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

Mr. Cannon of Illinois has offered in the
House a memorial prepared by citizens and
property owners of Columbia Heights re-
lating to the location of the contagion
hospital The memorial is as follows:
Text of the Memorial.
The memorial was as follows:
The undersigned, citizens and taxpayers
of the District of Columbia, on behalf of
the various interests represented by them
and in their own behalf, do most solemnly
protest against the establishment of an
Isolated Hospital for contagious diseases
in the block bounded by Bismarck and
Princeton streets, It'll street and Sherman
avenue, as recommended by the honorable
Commissioners of this District In their last
annual report
The necessity of a contagious disease
hospital is recognized by every citizen OF
the District, and we admit that private IN
terests should not stand in the way OF a
great public necessity; but should always
be subordinated to the public good.
Conceding this to be true, we submit that
1t is the duty of persons charged with a
public duty to discharge the same in that
way that will be least destructive or detri-
mental to both public and private inter-
ests, and in this particular case it would
be neither wise nor just on the part of the
honorable Commissioners, or of Congress
itself, to locate this hospital in any part of
the District that would create or cause I'M
necessary depreciation of values and de-
crease in the public revenue, unless no
other suitable location can be found, where
such depreciation would be comparatively
small.
That part of the District contiguous to
the proposed site, and which would be i'm
mediately affected by the location of such
hospital thereon, is the only section that
has shown steady advance in values
throughout the entire time of the present
financial depression, and the records of the
inspector of buildings will show that more
money has been expended within a few
squares of this proposed site within the
last two years for good, permanent, at
tractfve residences than in all other parts
of the District combined; that such resi-
Dental investments have reached. approx
1mately, the enormous sum of 5,OU, 600;
that in addition thereto there are hundreds
OF thousands Of dollars ready to go into
this section in the early part of 1856; and,
further, that of all the money so invested
In the last two years there is scarcely a
dollar that would have been so expended
If this hospital had been established where
recommended by the honorable Commits
sioners- We attach hereto the affidavits of
few individuals. which are enough to
show the truth of these statements
In our opinion. the establishm Of such
hospital at this spot means the stopping
of the developer ent of enc of the largest
most beautiful, healthful and rapidly grow
ing sections of the District, the destruction
OF values of private property to most un-
warranted degree, the ruin and bankruptcy
of many of our energetic and prosperous
citizens. and the reduction of the revenues
of the city to an extent so great that il is
not easy to measure.
1t is no excuse for the establishment Of
this hospital at the above location that the
honorable Commissioners and the health
department have reached the conclusion
that no injury will come to the health of
the community If building limit of FORTY
feet should be established. Ninety-nine
people out Of every hundred disagree with