Sunday morning globe., 1901-11-03
THE Recent PURCHASE
OF Land for the AlmShOuSe and
POtter'S Field.
SIGNIFICANT CHANGE Of FRONT
BY tho District Commissioners and Health Office,
Who SeVeraIly Condemned The Present LOCa-
ton in a Report to Inc last Congress and Who
Non Declare the Place Healthy and SaIubd-
ous-QuestOns Suggested By a Citizen

Non Declare the Place Healthy and SaIubd-
GUS Questions Suggested By Citizen.
The daiyl papers during the past
week professed TO be unable to find any
real objections to the site selected by
the Commissioners for the proposed
aims house and its adjoining Potters
Field; a little leg work by its staff Of
brilliant reporters would find in the
vicinity o. Anacostia, however, more
than a dozen robust citizens who are
kicking away over their heads because
of the location for this eleemosynary
institution. But The Globe did not
even have to go to Anacostia to find
number Of citizens who not only con-
denim the selection Of the site and the
purchase of the ground but who char
acterize the transaction byan ugly name
and comment severely on the coinci-
dence that Captain Beech, the engineer
commissioner of the board who retired
on Friday last, secured the purchase
Of the ground before he was relieved
from duty.
1t is a notorious fact that the section
of the city east of the Anacostia, with
four per cent Of the population Of the
city. has fourteen per cent. Of the ma
larial diseases. and this very statement
has been made over the signatures OF
the commissioners themselves In their
last report to Congress, of which tact
they were recently reminded by DIR. G,
w Montgomery, No. G21 Sixth street.
s. w. in a very instructive letter pro
testing. as a physician, against the
selection of this unhealthy site for the
almshOuse
One of the many citizens whom The
Globe has encountered, desires us 10
nut few questions to the District
Commissioners which we present
numerically, as follows:
1. ASK Commissioner Ross why he
teIepboned A. e. Randle to bring his
Mat I'm 10 the District Building or ms
(Ross') land?'
2. "Ask why it was that Commits
sioner Beach wanted the almshouse
site settled before he was relieved from
duty here. and why he requested COM
missioner Ross to have it doneF
3. "Ask why it is that the health ON
Ger goes back, as we'll as the Commls
sioners on their respective reports 10
tbe last Congress as to the unhealthy
location and the malarious condluon
of the land east of the Anacostia, ana
why they now say it is a healthy To-
cation. and what has been done TO
make IL so since their reports were
filed. less than a year agoF
a "Ask the Commissioners OF the
district what Is going to happen When
the river freezes over, with the aims
house on an isolated tract Of land, cut
of from all communication ana Iacll-
ites of transportation Of either IN
mates or supplies?'
3. ASK what Congress will do In
the way of investigation when they
compare the reports received at their
last session and the statement issued
during the past week by the Commis-
sioners2'
G ASK Mr. Randle If he does not
and has not employed Mr.. S. F. Butter
field as his agent to sell lots on Con-
Rress Heights for the past year, ana
why Mr. Buttertield does not settle GER
tain bills@
7. ASK the Commissioners how
mucn land they are receiving as a
free gift from their admiring fellow
citizens Of the District"
s. "Ask the Commissioners il they
have examined the title to this pur-
chase and If they are aware that the
said title Is in question with the pos
sibility of a suit at law to quiet the
same?"
9. please inform the Commi ssioneTs
TO be prepared for a hot time when
Congress assemblies and when they
come before it for an appropriation "
10. How can property be isolated
and occupied both at the same time
as i'm this Case?'
II. "But Commissioner Beach Is now
out, and in August next Commissioner
Ross will also end his service. as will
the present health officer, DR.. Wood
ward"
For the information of the unsophi-
sitocated citizens Of Washington, The
Sunday Morning Globe desires to state
that the District Commissioners re-
Gently secured from H. 5. Cummings
and A. b. Randle. 255 acres Of land
located at the extreme southeastern
part of the District, fronting in part
on the Potomac River, and being i'm
mediately south Of the Alexandria
branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail
road at Shepard's Landing. the site
being almost directly opposite to Alex
andria. The price paid for the prop.
erty was $4,000, being the whole Of
the appropriation placed at the dis
posal OF the Commissioners by Con.
gress for the said purpose. Congress,
at its last session, appropriated $25,.
600 for a site for the Almshouse, and
$751; for a Potter's Field. The tract
purchased and the surrounding section
has been unequivicoably condemned
as stated, by the Commissioners, them
selves as unhealthy in their report to
the last Congress, and the uneXplain.
able mystery honest citizens would
now like TO have solved, is the change
OF front on the part of the commission.
ers and the reason for the deliberate
purchase and payment for property
which they now declare to be in a
most sulubrious and healthy location.
President Mcfarland in a prepared
Interview for the press very adrOitly
saddles the retiring Commissioner with
the whole responsibility. Here him:
uCoptofn uooob tho I'm oinaor Com.