The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-04-17
Levy WON'T SELL
He Declines to Let Uncle Sam
Buy Monticello.
IT WAS HOME OF JEFFERSON
Preparations FOR Unwilling Of Column.
bus Memorial on Union Station
Plaza in NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
49,. Good Roads Plan. -. =
BY GEORGE CLINTON,

| WaSnlngtOn.-There' 10 bill In con.
gress providing for the purchase Of
Monticello, the home of Thomas Jet-
ferson. The government lost the place
many years ago, and the present own
| or declares he does not wish to sell
the property to Uncle Sam or anyone
! else.
The wife of Representative Martin
| w. Littleton of New York has written
| much about Monticello with view to
arousing enthusiasm for it's purchase.
She wrote a little book called "One
Wish" not long ago, and to this she
intends to add chapter to increase
the sentiment in favor Of government
ownership Of the old Virginia resi-
dence of the third president
The new chapter in Mrs. Littleton's
book shows how the government once
| lost Monticello. 1t appears that Com
| modore Uriah P. Levy, a descendant
| Of Jefferson on the female side, pur-
chased the estate at auction following
the death of the great American, and
later willed the property to the United
States. Relatives interposed, took the
| matter into court, and managed to
break the will, and in this way tho
famous property came into the pos
session of Jefferson NJ. Levy of New
York, a nephew of Commodore Levy,
and now representative in congress
from the Empire state.
Will Honor Columbus Memory.
The knights of Columbus have been
holding quarterly meeting in the
city of Washington. They prepared
to take part in the ceremonies of the
| unwilling of the statue Of Christopher
Columbus. which will stand on the
plaza of the new Union station There
are to be elaborate ceremonies in
Washington when the Columbus men,
orial is unveiled in few weeks time.
The Knights of Columbus will have
$4,000 men in line in full regalia. with
scores of floats, elaborate and histori-
cal, depicting incidents in connection
with the discovery OF America by the
great Italian who sailed under Span
ish colors.
Other organizations, of course, will
take part. The navy and the army will
help in the ceremonies, and there will
be an address by the president of the
United States.
Rubey's Good Roads Sill.
Representative Rubey OF Missouri
has introduced bill into congress ito
distribute the surplus in the treasury
of the United States to the several
states territories and the District of
Columbia for the sole purpose of i'm
proving the roads therein: The meas
ure introduced by Mr.. Rubey makes
It the duty Of the secretary of the
treasury at the end of each fiscal year
to take an account of all the funds un-
der his charge and after deducting
from the sum the amount required
| by law to be kept in the treasury. to
declare the remainder. If any, sur
plus for which immediate provision
shall be made to distribute in a sum
not exceeding $25,000,000 annually on
! per capita basis to the states and
territories and District Of Columbia for
the Improvement of the postal roads.
There is not very much chance that
the Rubey bill will become law, even
though it avoids constitutional diff
| cuities by making the money available
| only for roads which are used by the
government for postal purposes. The
interest In good roads, however, has
been spurred recently in congress.
Several different kinds of bills have
been introduced, all the same end
the Improvement Of the highways of
the country. The railroads seem to
be interested in the Improvement of
the roads between the states, and this
! may seem to be little curious. be-
| cause naturally 1t would be supposed
that the railroads would lose traffic If
hauling conditions on the highways
were improved. The railroad people,
however, seem to figure it out that II
the roads are good more freight will
be hauled to the stations for railroad
transportation, and that they will gain
more than they will lose"