Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-24
Estimate Is Revised.

"A few years ago, with the assistance
of the District assessor, 1 estimated that
100000 would acquire the lands of the
Mcmillan project. toward the purchase of
which the District must contribute, omit
ting the Rock Greek valley Improvement
| which was separately estimated at near
ly $J.OOCOO for purchase and develop
| ment.
This estimate now must be revised
due to advancing values. think be-
tween S6.OU,O0O and S7.OCO,OOO would be
needed if we could now begin spending
81, 100000 a year until all of the needed
lands are bought.
The principal objection to buying the
park lands in this manner is one that
we can perhaps cure ourselves. The OBJ
lection / refer to arises from the fact
that every individual whose particular
park is not included the first year sets up
howl that is heard in the halls OF Con-
gress and the response is the elimination
OF all park projects. a very large part
of the work of such a committee as this
is accomplished by the force of public
opinion and the arousing of a proper
civic spirit to still this fatal clamor.
Assuming that we could obtain our
park lands in period of six or seven
years. what should dictate the order in
which purchases should be made? Sure
ly no log-rolling policy, but rather care
full business principles.
Must Be Condemned.
The lands most rapidly advancing in
value should be taken first. The only
departure from this rule would follow
from the necessity of acquiring lands
soon to be graded or built upon. All OF
the lands must be condemned as, by rea-
son of the assessment of benefits fea-
ture of the law, no purchase can be
made in open market.
Our total appropriation in the last
District appropriation act was S1O67O, 7:,:
This year. after provision is made for
paying to the United States from District
revenues on account of principal and in
| terest. S762.O2s.2S, we have available for
appropriation in that act, s12, 742. 123.44
Had not Congress charged us last year
| with about three-quarters of a million
| dollars for the support i'm times past of
| INDECENT patients at st. Elizabeth's the
| next fiscal year would have seen us
| emerge from the burden of floating debt,
| reduce the bonded debt, due half and
half. to about $6.OCO,O and able to ex-
| pend from the current revenues more
| than $1.UO0OO for park lands. Even as
| 1t is. We can do the last two things, and
| the extinction of the floating debt will oc-
| cur in the following year. In making
| these calculations I am. Of course. as
Stunning. what is doubtless a fact, that
| Congress will cut somewhat the esti-
mates of the Commissioners"
! For Lincoln Memorial.
Commissioner Judson spoke strongly in
| favor of having the Lincoln memorial
| placed in the Mall, as provided for by the
| Mcmillan Park commission He declared
| that those persons who advocated a road
way to Gettysburg as the memorial, and
compared such project to the Appian
| Way. should look up the history of that
| famous road. That road was some 100
| miles long and led to an important sea-
| port from Rome. whereas the proposed
| highway to Gettysburg was to be only
| about fifty miles long and led only to an
| old battlefield. He eliminated that 1t would
| cost S2O.OOO.O 900 to construct a suitable
| memorial highway, and that it would cost
| $1,000 600 year for maintenance.
| Senator Chamberlain. who spoke after
| Commissioner Judson. gave his hearty in
| dorsement to the Mcmillan park commits
| sion plan, and promised his aid. He adj
vised the committee to have strong-lunged
advocates of the plan constantly on hand
at the Capitol to take the matter up with
members of Congress.
| Others who spoke in favor of the prof.
ect were Thomas Nelson Page, Mgr. Will
liam T. Russell of ST. Patricks Church,
Dr. James Dudley Morgan and Hennen
Jennings. William Z. Shannon, secretary
of the committee read a short history of
the park commission PLAN which Is to be
widely circulated through the country.
The committee adopted a resolution which
lis to be sent to civic organizations
throughout the country for approval and