Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
DEMAND FOR LEGISLATION
BRIGHTWOOD CITIZENS DISCUSS
STREET EXTENSION.
Congress Asked to Provide Necessary
of Tax Payments Opposed.

The regular monthly meeting Of the
Brightwood Avenue Citizens Association
was held last evening. President l.. +.
Shoemaker was in the chair and Mr.. John
G. Keene served as secretary. The attend
ance was very large.
The most important business transacted
at the meeting was the reference of reso-
buttons offered by Mr.. Shoemaker on the
subject of street extension to the commit
tee on legislation. These were read by Mr..
W. ]. Lambert, who commented upon the
matters set forth. The resolutions recfte
that after ten years of time and the ex-
penditure of a large sum of public money
in an effort to establish an arbitrary and
national plan of street extension by Con-
gress, wholly at the expense of the tax
payers of the District the plan has proved
a failure. and that the land owners. in Or
der to prevent the appropriation of their
lands to the public Use without just COM
pensation, as provided by the Constitution.
and also to prevent the actual conflscat1on
of their holdings, have been obliged to give
much Of their time and attention and spend
large sums of money and sustain great loss
and damage to their property by reason OF
maps which have been filed clouding their
titles years in advance of the necessity for
streets through their lands, which has pre-
vented them from securing loans and eff
fecting sales. thereby seriously impairing,
if not destroying, their rights of ownership.
LegisIatfon Demanded.
The resolutions request the District Com
mssioners to urge such action of Congress
at this session as will secure the establish
ment of necessary streets, for which the
residents of the northern suburbs have so
Icing suffered. and upon a plan which will
be fair and just to the landowners. That
is. THAT when private property is taken
for the public use. the value thereof shall
be ascertained and paid in money from n
public treasury, one-half of which should
be charged to the United States and the
other half to the District of Columbia; and
that fund should be raised for this pur
pose by a bond issue. thereby not only
making possible the establishment of these
necessary public improvements, but fixing
charge where 1t properly belongs-upon
those owning these lands ten or twenty
years hence. This will, in the judgment
of Mr.. Shoemaker, place the burden upon
these who will derive the greatest benefit
from the Improvement, and who will, by
reason of increased values, be amply able
through the medium of ordinary taxation to
pay these bonds at maturity, while the in
terest and a sinking fund can also be pro-
vided for
Oppose Change.
Resolutions were also adopted disapprov-
ing of the proposed abolition Of the existing
semi-annual system for the payment of
general taxes on real estate, and asking
the Commissioners to advocate the contin-
uation OF the present system of semi-an-
nual payments, the ground that it Is of
great interest and advantage to the land
owners and the general public: calling the
attention of the Washington Traction Com
pany TO the fact that the association is
displcased with the manner in which the
Brightwood avenue branch of its lines is
being operated and that 1t is the wish Of
the people of that section that when the
Brightwood cars are run to the center OF
the city it shall be by way Of 9th street
and not by Sd and 4th streets, as has been
reported will be the case. and requesting
that the work OF resurfacing Brightwood
avenue he hurried by those having the mat
ter in charge.
Mr. W. V Cox reported prograss in ar
ranging for the proper celebration Of Deco
ration day at Battle Ground cemetery, and
In the arrangements for the presentation
to Congress of bill establishing park in
and about Brightwood-
The following new members were elected:
w Clifford, n. E. Angel. August Lay. Jas.
F. Dart and George w. Osborn. Guests
present were Messrs. c. S. Bundy, McPher-
SON. Blair Lee. Horace S. Jones, G. w.
joyce. Col. Richie of Virginia and s. Car
roll Chancellor, mayor of Leesburg, va