Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-18
HOUSE ALLEY BILL
PASSED BY SENATE
CONTINUED from First Page.)
provisions hereof. are hereby re
pealed."
Unwritten History Interesting.

provisions hereof. are hereby re-
pealed."
Unwritten History Interesting.
The unwritten history of the bill is
interesting. 1t came to the House from
the Commissioners, of the District OF
Columbia. Chairman johnson of the
District committee introduced the Or
iginal measure, being careful to place
''by request of the Commissioners of
the District of Columbia" after MS
name on it.
It lay in the committee until Its
friends began to asltate II. a Inc Coz
mittee read the measure and concludsd
that from a legal standpoint the Dill
was impossible. There were sectlons
which members of the committee nave
never yet been able to understand. Inc
purpose of the bill appealed to mem
bers of the committee and House, out
the method of wiping out the slums as
contained in the Commissioners pm
did not appeal to the legal sense OF the
committee members
the committee and were unable 70 an
swer the questions OF lawyers. Later
Jackson H. Ralston appeared as
friend of the bill and a lawyer. ana
like to do SO.
It Needed Amendment.
In going over the Commissioners
measure Mr.. Ralston said 1t needed
have to be entirely rewritten. He in
tended to redraft,. the measure. but
found that the bill ran squarely into
the Constitution on the matter OF con
demning alley property for the DIS
trict to rent out to individuals. Tine
portion of the bill for condemning the
property for public use was easily
handled, but Mr.. Ralston had to drop
the problem as he had engaged steam
ship passage for Europe. Another at
torney, Mr.. Sinclair. wrestled with the
subject for two months and did not ar
rive at any result. as far as the rec
ords show.
Suddenly Mrs. Wilson became i'll. and
just before her death made the re-
quest that the alley bill be passed The
committee of the Senate reported and
passed bill that same day. The
House had before it the Commissioners
bill, and it was utterly impossible to
get 1t through the House, in the opin-
ion of the committee members.
There were many things which need
ed to be done to it and all the other
alley bills so as to provide for equita-
BILE condemnations of property to safe
guard the rights of owners.
Therefore, the committee reported
the Commissioners bill with n amend
ment, substituting the Senate bill.
That made the substance of the two
measures the same.
Attitude Of COMMITTEES.
Then an attempt was made to private
ly pass the Commissioner bill or some
other alley bill In the House. SO that
the House would have passed one bill,
the Senate another and in conference q
perfected method Of condemnation
could be welded together and perhaps
enacted. This was perfectly planned,
but when the time came to perform,
the House was not well trained In its
action.
This was last District day. Monday
last.
The House heard Representatives
Borland. Kahn and others. who were
speaking at length on the subject. and
if the House had followed its pro-
gram 1t would not have passed the
substituted measure which the Dis
trict committee offered. but would
have passed something else, and pro-
cured an out-and-out conference. The
District committee has acted purely in
a perfunctory manner, and In reality
is not in favor of the tneQuitable
measures in the bill. Its report, az
those who are close to the committee
know. was matter OF courtesy.
The Senate has now passed the House
bill, which is Identical with the SEN
ate bill, and 1t goes to the President
for signature.
The Ideas Of Mrs. Wilson.
Albert Schulteis. chairman of the spe-
cial committee of the Chamber of Com
merce to deal with the alley housing
problem, had the following to say to-
day on the alley legislation:
I'VE favored Mrs. Wilson's bill, other
wise known as the Commissioners bill.
Her bill. as originally proposed and
agreed to by her, provided for the ac-
ing the owners therefor. Her idea was
that each year one-tenth of them should
be eliminated and that beginning
sherld be made at the worst spots.
out IN the ae bil Just passed we s' feel
that owners of property in alleys
bought that property in good faith,
have paid taxes on 1t for years in good
being conf1scated after four years, as Is
provided in legislation passed. II the
public health and public safety require
the condemnation Of the property 1t
provision that 1t be paid for. and the
price for 1t should be paid by the Dis
trict.
Money Loaned on Property.
'Under the legislation passed what is
to become Of the people who have loan
ed money on this alley property? I'm
der such new legislation a gross in
justice win be done. Such. q thing
would not be, could not be, done any
where else in the United States.
saThe Chamber of Commerce special
committees. of which l am chairman,
wants to eliminate the alley sluma.
but we do not want to wipe out up-
ward Of }2,a00.0a0 worth OF alley prop
s.4.. IN WashinRton Without comnan.