Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-14
House in Committee of the
Whole Votes $4,000.
PARSONS AMENDMENT WINS
Adopted by Close Division Of Is
to 81.
MEETS VIGOROUS OPPOSITION
Representative vfeeland Charges the
District With Lack Of Civic Pride
in Appealing to Congress.

| After nearly four hours OF hot debate
| the House, in committee of the whole
| considering the District of Columbia ap-
! preparation bill. yesterday agreed to the
Parsons amendment increasing the
amount for public Fairgrounds from the
81. 800 recommended by the appropriations
| committee to $4,000. Probably Repre-
senta tive Gardner of Michigan. in charge
| of the BILL will ask for a separate vote
on the Fairgrounds provision when the
measure is reported TO the House from
committee of the whole. But the friends
of the Fairgrounds are hopeful of winning
| then. Yesterday the vote was very close,
g. to G..
After The Stars report closed yesterday
the debate continued with undated vigor.
Representative Peters of Massachusetts
told of the success of the Boston play
grounds
THE child without Il playground is the
parent Of the man without a job. he de-
clared. in Boston there are ffty-twO
Fairgrounds. containing in all 1913 acres,
which cost the city about 100000 The
children of Boston have been made much
happier by these Fairgrounds
Representative Foster of Vermont
| thought the committee had begun it's
economy in the wrong place.
| VTSclduu SCOTcS Tue O1SLI1CL.
Representative vreeland of New York,
member of the appropriations com,
mittee. scored the District for it's lack
of civic pride and it's desire to have
Congress do everything.
| There is no city in the Union said
Mr.. NreeIand. which is less in need of
| Fairgrounds than Washington, which.
after all, is a great country town, with
I nlenfV wide N u which 10 chill
dren may play. The conditions in New
York are not comparable to those here.
The committee is not opposed to play
grounds, but it is opposed to building up
large force of attendants which will
help to make greater the deficit in the
| Treasury. 1t is much better to let boys
have independence than to provide them
| with supervisors at every turn. When
Lord Howe was In command of the Brit
| lSh FORCES In Boston a committee of boys
| twelve and thirteen years of age called
upon him and told the general that their
right of playing on the commons and in
the streets had been infringed upon by
| the soldiers. If Lord Howe would not
| order his soldiers to cease interfering
with them, the boys said they would take
steps Of retaliation. After the boys had
gone Lord Howe said:
| How can we hope to conquer a ma
ton that has boys with such spirit of
independence"
! Representative Murphy of Wisconsin
defended the amendment, Representative
Bowers OF Mississippi opposed it and Rep
| resentative Mann of Illinois made
| strong appeal for its adoption
Enough Fairgrounds, Says Burleson
! Representative Burleson of Texas of the
committee attacked the amendment Wig
orously.
Il never have heard a question debated
here in my ten years of service upon
| which there was shown more misinforma-
| ton than this question of Fairgrounds, ;"
| declared Mr.. Burleson. The gentleman
from Illinois, Mr.. Mann, with tears in his
voice. II not in his eyes, bewails the fact
| that children have no place to play in
Washington. Why, there are more places
for children to play I'm this city than any
\ other city in the Union"
| Representative Gardner of Michigan,
chairman OF the subcommittee which pre-
| pared the District BILL also was heard in
opposition to the Parsons amendment.
Parsons Amendment Adopted.
| A compromise amendment for $1,000 Of
| fered by Representative Douglass of Ohio.
was then called up and defeated. The
Parsons amendment was then carried
Reading Of the bill was then resumed.
! An amendment. offered by Representative
Wilson Of Pennsylvania, providing 50, 400
! to employ two inspectors to enforce the
| child labor law, was lost
The paragraph providing that the num-
! Der OF justices of peace in the District
shall not exceed five after the next va
! cancy occurs met with no opposition.
| Representative Keifer of Ohio opposed
| the committee provision repeating the
law for the payment Of so cents a day to
prisoners at the workhouse doing hard
labor, knocking it out on a point of order
An amendment. offered by Representative
Gardner. appropriating $1,000 for paw
ments to the families of prisoners, was
adopted. Further consideration of the
bill went over to TODAY