The Washington herald., 1914-04-02
PRESIDENTS right TO
VETO AWARDS DOUBTED
Malcolm Hufty Raises Significant
Question in Case of Plaza
Claims.
PITIFUL STORIES ARE LEARNED

Malcolm Hufty, local attorney, last
night questioned the authority of Presi-
dent Wilson to disapprove the Union
Station plaza awards after the amount to
be paid for the property condemned had
become fixed, and after the President put
his stamp of approval upon the act pass
ed by Congress. providing for the specific
purpose of paying the awards as speci-
fed in the act
Mr.. Hufty pointed TO the fact that the
condemnation proceedings in the plaza
case were to be in accord with the con-
demnatlon pEDceedings as provided for In
the Government Printing Once site. He
said that the plaza act by It's express
terms referred 10 the condemnation pro-
ceedings only as the course to be pur-
sued under It." and that II made no pro-
vision conferring power upon the Presi-
dent to withhold payment of the wards,
as was provided for In the printing office
site.
IF the owners are not entitled to the
awards the President should have re-
fused his assent to the appropriation for
such payment" said Mr.. Hufty last
night Having approved II. the Presi-
dent automatically directed the payments
to be made and exhausted his executive
discretion
There is nothing in this entire legisla-
ton which confers upon the President
any supervisory power over the amounts
OF the awards, either separately or in
bulk, or to revoke judicial action.
Mr.. Hufty asserted that lit is a strange
construction and equivalent to importing
words into the plaza act, not therein to
be found, to give the President the power
of disappearing the awards after he had
approved the appropriation as passed by
Congress
IF the owners are not entitled to the
awards he said. the President should
have refused his assent to the appropria-
ton for such payment Having approved
1t, he automatically directed the pay
ments to be made and exhausted his
executive discretion"
One of the most pathetic stories learned
by The Washington Herald last night
in connection with the plaza awards
case, was that of Mrs. Margaret B.
Rankin.
Mrs Rankin's husband. a veteran OF
the Union army, died about two years
ago as a result of wounds and exposure
suffered during the war All he left to
his wife and three small children was
the little home at Isl Massachusetts, ave-
nue.. This property was condemned along
with the other homes for the Union Sta
ton plaza. Her award is S.S2
Confident that she was soon to receive
her award, the widow had a costly monu-
ment erected upon her soldier-husban6's
grave in Arlington Cemetery. -.-=
Figuring upon the money for her pro-
perty, she planned a good education for
her three children. Today she is not
only unable to pay for the last token of
4 wife's love, but is forced to stand of
the grocer from week to week, and frcm
month to month. She is compelled TO
take her children out of school. hardly
able to provide for their food and cloth
ing, not to speak Of their education.
Mrs Rankins late husband had four
brothers all of whom served in the Union
army.
A similar case is that of Mrs. Har-
riet Storch, a widow, of 142 E street
northeast Mrs Storch has a son who
through his industry, won scholarships
in Central High School and in George
town University. He now is half through
the medical course in the latter institu-
ton, but because of his mothers nearly
destitute condition, is forced to give up
his studies to support her.