Evening star., 1914-08-13
PLAN TO 0ALTERS|TE
!. OF BOTANIC GARDEN
House Passes SIayden Bill to
Put 1t in Rock Creek
Park.
VOTES DOWN AN IDEA
FOR AN ASSESSMENT
Proposition to Utilize Flat Lands of
Potomac Park Is Also
Rejected

After AN afternoon of hot debate the
House Yesterday passed the Slayden bill
to transfer the National Botanic. Gar
den from its present site on Pennsylvania
avenue facing the Capitol to a splendid
4Oo-acre expanse In the unimproved
northern end of Rock Creek Park. The
vote on the measure was 137 to IS.
Representative Howard led the oppo-
sition to the bill. bringing forward as
arguments the old-time charges against
the alleged real estate ring and
assuming for the benefit of the
eft Tremendously by having the Bo-
tanio Garden in the park. After the tilt
between him and Representative Cooper.
as reported in The Star OF yesterday
both members rushed into the law
library and returned with enormous
bound volumes of the Congressional Rec
ord and read furiously at each other at
succeeding intervals during the afternoon
Representative Cooper succeeded in car
rying his point however. that there was
absolutely no justification in bringing up
the old attack on c. G. Glover ana tnat
the project to move the Botanic, Garden
has no connection with any ring. real
estate or otherwise.
Assessment Plan Rejected.
Before the bill passed Representative
Bailey of Pennsylvania offered to
amend it by proposition that the cost
of making the transfer to the new
site shall be assessed against the prop
erty benefited. The committee Of the
whole rejected the amendment. Rep
resentatives Fowler of Illinois and
Page of North Carolina spoke against
the bill, the former assuming that the
removal of the present antiauated hot
house, would be something of ma
tional calamity, and the latter taking
the ground that the government should
not be put to the expense OF maintain
ing 400-acre garden.
A substitute, offered by Representa-
tive Howard, to place the garden in
the fiat lands of Potomac Park was
rejected by the House after Repre-
sentative Slayden had carefully ex-
planned that modern botanic garden
is something more than series of
trenches with lilies or roses growing
in them.
Part of Arboretum.
He also said that there is no inten-
ton of marring the forests in Rock
Creek as the trees will stand there. to
be made part of an arboretum. He
said. in part:
''One of the most economical things
we can take up in this country is the
cultivation of our forests. How to con-
serve our forests, how to grow other
trees to take their places when these
are gone. is important. One hundred
years ago Europe destroyed her great
forests. The result was a bad effect
upon the climate Of such countries as
Spain, for example. and in the last
forty years or SO the great European
nations have devoted much time and
thought and money and the skill of
its learned men to the reforestation of
those countries. We ought to be pre-
pared to do the same thing; and in
order to do 1t intelligently we must
have scientific research and advice. The
land which 1t is proposed to take in
Rock Creek, or which has been sug-
gested to be taken, because it is not
specifically defined anywhere. offers. SO
soil experts say, an excellent oppor-
tunity and splendid conditions for the
cultivation of plants; and the idea in
the minds of those of US who are
interested in this project was that
when we get such q project estab-
lished 1t will develop into a great es-
tablishment and be Of immense eco
nomical advantage. We not only cul-
tivate flowers in botanic gardens, but
We cultivate plants for other reasons;
We cultivate plants out of which drugs
are made; we cultivate plants which
will add to the health and comfort of
our ow-citizens"