Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-07-11
IN PLAZA REPORT,
JOHNSON REVIEWS
FIGHT ON AWARDS
Tells Why Pr cd.e':-,t Deemed
1t Necessary to Refuse
All Payments.
Statements Expected to Be
Made Basis of Lively De-
bate in House.

The information which Chairman Ben
johnson gave to the President and
which led to the hold-up of the plaza
award cases. and the consequent per-
sona1 sufferings of scores of people to
whom justice has been denied. is now
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
Star. because of remark that Repre-
sentative James A. Tawney made on the
floor of the House in June. 1910. when
the House 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
5000, 900 more than that
There is every indication that this point
will be the storm center of a rattling de-
Odtt hOuudS. WAeu the ludtleT cOIutS up
for discussion. as the report comes close
to limiting ugly things about Mr.. Taw
ney, members of the commission and
others.
Professional jurymen.'' another of
Chairman Johnson's bugbears. come in
for a 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 is
on the calendar: and the District commit
tee has reported out a substitute for the
Senate resolution. The report 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 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
II is believed that the limitations pre-
scribed for the selection of the commits
sion VIII ooviate the inadvertent or pos
Sibie 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 lien holder or who is
an officer or stockholder in a corporation
which may be a holder of lien upon
any piece of property in this particular
zone.
'.It developed recently that during the
last five years about 13O different con-
demnation juries were made up from
among only about 100 individuals. and that
a list containing about thirty-five or
forty names constituted a majority of
nearly every condemnation jury. These
select few were in almost every instance
identified with real estate interests and
in many instances they were 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.
1.-TWO out of the three Of the original
commission which was created by the act
of June 81. 1910 were respectively the
Vice President of the United States and
the Speaker of the House Of Representa-
tives. However, before the greater part
of the work of that commission was
completed the Vice President died.
Bars Members of Congress.
The committee has deemed it wise 20
exclude every member of Congress
from service upon this commission.
When the original bill was before the
House for consideration the gentleman
from Wisconsin (Mr. Staford) and
others opposed the appointment of
members of Congress upon that commits
sion. The reasons given were that men,
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
sion would almost of necessity have to
be done by one man. That prediction
developed into real prophecy, as that
history of the transactions of that
commission 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 Gen.
erai. was compelled either to approve al
of the awards or to disapprove all OF
them The President became satisfied
after complete investigation of the
matter. that some of the awards were
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 a 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 very early date the property OF
those whose awards are found to be
reasonable.
Price Limits Are Fixed.
''The commission herein provided for i
limited in agreeing upon purchase pric
for any piece of property to an amour
which does not exceed the award hereto
fore made for that piece of property
This limitation applies to all of tn
property except that owned by the Balti
more and Ohio Railroad Company and it
holding company, the Real Estate an
Improvement Company Of Baltimore CITY
The commission in making purchases from
these two corporations cannot pay rnor
than the original cost of the property t
the company plus 8 per cent interes