The Washington herald., 1913-01-25

up: that to obtain this reservation will
greatly enhance the beauty OF the city
and its environments and will add great
" to the beauty of the Sixteenth street
Boulevard, and in that way would oe
of benefit to all the people OF the United
States, a great number of whom in Wis
iting Washington drive on this boule-
ward: that at the present time the land
can be purchased at Il more reasonable
figure than II can be in year or two
from now; and that therein no other
site in the District as suitable for a
government reservation.
The Commissioners, therefore. recon-
mend favorable action on the bill Very
respectfully.
HENRY B. p MCFARLAND.
President Board Of Commissioner, District Of
Hon. ], H. GalIinsrr. chairman. Committee on the
District Of Columbia, United States Senate.
1t will be observed that the commits
sioners recommend the purchase of the
properties included in both bills, and
for the purpose of simplifying the matter
YOUR committee have combined them in
one bill. the passage OF which is recon-
mended.
Attack Incredible.
II would seem incredible, II We did
not have the speech before US in the
Mr.. Sims should make next, in his treat
ment of the matter, what is really the
gravest attack on my honor of any that
he has made, either on March 3, 1903.
or on January Is. 1918. That it is in the
form Of an insinuation, an innuendo,
makes II worse. He did not dare make
the direct charge that it was possible
that 1 might have made a million or a
half a million Of dollars out of the trans
~ ha
edly did. such a direct charge was too
much even for him to make. But to
cover up the admission which had beerf
wrung from him that he had misrepre-
sented the facts, misled the House. and
so defeated the bill, and deprived the
National Capital of a beautiful park Of
100 acres, he insinuates this covert
, charge into the Record. I have head 1t to
the committee.
I restrain my natural indignation and
content myself with pointing to the text
of the option contract as the all-sufficI-
ent answer, an answer also which was
perfectly accessible to Mr.. Sims or any
other member of the House at all times
from the date Of the first contract, the
9Th of March, 1906, to the present day.
After this Mr.. Sims makes an at
| tempt more ingenious than ingenious.
to claim that he is entitled to credit for
seCuTlHsr Dy lne ueledt OF tne Dill, stne
dedication by the owners of the princ-
pal tract that it sought to acquire of a
small portion, about one-sixth of the
100 acres, which portion. as he says.
''is a gulch, a deep ravine, between
precipitous hills
1t must be clear to every one who
| thinks at all that the subsequent action
Of the owners in setting apart for the
purposes of their suburban villa sites a
portion of this tract suitable only for
park purposes. as a small park, affords
| no adequate compensation to the Ma
tional Capital for the loss of the natural
| beauties of 100 acres now inevitably al
tered for commercial purposes.
Recommends Passage.
The report of the District Commits
sioners to the Senate Committee on the
District Of Columbia upon the bill to ac-
quire this addition to Rock Creek Park.
under date of March q. 1905, closes with
these words:
"The Commissioners recommend the
~ LII -. rro