The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-06-21

The Commissioners gave a bearing this
morning TO former Senator Henderson and
large delegation Of property owners rela-
tive to the plan OF highway extension Mr..
Henderson acted as spokesman of the dele
cation.
The people of the District, Mr. Hender-
son said, are too proud and particular in
The matter of laying out streets in the
county, and in insisting on regularity and
city.
lie said that he Was n entne sympathy
with tie plan OF ha>iBe stleets laid out
yIn regard 40 DyaGJH and legUla rlty, but
he Was opposed 10 Ihe .Cea II making
every stree1 Il lhc extension plan Ierfe,,iy
straight, regardless of local conditions,
vsln Icspcys 10 tAe OWNERSHIP "i pIOi eIty
involved.
Mr. Henderson read ia detail the first
eight sections OF the highway act, and
dwelt II some length upon the ninth sec
tion. Attention was called Ia the fact
that the JuTs of condemnation aud assess
IueuJs nad lorty-Seven districts Al which 10
work.
Ar Henderson, dcplored the fact that
the contemplated changes involved streets
running east ana west as well as those run
ming nortn ana south. AS an instance,
iAnney stieC. has Jeen entirely take up
aaG removed half a Tot from its OGt. in al
site.
lie questioned the ability of the ',om
missiouers TO pay Just amount OF dam
ages for property condemned. in the dis
t,lCt including Meridian Hlll over S26l,-
600 damages were assessed. THIS dis
tnCt was perhaps the smallest Of the forty
seven districts IN the scheme, ana IL tie
heavy figures quoted were entslilysl an the
vCIk Of improving that district, the total
amount involved iu the extension ofst'cets
in the northwest section OF the county
alone would guL into millions.
Tue total cost DfimprOyiug the county, rs
contemplated, already figuring in the mil
lions, fails below tie amount that should DE
paid over To inter, stcd property JwnsTs.
IF the Commissioners take those Casn
values and attempt TO pay the true value
for the lands assessed, they can never pay
Tor the land" Again revertiug 20 the
Meridian Hn district, Mr- Henderson said
that il would take from five to ten million
dollars To pay Tor land condemned in that
section. Where will this money come
fronls''
1t would not he legal nor practicable
for the Commissioners 10 IegaId the whole
District as If il He!c Ialt OF the city. Ii
the whole District were regarded as a
single CITY the pTuperty-OwBeTs in one
district would he assessed FOR the other
forty six districts as well, a aighly oh
jectinalle condition of affairs"
The Commissioners have reached a
crisis in the highway extension matter.
Property is overyalued in the District,
property owners having been obliged IN
the last two or three years 10 boom real
estate to effect sales.
MI Henderson admitted that sixteenth
street, New Hampshire and New York ave
nues aud certain other streets and avenues,
especially such a. run north AMI south,
should be opened.
He referred. however, TO the fact that
inegular streets were laid out iii Boston.
New York, Chicago, st. Louis, New Or
leans, Paris sud London, and that there are
no cities In TIE world of over 10000
streets
Several Of the proposed streets running
east and west on Meridian Hill rs proposed
in the extension scheme would, in the
opinion II Mr. Henderson, he of no prac-
tiCal value, and might just as well he
abandoned, In fact half Of the proposed
east-and-wcst streets could he done away
with as there would probably be no need
of them as commercial streets in the
future
In conclusion, Mr. Henderson again QueS-
toned the power OF the commissioners to
pay a just amount for the properties con
derdncd, and characterized the extension
plan as impracticable, on account of the
enormous expense involved.
He urged the Commissioners to ask Con-
gress to take some action with reference
to the matter