Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-02-27
Congress Passes the District Appro-
priation Bill.
DEBATE OVER ALMSHOUSE site
Question Of District Paying Half
the Cost Deferred.
NJ r.. ALIENS VIEWS

| The conference report on the District OF
| Columbia appropriation bill came up in the
| House for consideration this afternoon. The
| terms of the report were published in The
| Star last Monday.
Mr.. Grout who presented the report,
| said he wanted to explain the increase Of
| the bill over the current law. The first
| increase was the provision for sewerage IA.
| cilities, then there were additional appro-
| prfations for county roads, for the Connec-
| ticut avenue bridge, for filtration system.
| for the public schools for the police and fire
| departments, for the Rock Creek Park and
| for the almshouse.
| Mr. Robinson of Indiana said he thought
| the provision for an almshouse was new
legislation and subject to a point of order.
Mr.. Grout said he could not view the
question in that light; that the discussion
| of the subject had gone beyond the juris-
| dictlon of point of order.
The Speaker upheld MI Grout posluon.
Against the AImshOuse Site.
Mr. Robinson then proceeded to oppose
| the appropriation for the almshouse. He
declared that the provision to grant sixty
acres Of land adjoining the insane asylum
for the site Of the almshouse was simply q
proposition for the United States to give
sixty acres of land to the District of Co
lumbia.
| inssnitary condition of the site, occasioned
by the Potomac flats, and which causes, he
said, high death rate among the inmates
Of the insane asylum, near which the aims
house is proposed to be constructed.
Mr. Grout replied to Mr.. Robinson. He
said the conferees wanted to save money
in this provision, to use land possessed by
the government for a site, instead OF buy
ing land for site. The land, it was said,
was not available for asylum purposes.
Question of District Payment.
Mr. Grout responding to a question. said
the committee had not deemed 1t advisable
to require the District to pay one-half the
cost of this land. If that was desired by
the House, it could be done at any time:
but it could not be accomplished now with
out voting down the whole conference re-
port.
competent hereafter for Congress to take
up the subject and charge part OF the cost
to the District.
Mr.. Grout said the case was merely the
transfer Of the property of the governments
from one purpose to another purpose
At this point Mr.. Grout read a telegram
from the Secretary Of the Interior stating
that a proposition Is now pending TO ex-
change this sixty acres Of land for some
property adjacent to the insane asylum.
Mr. Allen of Mississippi said the insane
asylum authorities had Informed the con-
were of no particular use to the asylum.
Mr.. Aliens Remarks.
Mr.. Allen said he had hoped he was
through with the "land business" In the
District of Columbia. He said that there
was not a man in the District who would
not bleed the government if he could, ana
that these men were on one side, while on
the other were the blackmailers. who would
not permit a sale unless they got part OK
the proceeds.
Mr., Allen said there had been some insin-
uation of a "stear' in connection with the
insane asylum appropriation. If there had
been any "stear' it had included a number
of people, the eighteen members of the ap.
preparations committee, the Secretary OF
the Interior, the asylum authorities ana
MANY worthy citizens who had recommend
ed the appropriation. ar, Ana
In the course of his remarks Mr.. Allen
diverted to the subject Of the Providence
Hospital, and said it was one or the most
worthy institutions in the District.
Without further debate the conference re"
port was adopted.
This action concludes the passage or the
District appropriation bill, which now goes
to the President for his signature.