Evening star., 1898-05-23
Report Of the Senate District Com
mittee.
SUBSTITUTE Fur TEE HOUSE BILL
lnadequacy of Former Acts Set
Forth.
TIL E PLAN PROPOSED

| ~ hhectiHS VI t1e SuDCOmhttee OF the
Serate committee on the District of Co.
| lumbia. to which was referred House bill
1O2O3, to repeal act of Congress ap-
| proved March 2. 1893, providing a perma-
nent system of highways in that part of
the District of Columbia lying outside of
| cities, held meeting at o'clock this after
| noon and decided upon a report on the
4 House BILL. At the last meeting of the Sen
| ate committee on the District of Columbia
| this subcommittee was authorized to report
| the House bill when it was satisfied with
| all Its details. The subcommittee decided
| today to report the House bill to the Sen
ate, with an amendment in the nature of
substitute. This substitute bill was pub
| lished in The S,ar last Friday, and today
| the subcommittee formally adopted it.
The Committees Report.
The report of the committee to accom-
parry the substitute bill follows
''On December Ii, 1871 President Wash
ington submitted to Congress a plan for q
| federal city between Rock creek on the
west and the Anacostia or Eastern branch
| OF the Potomac river on the east. and from
| the Potomac to what was known as Bound
| airy street and is now known as Florida
| avenue. For those days the plan so estab-
| Iished was far more in advance of probable
| needs than is the present plan that includes
ID.
! 1791 to 1883 no legislation was enacted
with view 10 extend the city of Wash
! ington.
The transformation of Washington from
| Village to a city was brought about by
the war of the rebellion; and about the
year 1860 the city began TO leap over the
| boundary established by President Wash
ington three quarters of a century before
| Between 1865 and 1888 each land owner
beyond the boundary subdivided his lands
as seemed best to himself. The tendency
was to invest the city on the north with
network of struggling villages. having ir-
| regular and narrow streets and often hay
| ing no alleys whatever So far had this
evil progressed by 1883 that Congress pass
| ed the following law:
The Act of 1855.
| Be it enacted, etc, That the Commits
sioners of the District Of Columbia be and
| they are hereby authorized and directed
| to make and publish such general orders as
| may be necessary to regulate the plating
| and subdividing of all lands and grounds
in the District of Columbia; and no such
plat of subdivision made in pursuance of
such orders shall be admitted to record in
| the Office OF the surveyor of said District
| without an order to that effect indorsed
| thereon by the Commissioners of said Dis
| trict
| Sec. 2. That all spaces on any duly re-
| corded plat Of land thereon designated as
| streets, avenues alleys shall thereupon
l
| made in conformity with the provisions of
| section l Of this act, and as such be under
! the protection of the laws and ordinances
! IN force applicable to public roads out Of
| said city.
" Sec }. That If by the extension of any
| oI tne present streets or avenues, the
| opening of any public way, it becomes nee
| eSSary 10 traverse any grounds now used
| as cemetery or place OF burial the Com
| missioners are hereby empowered to Sc
| cure right of way through the same by
stipulation with the proprietors thereof.
Sec. T. That the orders of the Commits
! sioners made pursuant to this act shall
have the force and effect of law thirty
| Gays subsequent to the day of public;;-
| tioh' ana all laws and provisions OF laws
| inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed
| Sec. ). No future subdivision of land
| In the District of Columbia, without the
| limits of the cities of Washington and
| Georgetown, shall be recorded in the sur
| feyor's office of the SAID District unless
made IN conformity with the general plan
or the city of Washington
The act Of August -, lsSS, brought some
| rehe1, but was inadequate in two particu-
| lars: First. the question as TO whether or
| not a subdivision was lin conformity with
| the general plan of the city of Washing
| ten was largely a matter of Judgment on
| the part of the Commissioners; and the
| board of Commissioners IS a BODY that
| changes from time to time. Moreover
| there Is no settled plan of the city OF
| Washington in SO far concerns the
width of streets. the laying out of alleys
| and other particulars. Again, the courts
| decided that under the conformity law it
! was not lawful to divert any stree. from
| straight line, SO that neither the natural
| beauties nor the engineering problems o.
| broken country could be accomntodat ted
| Still. further, in the absence OF accurate
| maps. lateral streets laid out IN one sub
| division were found not to fit corr esponJing
| streets in other subdivisions When inter-
! veninS subdivisions were laid ou.
| 1he second and perhapS the most Seri-
| Gus difficulty, however, was altogether be-
yond the reach of the law of 1883. When
| the outlying sections were laid out in con-
| formIty with the general plan of the city
| OF Washington there We're left between the
| city and these conforming subdivisions the
| Irregular and ill-fitting subdivisions that
called into existence the law of 1888 In
| adequate to meet future requirements. the
| evils.
| The Act of 1893.
| ITO meet the exigencies of the situation
Congress passed the act Of March 3 1893,
| to provide a permanent system of high
| ways in that part of the District of Column
bia lying outside of cities The objects of
| this law were two:
| First, to provide for extending the
| streets and avenues of the city of Washing
| ton through the irregular and misfit subdi-
| visions immediately north of the city: and
/ Second, to provide accurate maps where
| by the requirements of the law of 1883
| could be carried out in such a way as to
preserve the natural beauties and to take
| advantage Of the engineering features of
| the land Such maps had become a necessi-
| ty in order to provide for the sewer and
| water system, the opening Of street railway
| routes, etc. Also, such maps would be a
| convenience to persons wishing to subdivide
| their lands in advance of the necessities of
| the District In the matter of streets
| THE Senate provided that the expense of
| extending the streets through the existing
subdivisions adverted to was to be borne
by the property benefited. by the District
| and by the United States in equal propor-
tions. That Is to say, one-third of the
amount awarded as damages was to be
assessed on the land benefited, and the re-
mainder was to be provided for as are other
| expenses of the District of Columbia. The
House Of Representatives. however, amend
| ed the bill SO as to provide that the one
| half expense of opening the streets should
be borne by the property benefited. and
that the other half should be charged to
| the revenues Of the District of Columbia,
and in that shape the bill finally became
| law.
| Under the provisions of this law the
\ N<,Wr, -s<~wz- ~f II