Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-15
PLAZA AWARDS BILL
MAKES SOME ADVANCE
May Be Brought Up for Final Vote
in House Septem-
Der Is.
Representative johnson Raises Old
Question About Experienced Jury
men" and Mr.. Logue Replies.

The plaza awards BILL" affecting the
unpaid property owners In the Union
station plaza cases, has progressed con-
siderably farther toward enactment In
the House. Following the debate on
the measure yesterday afternoon the
bill remains the unfinished business of
District day, and can be brought up
again for a final vote on the next Dis
trict day. September %.
The debate on the measure yesterday
rested on the old, familiar question,
raised by Chairman Johnson Of the Dis
trict committee: Should the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad property in the dis
puted area be included in the general
provision for cleaning up the awards
by q final payment? Representative
johnson took the floor in vigorous
defense of his own view of the matter.
which Is that the railroad company is
getting entirely too much out of 1t, and
that professional jurymen" in the Dis
trict of Columbia should be barred
from any future consideration of the
awards.
Logue Opposes johnson.
Representative Logue of Pennsylva-
MIA, who has toiled long and earnestly
over the plaza resolution as reported
from the public buildings and grounds
committee, took the floor in opposition
to Representative Johnson's position.
He answered Representative Johnson's
criticism that Elliott Woods, supertn-
tendent of the Capitol, would be on the
proposed new commission to finish up
the plaza payments, by saying:
'NIr. Chairman, l know not the per-
sonality of any person in connection
with this. The first suggestion made to
the public buildings and grounds COM
mittee was the Speaker of the House,
the vice President of the United States;
and a third party. Those gentlemen
were too busy. The subsequent sugges-
tion was the chairman Of the commit
tee on public buildings and grounds OF
the House, the chairman of the COM
mittee on public buildings and grounds
of the Senate and third party. Those
men found themselves too much oc-
cupied.
Il am not considering the personality
of any Individual, because there is in
the substitute offered by the committee
on public buildings and grounds every
safeguard to which the gentleman has
paid a great tribute. You have the veto
power of the President of the United
States OH the question of the purchase,
and you have the veto power of the
President of the United states on the
question OF any approval of any con-
demnation measure. Do not let us get
away from the plain, simple thing that
is before US. -
I'VE have here a resolution coming
from the public buildings and grounds
committee that pays tribute to no in
terest, that does not seek to benefit any
interest. This resolution seeks to clean
up a thing that has been hanging for
years, and provides first that the COM
mission that is appointed shall have
the right to purchase from the people
willing to sell. and at what price? At
such price as to them shall seem proper,
but not exceeding the award heretofore
made by the jury of view. And Sec
ondariIy. but primarily. because it is
of greatest Importance, there Is the
check that you must have the approval
of. the President of the United States
te..any-a such proposition. We have
thrown about that all of the safeguards
Imaginable. We have thrown about
that every precaution that we could"