The Washington herald., 1908-04-24
BIEBER HOLDS LANDS
Promised Official Probe Is
Slow in Starting.
DISCLOSURE CAME WEEKS AGO
Hearings May Not BE PubIIc-Chair-
man Andrus, of subcommittee of
He Doesn't KnOw-Mr. BarthOIdt
Says NO-Reyiew of the Case.


Sidney Biebers title to certain land;
along the Anacostia River still remains
invlolate. All the methods through which
Mr.. Bieber obtained these lands remain
unknown so far as the public is con-
cerned
In spite of the scorching which Senator
Carter gave Mr. Bieber on the floor OF
the Senate; In spite Of the denial Of Rep
resentative Bartholdt, Of the House Com.
mittee on Public Buildings and Grounds
that his committee could be held RESPONSE
BILE for a bill which gave Bieber these
lands; in spite of the fact that Mr.. Bar
tholdt appointed a special subcommittee
70 investigate these grants; IN spite OF
assurances that the whole matter would
be made public; IN spite of all the ac-
cumulation Of evidence that Mr. Bieber's
peculiar transactions with the government
should be revealed. not one word more
has been added 10 the common knowledge
Of WashingtOnians concerning The grants
Long, Long Ago.
More than four weeks ago. on March 10
in fact Senator Carter reported TO the
Senate a bill providing for the. repeal OF
section 13 OF the public buildings and
grounds act Of 1907. This section gave
Mr.. Bieber certain lands along the Ana
costa River, and as Senator Carter be-
lieved that they should not have been
so given, he asked Congress to repeal the
law.
After a speech in which Mr.. Biebe~ was
taken forward and backward across some
very warm country. the Senate passed
the repeating bill. This bill then came 10
the House and was referred 10 the Com
m!ttee on Public Buildings ard Grounds.
There it is still resting.
Shortly after Mr. Carter's speech, in
which he referred to the seemingly loose
way In which section Is had been passed
over i'm the House committee and IN
the House itself, Representative Bar
tholdt, on the floor Of the House. made
a statement in which he said that his
committee was not to blame.
On March 13 Mr.. Carter made another
speech IN the Senate reviewing the whole
transaction and giving Mr.. Bieber an
even severer scorching than on the pre-
vlOus occasion. Mr. Bartholdt q few
days later appointed a subcommittee
which he said at the tine would fully
investigate the entire matter.
Representative Andrus, of New York,
chairman OF this subcommittee. said yes
terday that his committee has been 80
busy-as individuals on other business
that IL is not yet ready to begin hear
ings upon the Bieber grants.
A Small Difference.
Mr. Andrus said some time ago that
the hearings on the grants would be
public. Mr. Bertholdt a few days ago
said that the hearings would not be
public; that the subcommittee had found
numerous instances OF almost similar
grants in the District. but that Sena-
tor Carter had, however, rendered a
valuable public service.
Mr. Andrus said that he did not know
whether or not the hearings would be
public. He said. however. that the whole
matter would be made known and that
THE country VIII hear about II ALL
II was learned yesterday that the War
Department has tust forwarded TO this
subcommittee all the papers which il
possessed in the case Il is not possible
10 say when these papers will be con-
sidered or when the subcommittee viii
begin its hearings.
When Mr.. Andrus was asked II the
subcommittee could start hearings wher
the public building bill has been reported
20 the House, ne did not answer directly
but intimated that there are many other
committees on which busy members have
10 serve He said that the Public Build
ings Committee has been working day
and night 10 get its bill out. and that
in other ways members Of the House are
kept sufficiently busy to make it impos-
sible 20 say when the Bieber hearings
VIII begin.
The only definite statement regarding
the hearings which Mr.. Andrus made wa;
that the entire affair will be made public
to the country ''at some time"