Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-14

was not generally advised of the pro-
visions of the bill. No one in this cham
Der. / assume. knew when that Dill passed.
that Congress was deciding or autnOrlLihs
the conveyance of tract of land ID 1eet
by 206 feet in this District to a person
who held a mere shadow of claim pased
upon tax title that had no virtue what
ever. If the transaction had stopped dt
that point it would have been pau
enough but still not as bad as now.
Three More Blocks.
THE Senate at later dates had present.
ed to it two other bills in furtherance OF
the same scheme. The public-building
bill of 1906 embraced a section known as
section II, which authorized and directed
the Secretary of War to convey three
other blocks to Mr.. Sidney Bieber in the
same locality.
Section u of the bill was framed IN
committee manifeStly because II nowhere
appears in the. Record that 1t was oHered
as an amendment. This section Il direct
ed the surveyor of the District OF Coium-
bia to survey these three aodltloiiai
blocks. 1t directed the Secretary of War
to convey to Sidney Bieber title to the
three blocks-that is, all of the claim OF
the United States. which was the para
mount and only outstanding title; Tor
such consideration as. considering all the
circumstances might seem just.
within a short time after the approval
of this act-it was approved June ID
some time in September, the acting Secre-
tary of War conveyed the three Diocks
to Mr.. Bieber for 5000 or tnereapouls.
Thus this gentleman became possessed OF
blocks of ground extending over a stretch
o. 800 feet by 2So feet in the District OF
Columbia for the sum of $3,Wo, or
small fraction aboye $1,000. plus $1,000
paid for the first block.
LAS to the bill of 1906, there is no pre-
tense that any consideration was given
to the subject anywhere. l find in the re-
port which l have just received from the
document room, dated June 70. l9o6. FIX
ty-ninth Congress, first session, report
No. SOIL, a description of the purpose OF
each section of this bill of 19O6-that is,
the bill which contains section 2l-and
this Is the reference made In the report
to this particular section:
section p authorizes the acquisition
of certain triangleS in the city or WASH
ington.'
The section to which Mr.. Garter re-
ferred is as follows
Section 81 That the Secretary of War
be, and he is hereby, authorized and di-
rected to grant and convey unto sidney
Bieber and his heirs and assigns an the
right title and interest of the Umted
States in AID to all of certain land in
the city of Washington, in the District OF
Columbia lying south of squares 1923,
las and 1149. conforming with the metes
of square III situated between the north
lines of Water and l streets the east line
of 18th street, and the west line OF l9th
street, when said streets are eXtsnaea:
Bieber into the Treasury of the United
States of such sum OF money as the salo
Secretary of War, upon consideration OF
all the circumstances, shall determine
proper to be paid for the said squares;
and the surveyor of the District of Column
bia is hereby authorized and directed TO
to designate the proper square numbers.
How the Matter Came Out.
Mr.. Bieber in his statement in reply to
enator Carters first accusation inttmated
that Mr. Carter was speaking in behalf of
the Pennsylvania railroad, which has
tracks running over a portion of the land
granted to Mr. Bieber. While Senator
Carter made no specific reference to this
statement by Mr. Bieber, he gave the fol-
lowing account of how he came to know
of the Bieber legislation:
Il think it is but just to say that II was
not upon my insistence that senators were
called from their several tasks In thelr
committee rooms. nor did the senator
from Maine prefer his request on my mo-
the few remarks 1 am about to make.
Il was proceeding. Mr.. President. to
call attention to subject which has chal-
lenged the notice of the Senate and has
attracted attention elsewhere, and to the
end that senators who were not present
in the chamber at the moment may be ad-
vised | will recapitulate briefly the few
observations l made prior to the order
of the roll call.
On February 3 the senator from New
Hampshire, the chairman OF the COM
mittee on the District of Columbia. pre-
scented, at the request of the assistant
secretary of the navy. bill extending
for the period of two years the right of
a railroad company to maintain tracks on
certain streets leading to the navy yard
1t was urged that these tracks. In the abb
sence Of this legislation, must be taken
up the 2Sth of February, to the very
great Inconvenience of the navy yard and
its source of supplies.
1.-THE committee on the District of Co
lumbia referred that bill to subcom-
mittee of which l was made chairman
The subcommittee concluded that the ex-
tension Of time. without providing in the
interval for the construction of some other
rail connection with the navy yard, would
leave the government after the lapse of
two years in precisely the same predica-
ment of today. So the bill was amended
and the amendment was subsequently
adopted by the committee. The amend
ment required that the railroad company
should proceed within the period of six
months to construct rail connection with
the navy yard along the banks of the Ana
costa river.
'ro that amendment the railroad COM
pany took serious exceptions. The bill
was passed by the Senate once, and on
demand for q hearing the vote by which