The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-20
THE CLAUSE ELIMINATED
The HouSe Refuses TO Purchase
Land for the Asylum.
An Exciting Debate Over the Prop
osition During the Consideration
iect Defeated After Discussion
Full of Sensational Statements.

|
monious debate yesterday, the opponents
of the provision in the Sundry Civil bill
to purchase 145 acres of land adjoining
the Government Hospital for the Insane
for $145,000 brought about its defeat. The
discussion occupied the greater part OF
the session, and brought out accusations
bordering upon the sensational An at
tempt was made by those favoTing the
purchase of the property directly adjoin-
ing the institution to amend the section
in such way that the price asked ,ouli
not be regarded as Objectionable. This
was not successful however
There still remains the appropriation Of
sl.Go0,000 to be used in erecting buildings
which will probably be put up upon the
tract of land already owned by the Gov
ernment lying across Nichols Avenue Op-
posite the present location of the asylum
The first blow in the contest was struck
by Representative De Armond. who raised
point of order against the clause Jro-
yiding for the purchase of the land. He said
! that in the Sundry Civil bill passed year
! ago, it had been provided that the new
buildings for the asylum should be erected
10 the Government" He held that Il c
provision for the purchase of this rev
! tract was in direct abrogation of that pro-
vision in the old law, and consequently
out of order, since in an appropriation bill
! no legislation is allowed which repeats
| former enactments. Representative Hop
! kins, in the chair oyerruled the point on
tne ground that the Government had
! right to provide for the purchase of land
| II IL chose, and that the clause in the
! present act in no way abrogated the clause
| in the act of year ago.
| Representative Payne introduced an
amendment providing that the price of The
/ land should be S72.500. That will be 5000
1 an acre, he said Il do not think that it
! is an unreasonable proposition to acquire
/ this land at a fair price. l think it Will
/ prove that the owners of the land have
| paid out more than $500 an acre upon it,
Mr.. Moody explained the locations of he
land proposed to be purchased. There is
| some fear that the Government is being
held up" he said. Il no not believe We
can get it for less than $500 an acre. /
have found the prices at which the lots
have been purchased and the total foots
up to about $40 009.''
Mr.. Fleming said he had information
that an option on the land was held by
a Washingtonian for $50, 900. Mr. Moody
denied the statement and said there was
no evidence anywhere of such an option
being held. though he admitted that the
assessed valuation was SSl an acre. which
he considered IAN evidence of the rotten
system of taxation which is robbing the
United States Treasury of thousands of
dollars every day"
Mr.. Norton spoke most vehemently
against those opposing the measure.
charging almost everything from "black-
mailing 10 bulldozing." AS he closed his
arraignment he said:
81 have listened for the last twenty
minutes to members who have come and
said TO me, L am opposed to this job
Some one cries Job and then everybody
falls in line without rhyme or reason. l
charge that there is job in this matter,
but il is on the other side. The person
who is attempting TO give the impression
that there is a job has offered TO defend
this purchase. provided he is paid for it,
want to call attention to the facts. To-
day 1000 of my old comrades, soldiers of
the late war, are sleeping upon bare floors |
and upon bedding laid down in Railways. |
Now you tell us you have land enough. l |
am not talking of price but / say you have |
not land enough. ! am net arguing about |
the cost of the land. but it is an outrage |
that men should go through these corr- |,
dors crying out Job when they are en-
d
brains enough to go to the place and back |
again would know at once that it would |
be ridiculous to place the buildings upon /
the east side of the street. II would take /
thirty years to grow a single tree upon /
that barren spot.
Mr.. Alien of Mississippi then spoke. |
This is not a matter that can be well |
discussed in five minutes he said You |
are going to build across Nichols Avenue |
under the law, or are you going TO buy |
this land and build on it, As a proposition |
addressed to me, as a business man, if |
this thing was under my control l would |
rather give 100000 for that piece o: land |
to build on If / was going TO put Iniliicc
dollars worth of building upon il than | |
would to go across Nichols Avenue for
nothing
Mr. Williams of Mississippi-Now, why
not build on the farm that we already |
own?
Mr.. Allen-It is not land suitable for
building on.
MIR. williams of Mississippi under
stand that We have 129 acres there
Mr.. Allen-Of course you might build
there. but you are going to put up these |
buildings which cost a million of dollars
and you ought to put them where they
ought to be.
Mr.. Mudd also took part in the debate,
L I
this land by the Government" he said.
and it was upon my amendment that the
proposition looking to its purchase was
stricken out of the bill. This year in the
shape in which it is now presented, and
at the reduced price at which II is offered, |
intend to support it, and desire, as far
as | can in the very brief time allotted
to me- to explain TO the House the rea-
sons why I now favor it.
Il have looked over the land on the east
side of Nichols Avenue. as well as that
now occupied by the a ylum buildings. and
/ think that that tract ought TO be re
tanned for farming purposes-for the pur-
pose of a dairy farm. as | understand II Is
now used-and that for one very decisive
reason. in my judgment. in addition to
those that have been mentioned in the |
discussion upon this paragraph.
In a conversation with Or. Richardson.
Superintendent of the asylum, about ten
days or two weeks ago. he stated to me
that If he was permitted to retain the
use of this tract for a dairy farm, and to
continue and improve the cultivation of
it. he would be able. in a short time. to
supply the milk needed by all of the in
mates, and, If / recollect Alright, the at
tendants as well, of the asylum.
This is now costing the Government, so
he stated, about $4,000 TO $4,000 a year.
II that statement be true, and there is
no reason whatever TO doubt that it is en-
tirely so. the retention OF the land for
this purpose would, in seven or eight
years, pay for the whole Of this land that
ii is proposed now to buy.
Il am IN favor Of the best bargain that
can be made for the interests OF the Gov
ernment, but l believe that the needs OF