioners thought, as he under
| stood. that if the District should pay for
| ordinary street improvements out OF the
| good grace and say. I'VE pay our own
| expenses for all ordinary street work;
now. with this gigantic undertaking on
! hand IL is only Just that we should receive
! help from the general government. Con
| greSs ought to provide for the payment or
| half this bond issue out of the general
revenues" The new member 1t was be-
| licyed. viii lie affected by this generosity
! ON the part of the people OF Washington
| and VIII cheerfully vote for the payment
of the big bond bill. half out OF tue Dis
trict and the other half from the whole
| people.
| The citizens represented, he said. take
| an opposite view. They were OF the
| opinion that to conce1e the point that the
| District tax payers ought to pay the whole
| for any public work would be TO give
! the new members an example from which
| they would argue that the District Is able
| to pay. and ought to pay, for all improve
J ments wholly out of District revenues.
| 1t would bc to put a club in the hands of
| the enemy. They were going to try to
| impress this view upon the Commissioners.
| MIR. ROSS IGNORANT OF SUCH PLAN.
Col. Ross, who was seen after the
| meeting. refused to state even whether
che question of the bond bill had been dis
| cussed, but he said positively that 10 such
! plan as Mr.. Armes had outlined had ever
! been talked of by the Commissioners or
! to the Commissioners.
All sorts of gossip has been set going
Z by the street extension dispute, which
led to the filing of papers by Mr.. Brown in
the District supreme court on FRIDAY. One
! statement is that the wealthy men who
are Interested in the land syndiCates have
nearly given up the effort TO carry the
! pTopusit ton for an issue or bouds Tor
] sewers along with the issue for street
, extension and are now ready TO try the
( strength of their money and personal IN
! flucnce to force through a measure for
the issue of bonds for street extensions
! alone
They have with them Congressman F.
| G. Newlan nds. and others, and the president
| of the latest consolidation OF syndicate
! interests along Connecticut avenue ex-
tended is ex-Rcpresentative John J Hemp
hill of South Carolina for time chair
Z man OF the House District Committee,
/ and therefore. familiar with all the ins
/ and outs of the District affairs before Con
grcss. With such men and with money TO
! take advantage of every favorable fact
/ take advantage of every favorable fact,
it is believed the bill can be carried.
THINKS $4,000, 900 NECESSARY.
One report has it that these gentlemen
! think the amount necessary Will be Sl2,-
600 600 rather than S3.000,00o, and this
enormous amount will be asked. for. This
has grown ont OF Mr.. Browns statement,
| lhat the amount required for the purchase
| nearly S12, 900 900. 1t is the talk also
that the meaning OF the attack upon the
conStitutunality OF the street extension
act is merely to have 1T amended 50 that
| special benefits viii be assessed and that
the general government will bear its half
/ of the bond issue. The act as drawn puts
all this burden the District.
1t is pointed out that there was the
same talk about assessment of special
benefits when Rock Creek Park was pur-
chased at prices far beyond what owners
! expected, but special benefits were
| ever assessed. The attitude OF the present
| owners Of lands where the city is to be
laid out, is compared unfavorably with
that OF the pruprietors upon whose land
the city was originally located. They gave.
free of charge, all the lands for streets
and in addition every alternate square
Mr.. Brown was the chief spokesman at
the meeting with the Commissioners, and
talked loud and earnestly regarding the
Street extension, and it is supposed the
| unconstitutiunality OF the law. Appar-
,ently there is an effort to reconcile differ
ences among those interested in securing
! the massage of a bill authorizing the issue
of bonds and the conference was for that
purpose. All the parties to it have been
| aiways-eonsidered to be in favor or such a
measure.