The Washington herald., 1913-01-25

gratuitous insinuation:
He claimed 10 want the government
to own IL for park purposes"
The option contract and the bill itself
answer that.
In referring to the favorable action OF
the Senate, and of the House Commit
| tee on Appropriations, TO whom the
Senate bill was referred in 1908. he makes
| the admission above quoted. that the
matter was so well understood by men,
bers of the House that II was not neces-
| sary for the Appropriations Committee
| ever about the matter. 80 that they
simply recommended the passage Of the
| bill.
Then he comes in his story to the Sd
| of March, 1903. He describes that day as
the last day of that Congress, when.
as we all know. we have TO stay up all
night to consider conference reports and
matters OF that kind" and then a few
| lines farther on he says:
Now, at nearly the hour of midnight.
on the last day OF the session. on a mo-
ton TO suspend the rules. when thers
was no time to investigate and under
stand anything. almost any one was
liable to be misled"
This Is intended to be an excuse for his
adoption OF the mistake OF Representa-
tive Andrus. who had preceded him in
| hHc uSohtc, TeholhS from tne report
| OF the District Commissioners on the
Meridian Hill Park bill, and applying
Il to the Rock Creek Park addition bill.
so as to charge me with asking first
| s6OO.Oo0, then S550,OO0. under the prick Of
conscience, and finally. as Mr.. Sims said.
now they have got down to s435, ,u0."
Time of Debate Wrong.
| II Mr.. Sims. in honest and manly
fashion. had only said that he was mis-
led and so had misled the House, or
helped to do so. and that he was very
sorry for IT, and for the injustice done
to a private citizen who could not de-
fend himself on the floor, and who could
not call him to account elsewhere, there
| could be no occasion for my making
this additional statement to-day. In any
event. I would not have noticed his mis-
statement as to the time Of day when
he made his attack on the ID OF March,
| 1903. But 1t is characteristic Of the
reckless and misleading style of speaking
| in which he INDUCES. even to the point
of absolute Misrepresentation, thai he
does not even tell the truth as to the
| time OF day. I have taken the pains to
| read the Congressional Record of March
}, 1893. and invite your attention to the
fact that the debate in which Mr..
Sims and Mr.. Andrus by their mislead-
| Ing statements killed the Rock Creek
| Park addition bill. together with the
| yea ana nay vote on that bill
took place in the afternoon. not AZ
night. The proof is found on pag. 3sns
or the Congressional Record Of March :,
1903. nSar the bottom OF the right hand
column OF the page. where the following
is recorded:
| Recess
| Mr.. Payne-Mr. Speaker. 7 move that
the House do now take a recess until
10 o'clock this evening.
The motion was agreed to
Accordingly Cat o'clock and l5 min
utes p. mD the House was declared in
| recess.
AFTER RECESS.
The recess having expired Cat 10
| O'Clock p. M. the House was called TO
| order by the Speaker"
And the debate in which Mr.. Sims and
Mr.. Andrus killed the bill by misleading
members OF the House and causing them
to vote otherwise than they would. is
recorded in the same Congressional
Record, OF March 3, 1909. ten pages back.
namely. on pages 37s2 and S7es while the
yea" and nay vote by which the bill
was defeated Is found on page 3T4 and
II Is evident from the most cursory in
spection Of the Record that much bust
ness was transacted between that vote
and the recess taken at a quarter past
six for dinner.
The published oficial record OF the pro-
ceedings Of the House strips from Mr..
Sims his poor excuse OF midnight wearI-
ness and confusion for the wrong that
he did the National Capital and, Incl
dentally, one OF its private citizens in
misleading the House to defeat that bill
He has TO admit of course, in the face
OF the text Of the bills and the reports
OF the District Commissioners. that his
statements were misleading even though
he denies that they were technically
false. and seeks to defend them even
while he admits that they nlisrepresented
the facts.
In the very next passage in his speech.
In which he publishes. as part of his de-
fense. the report Of Senator Gallinger in
1906 on a composite bill framed in that
shape by the Senate Committee on the
District OF Columbia so as to contain
the two separate bills, that for the Rock
Creek Park addition and that for the
Meridian Hill Park project. and the two
reports Of the District Commissioners.
on the two projects, all of which he had
had three years to examine in connec-
ton with the matter which he himself
states was 50 familiar to the members of
the House that in 1908 it was perfectly
understood so that II was not necessary
for the Committee on Appropriations to
do more than recommend the passage OF
the bill. he convicts himself OF negligence
OF duty. as well as wrong performance
OF his duty as a member OF the House.
GaIIinger's Report.
I insert for information the copy Of
Senator Gallingers report as quoted by
Representative Sims:
Mr. Gallinger, from the COMMITTEES on
the District OF Columbia, submitted the
following report to accompany S. 62ol:
THE Committee on the District OF Co
lumbis- to whom was referred the bill
Is. 5e0D 10 acquire certain land In the
District OF Columbia as an addition TO
Rock Creek Park, having considered the
same. report thereon with the following
amendments:
"On page !, line Il. before the word
which, insert the words and the loca-
ton of proposed new streets'
"On page 8. line Il. after the word
therefrom, insert the words along the
center of a proposed new street
ION page 3. line 16 after the word
line whsre II first occurs. insert the
words following the center line of a
proposed new street.
ION page 6, line l, after the word
plan strike out the words as 30 feet
In width
ION page 6, line = after the word
are strike out the word not and
after the word for In the same line.
strike out the words in said plan and
substitute the word herein
add sections :, s. 3. 10, and II to the