Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-08


guns on the proposition and shoot it full
of holes for Ohio gatlings to help along
the good work and for him To stir UP the
Fragments
MI. Babcock Explains.
Mr.. Babcock then took the floor and ex-
plained the appraisement and condemna
ton procedure practiced In the Dis
trict OF Columbia
Mr.. Hepburn wanted to know why it was
necessary to be solicitous for the interests
OF those people who We're on the opposite
side OF the street and who are cut off
from access TO the railway Mr. Hep
burn contended that they knew Of their
inconvenient location and got the benefit
OF lower prices for the property when
they bought It. Mr.. Hepburn did not think
that the government should come in now
ana place that property in a position of
greater value than it was when they bought
II. Mr.. Hepburn also criticised the appor-
tionment of the cost
Mr.. Babcock also explained that the open
ing of the street would be of great benefit
to the general public. Mr.. Hepburn doubted
whether it would be of any great public
benefit, and said that anyhow he did not
want any more streets opened until the
citizens were given better streets in town.
He wanted the city streets paved before
any other streets We're opened
The Questions at Issue.
District committee, said that as It is now
the people of Champlain avenue cannot get
access to the street cars The necessity
for opening the streets will he greater in
the future than now. and after while it
Will cost three or four times as much TO
open street as il does now
Mr. Gaines of Tennessee made some crit
iclsm upon the general system of Condem-
nation. Mr. Sims said that he would not
dGr fan MOI -.
condemnation of the District of Columbia.
The question at issue. he said, was whether
large number of people We're to be denied
THIS needed Improvement because some peo-
pie may in the past have abused the con-
demnaton law. Mr.. Sims said this street
IS not in the suburbs, but in the city. con-
Meeting properties high in value
Some Caustic Comments.
Representative Davis of Minnesota. for
merly a member of the House District COM
mittee. made some rather caustfc and ex-
tenSive comments on the Washington system
of appraisement and condemnation Mr.. Da-
Wis said that the kalorama road bill was
In itself one of the least Objectionable. per-
hapS the least objectionable, of all the
street extension bills that he had seen laid
before Congress But it was the principle
OF the thing that he wished to oppose The
public was more benefited by the Kalorama
road bill than it was by any other meas
ure of the kind lie had seen in three ses-
sions.
Usually a street extension of blocks, some
times as much a half mile was pro-
FIded for, and very often in sections which
were not at all well built up. Consequently
there was some reason for the statement
of the gentleman from Iowa, Mr. Hepburn
that there We're often the footprints of
real estate deal about the transaction
ana real estate men were benefited instead
of the general public.
The BILL however. provided that It's in
tent be accomplished by very peculiar pro-
Ceedings.
Mr.. Davis called attention to the fact that
the bill gave the Commissioners authority
to certify without hearing or any other
procedure the award of the Jury He called
attention of members of the House to the
fact that If the award did not suit the
pleasure OF the Commissioners for some
reason known or unknown they might set
1t aside and not have any explanations to
make At the proper time. Mr.. Davis said
he would move to strike out the provision
giving the Commissioners that authority.
There was practically no appeal, Mr.. Davis
said. such as there was had to do with d
technical question. 1t was not possible to
review the facts; it was not possible TO re-
View the merits of the case.
MI. Babcock Again Explains.
discussion between Representative Da-
Wis and Representative Samuel Smith of
Michigan revealed the fact that few MEM
bers of Congress knew just how the street
extension proposition got before Congress
and after the colloquy between these two
gentlemen Representative Babcock explain
ed that the Commissioners held hearings
upon the street extension subject and that
their recommended on the subject were
put in the form of a bill and presented
TO Congress
Representative Davis took exception to
this also. He said that he knew now that
the Commissioners got their hearings un-
known to Congress, heard such witnesses
as happened 70 know that there was A.
hearing on and reported TO the District
committee He said he was mighty glad
he was getting some information he was
looking for for II long time. He had found
out that 1t was not the public and not
congress that governed Washington but
mercy the three District Commissioners.
lie said he did not think there was an
other city in the country governed in a
similar way
He qoted a man whom he said was a
prominent citizen of Washington and a man
we'll known IN public affairs as saying that
without influence 1t was absolutely impos-
stble to get a street extension bill before
Congress or to get 1t passed. With influence
anything was possible. This friend had told
him that street extensions were made where
they would benefit favored few
After Mr.. Davis had concluded Represen-
tative Gaines of Tennessee broke into the
game again. and reiterated his expressions
of disapprovat made earlier in the day
Representative Babcock. replying to a
question by Mr.. Gaines. said that no citizen
of the District however humble had ever
been refused a hearing before the District
of Columbia committee this or any other
proposition
Mr.. Gaines OF Tennessee and Mr.. Sims of
the same state entered into an animated
NOlOlIV NJ -ba.b 10
property owners had been given a hearing
in this case before the District committee,
MIR, Gaines manifested deep solicitude lest
the property owners had not been heard
Mr.. Sims said that no one had asked for a
hearing, that the bill had been urged by the
District Commissioners, that IL was mat
ter of public information that the bin VA
pending and no one had come forward He
said that II any one had asked to be heard
they would have been granted a hearing as
am. .nlunltIce nGX.E EeflLses a L.sa: IL,