The Washington herald., 1913-01-25

former statement before this committee
but they have always been accessible to
Mr. Sims and every other member Of
Congress since the project was first
brought here.
The foundation document Is. Of course,
the contract for an option which | Sc
cured. wholly in the public interest, and
In order that the government might get
the property at a low price on an ad-
vancfng market. There were three
separate options, given by three differ
ent sets of trustees, all on the same
terms. and. therefore, I quote only from
that covering the greater part of the
tract. namely. the eighty-eight acres
known as the Thompson Syndicate
property"
Quotes Contract.
Thio contract. dated March o. 1906, be-
tween the trustees Of that syndicate and
Charles C. Glover. says: Il read from
the original which / now hand you for
inspection.)
Whereas the parties OF the first part
are the owners of the pieces and parcels
OF ground hereinafter described; and
Whereas the parties OF the first part
are willing that the said pieces and par
cells of ground shall be made and shall
become a public park dtalics in the orig
matter stated; and
Whereas the party OF the second part
desires, without compensation. and in
consideration Of the public interests to
be thereby promoted and subserved. to
aid SO far as he can properly do so in
having said pieces and parcels of ground
made. a public park on the terms and
conditions hereinafter stated:
This agreement witnesseth that the
a.. -, a. -
or herself, and in respect of their several
and respective interests, each for him
self and not one for the other. in con-
sideration of the sum of one dollar law
full money Of the United States to each
OF them in hand paid by Charles c.
Glover before the signing and sealing of
this agreement. the receipt whereof is
hereby acknowledged. and in considera-
ton of the other payments. and the per-
formance of the conditions, hereinafter
specified, do hereby convenant. promise,
and agree to and with the said Charles
c. Glover 10 sell TO the United States or
TO the District of Columbia, for the pur-
poses of a public park. for and m con-
sideration and at the rate of four thou
sand dollars per acre and a fraction OF
an acre. all those pieces and parcels of
ground in the District OF Columbia de-
scribed as follows:
Acreage Involved.
The total amount OF the land was
s9.74 acres. A slight difference in the
acreage price OF one of the smaller
tracts brought the total price OF the
whole up not to exceed $4,000. No
other price was ever named to Con-
gress or expected under the options.
There was, OF course. no warrant for
any statement that 100000 or s550,0O0
or s435.o00 was ever asked.
The bill for the acquisition of this
park property as presented 10 Con-
gress added $4,000 to the $4,000 at
the instance of the District Commis-
sioners in order to cover Official ex-
named for appropriations in
every bill on this subject was $4,000,
or so much thereof as might be neces
sary.
No one could honestly believe that
under these options anything what
ever could be done with this land ex-
cept to secure II in its entirety to the
government as a public park. The mere
quotation from the text OF the con-
tract "a full copy OF which I shall ap-
pend to my remarks), which was ac-
cessible at all times to Congress. an
swers sufficiently the slander of Mr..
Sims insinuation. The text of the bill
for the acquisition of this park prop
erty, as I caused IL to be introduced
in 1906 and again in 1905. and as II was
approved, in the strongest way by
the Commissioners OF the District
Of Columbia and by the commit
tees of the Senate and the House, is
the answer to all the false statements
as to the amount OF appropriation re-
quired.
No sane man could believe. no honest
man would say, that I could by any pos
sibility make one penny of personal profit
out of the transaction covered by these
options. or that the United States was
ever asked TO pay for the land more
than its actual cost under these options.
with the addition OF the $500 for the
official expenses, or in all not exceeding
s42s,Oo
These options were procured by ma
only by great and prolonged effort, and
many difficulties. A renewal Of
them was secured by me in contracts
made the 18th OF January. 1905. with the
same trustees Il show you now a sample
Originally only because the panic Of 1901
had prevented The trustees from market
ing the property on more advantageous
terms after they had told me repeatedly
that no extension could be secured, and
had so reported to the Commissioners
and TO the committees OF Congress, in
perfect good. faith. II was, of course,
a labor of love with me,
carried on until 1t was finally
defeated by the misleading remarks OF
Mr.. Sims and Mr.. Andrus, of New York
on the afternoon of the ID OF March. 1903.
never read those misleading statements
until. as said in my former statement.
Just short time before appeared here
In December last
Let me now ask YOU to examine with
me the latest speech OF Representative
Sims, beginning on page 1915 OF the Con-
sressional Record, under the date OF
January Is. 1918. in order that I may
point out in detail its misstatements, in
view Of the gross injustice they do me.
Explains Position.
Mr.. Sims first quoted from the printed
record Of this committee the portion OF
the statements made by me here on the
10Th OF December last, in which, after
quoting what had been said by Mr.. Sims
and Mr.. Andrus in the debate Of March
), 1903, / said:
Mr.. Chairman, the statement that i
offered that property to the Congress of
the United States at 1900: that was
pricked by conscience and reduced the
sum to sS0,0oo: that II was embodied in
any bill by my authority at s455,ooo. or,
as Mr.. Sims says, 1T is now before this
House at s4S5.0Oo.' is an absolute and un-
luaiifed falsehood. never offered the
property save at the one single price of
10000 plus the 5000 added by the Com
missioners of the District of Columbia
"As that charge stands. ! can well
understand why Maj Judson has had to
defend, my character before some men,
bers OF the House. II leaves me, instead