The morning times., 1896-01-17

An adjourned meeting of the Board of
Trade will be held this evening at 7:3O
O'Clock at the Builders Exchange. AS
generally understood, the object of this
meeting is to discuss in extenso the high
way act and the bond bill, or the bond bill
to provide seven and half million dollars
for certain street extensions and sewers
under the highway act.
At the last meeting of the board, when
the report of the streets and sewers COM
mittee was called up, President Woodward,
of the board. In the absence of the chair
man of the committee, designated MT.
| Chaplin Brown to speak for the committee
Much 20 the surprise of good many in
the hail, Mr.. Brown made speech In
which he counseled delay i'll committing the
board to an Endorsement OF the highway
| act and the bond bill n they now stand.
He commented on the enormous expense
| of the proposed extensions. among other
| things stating that the cost of the con-
| demned land alone would be about S2O,-
600. coo, when the bond bill provides only
ST 500, ,oOO for both street extens ions
| and sewers. Mr.. w. F. Mattingly also
counseled a careful and prudent considera-
ton before taking final action.
TRYING TO OIL IT.
Notwithstanding this, Mr.. Worthington,
who was before the Congressionalcoinmt
! y
| the bill and who has heretofore been
| acting in concert with the counsel for the
| Commissioners. moved the Endorsement Dy
! the Board of Trade of the issuance of
| the seven and a half million dollars in bonds.
His motion fell through and Mr.. Browns
| motion. that the subject he deferred, was
| carried by the vote of the house
| 1t is said that since that meeting there
| have been numerous conferences of members
| of the Board of Trade TO meet the exigencies
| of the case. 1t is Il well known fact that
| the board heretofore has had no trouble
| in indorsing this bill and it was, presumably,
| acting on the past record that Mr. Worth
| ington made his motion for the indorse-
| rnent of the bond scheme.
| In fact, the board had before the agita-
| ton of the matter last summer indorsed
the bill almost unanimously. Mr. Brown,
however holds, according to his speech
| at the meeting, that the matter is now
in an entirely new light and that the
| board has never indorsed it in its present
aspect.
| what the board will do tonight; and eSpe-
cially if there will be any opposing array
| of figures to demonstrate that Mr.. Brown
| was in error when he said that e.OOo,oO
feet of condemned land. at dollar q
| foot, would cost S9,000,0u0. and that
| both subdivisions at that Fate would
necessarily cost about S26.O0e.ooo-
| SOME BENEFICIARIEs.
| 1t will be interesting also 10 know IL
| there will beany contradiction OF Tie lact
| that about Two hundred thousand feet in
| the Dennisnn and Layton subdivision,
| which is remote, is TO be or has beeu Juul-
| ciaIly rated at nearly $500 900. Also
| that in another lot the rate has been about
| 81 90 a foot None of the judgments yet
| made appear to contradict the vainatioa
| estimated by Mr.. Brown.
| IL is believed that the property-owners
| are now Violently opposed 10 the con-
| demnation proceedings The government
| il is understood from the law. has the
| right to assess benefits, and these are to
| be as a set-off against the awards in con
| demuattou. By this kind Of juggling and
| "confiscation'' it is possible to make
| showing of something less than S2o,ooo,-
| 900, but it will all, any way 1t Is taken,
| be at the expense of the propcri y-owners.
| IL is not uch good scheme after all, is
| il turns out that n few people, out OF
| .scify pride" "lhe greater Washington
and all that sort of thing, came to the con-
| clusion that it would te a good thing TO
have these extensions, and that, in the
| end, the propert y-owners must put up the
money ard the land for the sentiment.
EFFECT OF UNCERTAINTY.
Under such circumstances it is not re-
! markable that there should be growing
feeling among those interested that 1t
would be a good thing to repeal all iegis-
| lation for street extension up to this time
| and enact a law providing for the extension
| of Rhode Island avenue, Vermont avenue,
| and other streets wanted for immediate
use.
| At present everything is blocked by the
uncertainty as to the constitutionalty
OF the act. The Commissioners are pre-
vented from paying for ground already
| condemned. and il is said Will not pay
for any till legislation is completed SO that
they can be sure to get large returns
| by assessments of benefits Meantime
land condemned is useless and cannot
be disposed Of
| In one instance of this kind lady whose
life is devoted to the care of brother
WHO was shot to pieces at Gettysburg, is
a sufferer. Her whole property is taken
for the street. She cannot get pay; she
cannot sell, because of the uncertainty, and
she cannot borrow for the same reason.
The discussions at the meeting tonight
will doubtless clarity a good deal that
is now obscure. There was rumor last
night that there had been some sort OF a
compromise growing out of conferences
nv which the bond bill would be ibdorsed,
"ip a modified FORM which form will be
awaited with the greatest interest by the
people against whom the ''confiscations
| in