Evening star., 1914-07-11
Johnson REVIEWS
HIS PLAZA FIGHT
Tells Why President Deemed
1t Necessary to Refuse
All Payments.
CHARGES OF BAD FAITH
ARE MADE IN REPORT
Statements Expected 10 Be Made
Basis of Lively Debate
in House.

before the House of Representatives.
Chairman johnson filed a report on the
Senate resolution to separate the
awards and pay the individual property
owners. dropping the document in the
hopper at the Speakers desk near the
close of the session yesterday.
The principal complaint against the
award to the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road is. as substantially stated in The
sentative James a. Tawney made on the
floor of the House in June. 1910. when
the House was debating the creation
of the commission to manage the con-
demnation and acquisition of the prop
erty.
Agreement With Railroad.
Mr.. Tawney remarked that the road
would accept original cost plus per
cent, and the condemnation jury, in
viewing the property. made an award Of
100000 more than that
There is every indication that this point
will be the storm center of a rafting de-
bate Monday, when the matter comes ur
for discussion. as the report comes close
ney. members of the commission and
others.
Professional jurymen" another of
Chairman Johnson's bugbears. come in
for rap in the report; and the state
ment Is made that the commission used
undue haste to pay the awards which the
President has declared excessive.
The parliamentary situation is now in
volved. The Senate has passed a hurry
up resolution to pay the individual prop
erty owners: the public buildings and
grounds committee of the House has re-
ported a carefully worked out resolution
to the same end. and that resolution il
on the calendar; and the District commit
tee has reported out substitute for the
Senate resolution. The report on the
substitute in which Chairman johnson
gives reasons which have been SO much
sought for. is in full as follows:
Report on Substitute.
This substitute differed in very many
respects from every bill or resolution
which has undertaken to deal with the
question. BY the terms of this substi-
tute the President of the United States
will appoint a commission vested with
full power to purchase from each per-
son, firm or corporation owning prop
erty in the zone sought to be acquired
as an addition to the Capitol grounds
1t is believed that the limitations pre-
scrlbed for the selection of the commits
sion will obviate the inadvertent or pos
slbie selection of one who has become a
professional commissioner or juryman in
similar cases. 1t will also prevent the
appointment of any one as commissioner
who is himself a lien holder or who is
an officer or stockholder in a corporation
which may be holder of a lien upon
any piece of property in this particular
zone
1T developed recently that during the
last five years about 13O different con-
demnation juries We're made up from
among only about 40 individuals. and that
list containing about thirty-five or
forty names constituted majority of
nearly every condemnation jury. These
select few were in almost every instance
identified with real estate interests. and
in many instances they We're either the
officer. employe or stockholder of finan-
cial institutions which were carrying
liens upon the property sought to be
condemned.
The substitute which the committee now
offers in lieu of the Senate resolution will
preclude all of these persons from serv-
ing upon the commission which the sub
stitute creates
Two out of the three of the original
commission which was created by the act
of June -. 1910 We're respectively the
Vice President OF the United States and
the Speaker of the House of Representa-
of the work of that commission vas
completed the Vice President died.
Bars Members of Congress.
The committee has deemed it wise to
exclude every member of Congress
from service upon this commission.
When the. original bill was before the
House for consideration the gentleman
from Wisconsin tMr. Stafford) and
others opposed the appointment of
members of Congress upon that commits
sion. The reasons given were that mem
bers of Congress were too busy with
other matters to give the time which such
an important commission demanded. At
that time Mr.. Stafford and others pre-
dicted that the work of the commits
be done by one man. That prediction
developed into real prophecy, as that
history of the transactions of that
conclusively shows.
THE act creating the original commits
sion gave to the President the power TO
disapprove the awards made in acquiring
the property The court proceeding.
whether Intentionally or otherwise. was
so carried on that the President, accord
ing to the opinion of the Attorney Cen
eral was compelled either to approve all
of the awards OF to disapprove all of
them The President became satisfied.
after a complete investigation of the
matter. that some of the awards We're
excessive.
1t is the accepted understanding that
the President was willing to approve
many of the awards. but could not. in
justice to the public treasury. approve
them all. Therefore. as result of the
joining of the several actions. he was
compelled to reject all of the awards.
The substitute which the committee
now presents to the House in lieu Of
the Senate resolution No. 129 seeks to
give to a commission to be appointed
by the President authority to purchase
at a very early date the property of
those whose awards are found to be
reasonable.
Price Limits Are Fixed.
1.-The commission herein provided for is
limited in agreeing upon a purchase price
for any piece of property to an amount
which does not exceed the award hereto
fore made for that piece of property
This Limitation applies to all of the
property except that owned by the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad Company and its
holding company, the Real Estate and
Company of Baltimore City
The commission in making purchases from
these two corporations cannot pay more
than the original cost Of the property to
Hra&A Aof