Evening star., 1902-03-31
WOULD DIVIDE COST
Chairman Cannon on Park
Commission Plans.
DISTRICT TO PAY HALF
INDICATION OF ATTITUDE OF THE
HOUSE.
How the Appropriations Committee
Regards the Proposed Improve
ment of the Capital.

ment of the Capital.
An Indication of the attitude the House
of Representatives. will take when the
projects for the Improvement of Washing
ton as advocated by the park commission
come before it can perhaps be had blythe
statements of Chairman Cannon of the ap-
propriations committee in discussing the
sundry civil bill today. Touching directly
on this point Mr.. Cannon said:
Great plans have been made for the ex-
tension of the park system IN the District
OF Columbia. We already have a great
park system. many hundreds of little parks
scattered all through the city, and then we
have the Zoo. We have Rock Creek Park
and have had 1t for many years. The fu-
ture IS well cared for and well assured
from the standpoint of the government ser
vice in the District of Columbia and for the
convenience of it's inhabitants and for the
welfare and pleasure of all the people. But
this system of parks being reserved we
can go slowly. The Almighty did much in
the Rock Creek Park. If you just let it
alone, making few roads, which are grad
uaIly being constructed, you cannot i'm
prove much upon nature. and it will not be
necessary for a decade to make much of
expenditure in that splendid park.
Park Commission Plans
There IS a park commission proposition
that has never been adopted by Congress,
and. so far as 1 am concerned, 1 am in
chned to say never will be adopted by my
vote. 1t was not a self-appointed commits
sion. but a commission appointed by the
Coordinate branch of Congress under a
resolution. That commission made their
plans splendid and magnificent. When the
Improvement is complete il is to cost $780,
600 600 As l understand it, it involves the
cOndemning of all the territory between the
Mall and Pennsylvania avenue. and the
payment of the damag ges from the public
treasury. and a great many other matters
that In my Judgment, ought not 10 be en-
acted.
Mr.. Benton wanted to know if this prop
erty was not once the property of the gov
ernment and that the proposition now was
TO buy it back.
II am not advised as to that" Mr.. Can
non replied. but it may be true; but it
is now the property of individuals | will
not enter upon discussion of it's merits
1t may come later in connection with this
or some other bill. My position and that
OF your committee, think without dissent
as l understand it, is about as follows:
That for construction of public buildings
70 carry on the public business in the city
Of Washington, we stand quite ready to CO.
operate and recommend all apt appropria-
tiOn as speedily as the public service re-
quires and the public revenues will allow
Win due regard for the public services else
where in the United States.
The District to Pay Half.
The second proposition is to beauty the
city without regard to the public service
and to make it a beauty spot In the United
States As to that great project the prop
osit1On of your committee is that we shall
go just so fast in beautifying the city of
Washington as the people of the city of
a. Sh inc
paying half the expense thereof by tax
alton. That is a very good check upon that
KIND of improvements. Therefore, in the
Improvement of this park, $4,000, which
but commences 1t, We provide that one-haif
OF that sum shall be paid from the revenues
OF the District. And so as to all the great
park systems of the District of Columbia
your committee are thoroughly of opinion
that they ought to be and must be i'm
proved, one-half from the treasury of the
United States and the other half by local
taxation.
The Hall of Records.
There is one other matter that / want
to call TO the attention of the committee.
There Is great cry for hall of records
In the District. There is a great cry for
the erection of palace of justice, a new
State Department, a new Department of
Justice. and so on, and on. Some of
these works might well be commenced but
NAAty 'tASLt u Dt CDfi1fNtHcel with care, to
make them fairly agree with the improve
ments that have been made in the District
on the one hand and to shut off .xtrav-
agance upon the other.
Much that is said about hall of records
might well be unSaid, il the government
OF the United States paid enough atten-
tion to the records of the United States
TO preserve the records that ought to be
preserved and to destroy those that are of
account.
Capitol Improvement
After declaring that if all the old useless
records Of the government We're destroyed
there would be room enough for govern
ment work. Mr. Cannon turned his atten-
ton To the proposed addition to the Capi-
tol building and the renovation of the ro-
tunda and said thai inves stigation showed
that TO complete the Capitol would cost
&'NDND; 10 renovate the rotunda. $4,000
In addition 10 that he continued ''un-
der this provision of the law the architect
of the Capitol has aScertained that to con-
struct a tunnel from the Capitol some
where to land that is south of us or south
east. nearby, the Capitol grounds, and to
complete building with 400 rooms in it in
a style of architecture that would COM
port fairly well with the surroundings of
the Capitol and Library of Congress and
construct a tunnel from the Capitol TO
such building, constructing such a build
Ing with a great basement that would hold
all the documents and that would hold in
addition the heating apparatus of the
Capitol. move il all out and your lighting
apparatus into such building, giving ad-
ditionaI room in the Capitol for committee
rooms, removing the condition that we
have from the musty documents that the
construction of such building would cost
in round numbers, S4.GOO0O and that
with the completion of the Capitol would
cost $611JUt9.
Taxation of Personal Property.
Regarding the improvement of the capi-
tai Mr.. Rucker asked:
Does the gentleman believe that every
improvement of that nature ought to be
borne by the District
Mr.. Cannon-'I do"
MIR. Rucker-"And none of them Maid
for in whole by the government? Now IL
the gentleman viii kindly answer me IL he
can. This half which is paid by the city
or the District of course is raised by local
taxation"
Mr. Cannor-"Yes"