Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-14
SHOULD RETAIN TITLES
Commissions Report on River
Front Lands.
NEEDED FOR GOVERNMENT
Repeal Urged of Acts Apparently
Surrendering Ownership.
RESULT OF BIEBER INQUIRY
Appropriation of 100000 Needed to
Examine Titles and Establish
Government Rights.

of the United States to lands in the Dis
trict of Columbia, which was appointed
at the last session of Congress, following
an attack by Senator Carter on National
Republican Committeeman Sidney Bicber
of this city, today made its report. Sen
tor Scott of West Virginia presenting 1t
in the Senate and Representative Bar
tholdt in the House.
The commission was created as the
result of the agitation in the last session
! of Congress in regard to grant of power
to the Secretary of War to sell certain
lands. It being ascertained when the aues-
ton of sale came TO be passed upon by
that official that the lands, which are at
this time of no considerable value. would
probably become important adjuncts to
the proposition TO improve the Anacostla
river and the Eastern branch Of the
Potomac. In connection with the pro-
vision of law which established the COM
mission there was a provision for the SuS-
pension of the operation of this so-called
Bieber grant. with the suspension of all
other legislation by which lands belong
ing to the United States might be sold.
While as has been pointed out by the
commission there is doubt if this lesis-
lation affected the right of the Secre
tary of War in his discretion to grant a
quit claim deed from the government to
private owners who have been In UNI
disturbed possession of public land in the
trative action has been taken under the
Secretary of Wars authority during the
life OF the commission, and the status of
the title of the United States to any land
i'm the District of Columbia Is unchanged
from that which existed July l, 1908.
Repeal Is Recommended.
In its report the commission recon-
mends. with regard Ito this list of prop
erty, that a careful examination of the
titles shall be made with a view of de-
terminina the exact rights of the United
States in the property, and makes no
recommendation as to the ultimate dispo-
sition of the lands on which the title
is in dispute, except that it recommends
that no titles shall be alienated from
the United States except by authority
of special act of Congress. and with
full understanding of all the crcum-
stances connected with the land. The
commission recommends that no provision
for the alienation of titles shall be in
cluded in an appropriation or other gen
eral bill. and further recommends that
all the legislation apparently now in eff
feet relative to the alienation of titles
of the United States in lands in the Dis
trict of Columbia shall be repealed. The
commission also recommends a thorough
and exhaustive investigation of all the
TUES 10 any. ldflu ana water rights III
the District of Columbia in which the
United States may appear to have an
interest. and also an investigation into
the riparian rights claimed by certaineper-
sons along the Anacostia river and the
Eastern branch of the Potomac river.
Examination Of Titles.
The commission says:
AS a result of this inquiry it appears
that the title to large proportion of the
lands. being those enumerated in the
schedule appended to this report, marked
Exhibit b, regularly passed from the
United States and as shown by these
records there is now no color of title in
the federal government to any of the
parcels of land included in the said ex-
hibit
There remain, however, d certain pro-
portion of the original holdings by the
United States. in regard to which there
Is some measure of doubt as to the title
The information obtained by The COM
mission shows that considerable pro-
portion of this land is held adversely to
the United States by private occupants.
and. before proceeding further or making
any statement as to the validity of the
title of the United States in the premises,
it is deemed necessary that a careful
examination should be made of the title
to each individual parcel of land and sub
division thereof in order that no injus-
tice may be done by questioning the title
of any present occupant of land who
may have acquired a good title to the
said property.
Cost of Examination.
1T is estimated that there would be
nearly one thousand titles to be examined
should the chain of ! title be carried
through to the present claimant. 1t would,
therefore in order to carry out fully the
work contemplated, be necessary to secure
an appropriation of $4,000 for this work.
IT, however. il should be decided that the
eXaminati ton of the title need he carried
no further than the point at which the
title undoubtedly passed out of the United
States, the expense involved would be ma
terially less probably at the outside not
more than $4,000, and the commission rec
ommends that this work be first under |
taken.
Should Retain Titles.
THE commission is unanimously of the
opinion that the United States should not
part with the title to any land held by
it in the District of Columbia unless for
we'll understood reasons of absolute ne
cessity or undoubted public interest, and
that, especially, it should retain the title