The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-09-27
Buy This Land at a Fair Price !

John w. Yerlles, Morgan II. Beach,
and David B. Caldwell have been named
a beard of special attorneys to repre-
sent the Government in the condemma-
ton of the four blocks of ground be
tween Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets,
Pennsylvania avenue and the Mall. The
two first named are well knOwn-AIr-
Yerkes is not only u lawyer of excep-
tioual ability, but citizen of broad
culture and high ideals, and an execu-
tive who has proven his merit by long
years at the head of the Bureau of
Internal Revenue. Mr. Beach was re-
Gently United States District Attorney
for tbs jurisdiction and one of the
most capable of late years. Mr.. Cald-
well is at this writing unknown.
The abilities and experience Of these
men are of an immediate and far-reach-
ing Importance TO the District Of Co
lumbia. 1t rests with them, in fixing
the value of this land, either to help
the whole city or to injure it. If they
are to help it, it must be by proving
it possible for Congress to buy land
here at a reasonable cost.
For the benefit of these gentlemen
and the officials Of the Treasury and
Department of Justice whom they rep
resent-it is well to state here, pub
licly, that the growing dissatisfaction
Of Congress with such purchases has
had altogether too much foundation
Recent sales Of District property for
Governmental use have been Just on
the near side of scandal
Consider the proceedings when Con
gress bought sites for it's own office
buildings. The asking prices were pro-
hibitive. So condemnation was had
As a result, Congress paid vastly more
than had been asked in the first place.
Tie explanation? Why, that the con
Gcmation" consisted of hearing wit
ncsses called by owners or hit upon
by counsel for the Government. and
nothing else that amounted TO a straw.
No wonder that The average payment
was several times tie assessed valuation
(Which Is a suppositional two-thirds Of
present market yalue), and twice what
the non-Governnentdl buyer was pay
ing for land all around,
Such proceedings are worse than I'M
favorable 20 Washington's future. They
have all the evil effects of graft, even
if only a lack of business common sense
or indifference is the underlying cause
And they are not inevitable. Congress
Is entirely right when it contends that
the Government ought to get ground
at a fair valuation. 1t ought. In this
instance it will if these three special at
torneys exercise in behalf of tn, Gov
eminent the active watchfulncss they
would employ in guarding the interests
of a citizen client.
With them Will rest the response
bility TO see that testimony gets be-
fore the condemnation commission which
will amplify that of the experts" sum
moned by the owners. There are
honest men in the real estate bust
ness in Washington; let them be eX-
amined. The banks have made loans
on practically all this property; let
the cashiers be subpoenaed to testify to
what their directors thought was the safe
banking limit of "two-thirds the selling
price" Much of this land has been
the subject of litigation; let one of
these attorneys search the records and
learn what their owners have alleged
as to the values of their holdings and
what the courts may have decided.
Men like Mr.. Yerkes, and Mr. Beach.
and, it is TO be hoped, Mr. Caldwell as
well, warrant expectation that they will
undertake their task in this spirit. If
they do, and fulfill it, they will not
only make the whole District their
debtor, but have the consciousness of
doing well a task that has heretofore
been almost invariably sighted, or
worse.