The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-11

The effect of these disclosures upon
the committee may be taken as indi-
Gated by the remark of Representative
Cooper after Mr.. Bradley had been
talking for q few minutes.
These statements are OF the great
est Importance and interest in correct
ing a wrong impression" declared Mr..
Cooper. 1T Is nothing short of re-
markable that such errors could be
made and presented to a comittee of
Congress (referring to the George com
mittee).
Il can well remember when the
George report came into the House.
and l can recall the impression that II
made, which was that the property in
Washington has been underassessed-
These figures. showing that the funda-
mental statements OF the George report
are inaccurate are OF tremendous i'm
portance."
Senator Works expressed his opinion
that IL was more important to know
whether the present assessment is correct.
than whether the George report is in
accurate. Col. WorthingtOn thereupon
explained the position OF the Citizens
committee in attacking the George re-
port:
The committee should know that we
believe the George report is at the
basis Of this whole matter. and the
statements made herein are OF extreme
value. Herbert J. Browne was asked
to get typical real estate cases to show
that the sales were at higher figures
than the basis OF the assessments; in
other words. TO show that We are I'M
derassessed. He produced these cases.
which Mr.. Bradley is discussing and
showing to be erroneous. and on these
cases is based the statement that We
NJ ral 20 ha
statements in Congress that IL we were
properly assessed We could raize enough
money 10 paw all the expenses OF the
National Capital. which led in turn to
the fight eliminating in the appoint
ment of this select committee TO make
this investigation"
May Satisfy Committee.
AT the propert time" interrupted Mr.
Browne. Il think will be able to salts
fly the committee as to the whole re-
port"
A little later. attacking Mr. Browne s
| most recent brief to the select commit
! tee. Mr.. Bradley read from page Il. un-
| der the subhead. Street extension dam
ages and assessments for taxation Mr..
! Browne gave figures alleged TO be the
assessment on pieces OF property In vari-
Gus subdivisions. Mr.. Bradley pointed
| the actual assessments for taxation. had
quoted the assessments for benefits
| against these pieces OF property. He
showed that where Mr.. Browne has
stated in his brief that the assessment
for taxation was only S4.6S3 on these va
! rious pieces OF property. the actual as
sessment for taxation was Sl7.02. These
properties lay on Sixteenth street ex-
! tended.
In hria
compare the assessments of these prop
critics to the awards made" said Mr..
Bradley. II read from his brief as fol-
lows:
| Ratio of assessments to awards to
! II or 9 per cent. Yet the George report
was severely criticised for conservatively
stating after a careful investigation that
the ratio of assessments to land values
! in the suburban sections was l to ..
The figures for assessment used by
MIR. Browne In his brief. as have said.'
| continued Mr.. Bradley, were not the
actual assessments at all. but merely
the assessments for benefits"
| Says Distortion Evident.
This called for another criticism from
Representative Cooper. 1T Is evident"
he said. that there has been
somewhere an utter distortion of the
]
I'D a contention. The George report was
based on alleged facts, sworn to by wit
nesJes appearing before the committee.
II appears now that these facts are not
facts at all. but a perversion of the facts.
| II seems that in tn way the District,
the country. and Congress have been mis-
| led This Is even a more astounding dis
| tortion of facts.
This committee must find out what
the real facts are. l have said on the
| floor of the House that the questions
of facts ought to be easy to determine,
and should be determined in this con-
| troversy, and I was assured that there
was no question of facts.
Here you see an absolute denial OF
alleged facts testified to under oath be-
| fore a Congressional committee. This is
getting to be a very serious thing"
I'VE ought to have testimony under
OATH" said Senator Works. 1T is neces-
sary that these questions be settled and
| the truth known. and IL 1t appears that
parties have appeared before a Congress
sionaI committee and have given testi-
mony under oath which was not correct.