Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-10

the honorable Commissioners on this sub
ject, and each and every man and woman
entertains a well-fiXea dread and fear of
such d hospital, and this feeling, SO uni
versal in its character, even If it be erro-
neous. is just as destructive to property
values as though 1t were well founded.
/ Admitting the sincerity of the honorable
Commissioners, I'VE beg to submit that
when all our citizens are accorded the
same opportunities for technical medical
investigation of this subject that has been
enjoyed by the honorable Commissioners
and the health department, we entertain no
doubt but that such citizens would, if given
the power to locate hospital of this kind.
emulate the illustrious example set them
In this instance by the honorable Commits
sioners. and would locate, or undertake to
locate, the same at some point as remote
as possible from their own residences and
their own real estate Investments
We furthe~ submit that it is not probable
that the government of the United States
would at any time so restrict the use of it's
hospitals established for minor contagious
diseases that if emergency arose by reason
OF the destruction or overflow of the small
pox hospital that persons afflicted with
that dread disease should be excluded from
the same and be permitted to die in our
streets.
We submit that the general government
now owns property in every way adapted
for this purpose upon which a hospital
may be built, and where neither public nor
private interests will suffer from such To-
cation, and that therefore the purchase of
ary real estate for this purpose is an I'M
wise and unnecessary expenditure of pub
lie money. and that the $4,000 which would
be required to buy the ground recommended
by the honorable Commissioners would
more than build and equip a hospital on
ground now owned by the general govern
mcnt.
We further beg to state that in June
IS.4. the honorable Commissioners of the
in said block, being 100 by 300 feet in size
for the purpose Of building hospital for
contagious diseases thereon; that the pub
lie was not advised of this act, nor was the
deed thereto then recorded, but was with
held from record by the honorable Com
mssioners until October or November of
that year. when some energetic newspaper
man learned the facts and published them
to the world, after which the deed was re-
corded. This publication resulted in mass
meetings being held by the citizens to pro-
test against this selection, and Congress-
recognizing the improperly of locating a
hospital of this character on the property
selected by the honorable Commissioners
enacted prohibitory legislation, forever for
bidding the erection of hospital for con-
tagious diseases within 300 feet of any
other building, &c, the sole object of which
act was to make it impossible for hos
pital to be built at this particular spot
and neither Congress nor the public for one
moment contemplated that the honorabl
commissioners would undertake to avoid
this expression of the will of the people
and of Congress by a proposition to pur-
Siase duuitiohd! ground and get Congress
to practically wipe out the limit of 300 feet,
heretofore prescribed. (See Public Act 100
approved March 2, 1881
The memorial was signed by NJ A. Bal
Hnger, president. and Myron NJ. Parker,
Francis Cotton, G. NJ. Carter John B. Cot
ton, Charles G. Schneider, Henry A. Pix
ton and Patrick O'Farrell, members of the
executive committee of the Columbia
Heights Citizens Association, and J. w.
Somerville, president of the Mount Pleas
ant Citizens Association. 1t was also ac-
companed by affidavits from ]. L. Lamp
ton. Barr & Sanner, Robert E. Bradley, c.
B. keferstein, Kennedy & Davis and Jacob
Jones. declaring that they had, in the ag-
gregate, Invested and expended 1880, 600
In Columbia Heights property within the
past two years.