Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-11
TITLES BEING EXAMINED
Three Persons to Be Appointed by
Court as a Commission.
LATTER TO FIX LIBERALIZATION
Preparing to Acquire by Condemna-
tion Property Situated East of
the White Lot for Depart
ment Buildings.

The United States government is about
to begin proceedings in the District Su-
pteme Court for the acquisition by con-
demnation of the land contained in the
five squares bounded by Pennsylvania
avenue and street. 14th and 10th streets.
Congress appropriated $500 900 for the
purchase of the land and the owners were
given an opportunity to sell, but the
prices asked were not satisfactory to the
Secretary of the Treasury and he decided
10 submit the question of valuation to a
commission of three disinterested local
men.
At the request of the Secretary of the
Treasury Department Attorney General
Bonaparte forwarded the papers to Dis
trict Attorney Baker, who. with Special
Assistant Attorney Adkins is now pre-
pairing the petition TO be filed in court
later in the week This petition will fol-
low closely the verbiage of the papers
filed in the proceedings under which the
government acquired title to the land now
occupied by the Senate and House Office
buildings. The name of about 100 owners
will be set out in the petition, as well as
the names of the occupants or persons
leasing or renting the desired property.
In addition every person who has any
interest in the separate parcels. as trus-
tee under any deeds of trust that may in
cumber the property, and the beneficiary
Titles Being Examined.
Mr.. Adkins has had local title COM
pany at work for couple of weeks max
ing preliminary examinations of title, Sc
as to disclose all the names necessary to
be placed in the petition. He also sent
Detective Sergts. Helan and McNamee
over the ground. The officers visited each
piece of property for the purpose of Sc
curing the names of the occupants prin-
cipallY, and also incidentally any other in.
formation obtainable.
When the petition has been filed the
court will order a citation to be served or
each owner, occupant and party in inter
est who can be found by the marshal
This notice will also be advertised and &
copy posted on each house or lot within
the area of the five squares.
A day will be set by the citation al
which the owners and Occupants will bt
required to appear in person or by attor
ney and show cause, if any, why the com
mission to determine the value should no,
be appointed.
Appointment of Commission.
1t is customary in such cases for the
government and the respondents to SUBJ
nit to the presiding justice list of per-
sons whom they consider qualified by
knowledge or experience, or both, to sit
on the commission. From this list the
court will select three men. who. after
they have been sworn and have selected
a chairman and secretary, will give notice
of a time for viewing the property. The
commission will examine in detail each
parcel of land to be condemned, the
quality of the improvement and the ad-
vantage of i6 location.
The commission VllI then give public
hearings from time to time at which evil
dence will be offered by the government
on the one hand in an effort to show that
the values of the property does not ex-
ceed the limit Of the appropriation and by
the owners and their counsel to secure a
large price for each parcel to be con-
demned.
After the sessions the commission will
prepare a report and submit il to the
court. All persons interested will then
have thirty days in which to file such ex-
ceptions as they may have to the valua-
ton placed on the property by the COM
mission. .