The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-07
BELMONT ASPARk
IS PRESENT Plan
Mass Meeting Will Be Held
Today on Barber Estate
to Discuss Saving 1t.
EMINENT MEN TO SPEAK
Congress to Be Asked to Purchase
House and Turn II Into
Museum.
EMINENT MEN TO SPEAK

Measures to block the destruction OF
beauty of the old Barber estate will
be definitely taken at a mass meeting
of prominent men and women of Wash
ington, which is to be held on the
grounds Of the estate at o'clock this
afternoon. Means are to be devised at
this meeting for staying the project of
Harry Wardman to convert this last
old property of Washington into sixteen
apartment houses, a solid square Of
shining brick and plaster.
Judge Charles S. Bundy, of Municipal
Court presided at the meeting of the
sef-constituted committee for the pres
ervation of Belmont, which was held
in the Gridiron room of the New Will
ard yesterday. At this meeting. it was
decided to appoint from among the
numbers of prominent people who will
attend the mass meeting today a COM
mittee of 100 to make arrangements for
the delay of the destruction of the es-
tate until the next session of Congress
when a bill for its acquisition will be
drafted and simultaneously introduced
into both Houses. In the opinion OF
those who met yesterday. the Barber
estate should be purchased by the gov
eminent. and its large grounds, shaded
by trees several hundred years old,
should be turned into a public park.
Suggestion was made that the house
should be used a government mu-
scum.
A meeting of the committee yesterday
was held to make arrangements for the
gathering this afternoon. More than fif-
teen hundred invitations to be present at
the mass meeting have been sent out.
At the meeting in the Gridiron room a
long list of prominent speakers for to-
day were announced. Among them are
Champ Clark. Speaker of the House.
Justice Wendell p. Stafford. OF the Dis
trict Supreme Court: Justice Thomas H.
Anderson. of the District Supreme Court;
Senator Borah of Idaho, Rev. George F.
Dudley, Or. James Shera Montgomery,
Father Mackin. pastor Of St. Pauls
Catholic Church: Commissioner Cuno II.
Rudolph Charles a. Douglas William
H. Saunders. Representative J. Willard
Ragsdale of South Carolina, Senator
Vardaman of Mississippi. DIR. Ramsay.
and John Barrett director general of
the Pan-American Union. il he returns
from South Carolina in time to attend
the meeting. On suggestion of Mr.. Saun-
ders. the speeches are to be limited to
fve-minute periods.
Only Available Park Site.
The committee in charge of arrange
ments for today's meeting are Judge
Charles s Bundy. chairman; William Il. |
Todd, Miss Resale Thornton, Miss
Katherine Montgomery Dapney, MIS-. !
Mary Logan Tucker, and Jesse J. Haas !
II was announced that the Engineer
Band Will play during the meeting.
Mrs. John 4. Logan. a member of the |
committee, pointed out that the Barber !
estate is the only land available for a |
public park east of Fourteenth Street |
and north of Iowa Circle. right straight |
through to the District boundary In
this territory there are now no parks /
squares, or circles. Further she stated
Just back of the Barber estate, in Thir-
tenth street. between CurtOn street ana
Florida Avenue. the magnificent new
Central High School is to he built. which
Is TO be the best-ordered school building
IF its kind in the country. The grounds
IF the school are across from the Bar
Der estate.
Members of the committee who met
Yesterday are William NJ Saunders,
Judge Charles S Bundy. Justice Wen
Tell P. Stafford. Justice Thomas NJ. An
ierson, Mrs. William o. Owen. Miss
Rosalie Thornton. Mrs. John Hay. Mrs.
John A. Logan, Mrs. Archibald Hopkins,
Robert n. Harper, Henry =. Blair
Charles A. Douglas. Jesse J. Haas. Mrs.
John D. Henderson, Miss X. NJ. Dabney
John Joy Edison. John B. Larner. A q |
clapham, W. T. Galliher, Eldridge f
Jordan. Rev. George F Dudley, DR.. ,
Arthur T. Ramsay, Claude n. Bennett
:. F. Martin. Mrs Alexander Shepherd,
William B. Todd. L. W. Estes and Mrs
iary S. Lockwood.