The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-10-23

/ lion dollars worth or real estate WnlCn
/ IS benefited tremendously b. this
/ bridge"
Tribute to Sims.
An interesting bit of alleged history
| is given BY Mr.. Woolley in connection
with the proposal to buy some land for
addition to Rock Creek Park. He states
| that it was offered to the Government in
March. 1905, for S600.OO0-
| sInquiIy developed that it was assess
/ ed IS worth only $4,000. The proposal
I failed, and at a later session this dis
| Crepancy had disappeared, the assess
/ ors having raised the assessed valuation
| 70 $50 000. The property, however, was
not bought, because of q bitter fight
which Representative Sims Of Tennes-
| see made against It, in which ne indulg-
| ed some highly personal remarks from
To Mr.. Sims, BY the way. Mr.. Wooiley
pays high tribute as an intelligent, earn
est. and effective fighter against heavy
ODDS for the real interests of the people
OF Washington.
Glover Fond of Boosting.
Mr. Wooney says further. of Charles
c. Glover. that "he is very fond of
| Boosting Of what he has done, but even
/ he went a bit too far when he tried TO
sell the Government, for a fabulous
price, a strip Of scenery which would
y a
becoming bonnet ribbon for Rock Creek
Park the great breathing spot whose
mere boTning a few years ago, he de-
clared jubilantly, made him richer by
/ half a million dollars. The final action
OF Congress IN this matter was due TO
the danger Of a scandal in the House"
He explains that this property, ''prac-
tically all cliffs and ravines." contains
J about 100 acres, and was first offered TO
the Government in March, 1906, for $780,
900 On March last, he says. the bill
was finally defeated by the House when
the price asked by Mr.. Glover was
$423, 600, although, since the first original
offer, objections in various commit tees,
and Investigations by members of Coli-
gress had demonstrated that it was not
worth so much.
Then" says the article, "Thetus W.
Sims, of Tennessee, who had fought IL
from the start, exploded bomb in the
| Camp de Luxe. He called attention to
the fact that the price, ten months after
that famous hearing, was still S423 600
quoted from Mr.. CSlOVer's testimony to
show that there was no option on the
land, and declared that a member Of
the House was interested in one Of the
syndicates mentioned by Mr. Glover as
/ the owners of II. All efforts to get
Sims TO name him were without avail.
Cannot Sell Land
% He is here he said, and hears
what I say. VIII giving the name tend
TO prove anything except this: That
whenever people in this District have
land they cannot sell to anybody else
they try to sell it to the Government
/ before it goes up? OF course, the gen
tleman from Ohio, Mr.. Burton, and the
other gentlemen who have spoken In
behalf Of this biIl did not know that
any member Of the House is interested
in any of this land
This time the measure was defeated
I by a vote Cf 1872 to 81. Mr.. Sims kept
/ secret the name OF the promoting mem
! Der, even outside Of the chamber II
may be Of interest to many 10 know
that il was Representative William II.
( Jackson, Of Salisbury, Nd"
Referring to another land DEAL" Mr..
WOoney says:
! AT the tine z. J. Stelwagen, as pres
ident Of the Thoms< J. Fisher Real Is
/ tate Company. and George z. Hamii-
/ ton, as attorney fer the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad. were buying up land ten
years ago for the new Union station
and the tracks leading into II. they pur-
! chased, as president and attorney re-
spectively Of the onion Trust Company.
most Of whose st. elk they control, a
tract Of land OF. First street. between
] X and L streets, in the northeast sec
; ton, and a large warehouse was Quilt
/ thereon Only near the top are there
/ any windows In the rear wall.
Commissioners Compromise.
Those who watched the construction
: work wondered why this was. When
/ the grading for tracks had been COM
pleted they saw that the lower lodges
Of these windows cleared the level Of
! the new embankment, which abuts the
/ rear Of the building by only foot or
so. In due time came the adjustment
OF claims and many are the dishearten-
ing tales that poor property owners
I have to tell Of how they Jared at the
I hands Of the special board which fixed
the damages. The District Commission
ers themselves compromised With the
/ Union Trust Company for damages done
l to the rear of its warehouse, ordering
( that X be paid $4,000. and the case never
I went before any other tribunal. Hami
ton IS president of the Capital Traction
/ Company, Of which G. c. Glover is
vice president"
OF the famous "gas deal" and the
/ part The Washington Times played in
I 1t, MI WOOlley SAYS.
"A fair demonstration of the power o
the District Committee was given by
the chairman, Samuel W. Smith Of
Michigan. eighteen months ago. when
he blocked the efforts of the people Of
Washington to get T5-cent gas, 10 which
4 the enormous profits of the Washing
. ton Gaslight Company showed they had
f.. been entitled for some years past.
/ Two bills affecting this company were
{ introduced at the 1rst session OF the
/ SiXtieth Congress. One provided for
75-cent gas; the other for the repeal Of
I a law which 1t had caused to b. enacted
in 1886, giving it the right to increase
/ its capital stock at any time 70 an
amount equal 10 the actual value OF its
! property.
Smith Fails to Report
/ Day after day Mr.. Smith was asked
| why he did not report the bills. favor
/ ably OF unfavorably, in order that the
/ House might act on them He said the
/ Speaker would not recognize him for
/ that purpose. Uncle joe said they
/ ought 10 pass and that he would reCog-
! n 4
/ motion would be in order. But the lit
/ tie hve-footer from Michigan didn't
bulge.
The committee then ordered him 10
. report the bills favorably. StuI ne stood
his ground. The Washington Times de-
manded day after day that he act, and
/ the Evening Star and the Morning Her
EunYadI