Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-06
Arboretum Law Signed.

| hours Of Congress, TO let the Natlnhdi
| Arboretum bill slip by the barrier he
| hind which many other important
| District projects We're prevented from
! passage. OF course, there was no
| chance to get action on the $30o,0o0
| appropriation which the arhoretum
bill authorized for acquisition Of the
site, even though the leaders Of both
House and Senate and the members
of the appropriations committees were
ready TO approve it promptly If af-
forded the opportunity.
1t is extremely regrettable that the
funds were not made available, be-
cause under the limitation of 25 per
cent in excess of valuation 1t will be
very difficult to get some Of the
tracts of land anyway; because
sacrifice" price agreed upon for ap
proximately One-third of the area was
good only until the close Of the Con-
gress; because a real estate develop
ment is planned for part of the tract,
and because the value of land in that
al I'd VIII Undoubtedly sthN dt1S' INV
ever now that Congress has definitely
declared in law that it intends to buy
that site just as soon as the appro-
priations can he made, the building
operations should he abandoned and
the owners should patiently await the
recOnvening of a new Congress in
December. when there is every assur
ance that the appropriation will be
made.
Under the extraordinary circum.
stances that existed. and which
friends of this legislation could not
have foreseen, it was a signal achieve
ment to get the arhoretum bill
through at all. The Senate acted on
this measure early in the session.
House leaders early agreed that it
would be given privileged considera.
ton in the House just as soon as the
House committee on agriculture could
come to terms with a couple of OBJ
jectors who wanted the arboretum
esta blished in their home districts.
AhdCi Sptl 1 ulS lIle Dlil was
rushed through the House and the
conferces promptly agreed on a COM
promise which has been waiting for
nearly week to get called up in the
Senate, with the filibuster blocking
the way. Meanwhile, the House could
not act because the Senate had the
papers.
Appreciation should be felt by all
the garden clubs, the forestry and horti-
cultural societies for the patience with
which Senator McNary of Oregon sat
waiting for days for an opening ir
which to present the conference re.
port. Senator Nicely of West Vir-
ginia, who held the floor. yielded for
the presentation of some reports from
the House, and, taking advantage of
that opportunity, Senator McNary
presented the arboretum conference
report, to the approval Of which there
was no objection. Meanwhile Chair
man Haugen of the House committee
was equally ready in the House as
soon as the papers came over from
the Senate. The President signed the
bill within an hour.
Even before the authorizatio act
came out of committee in the House
leaders in both House and Senate, and
especially the chairmen of the appro-
priations committees. had promised
that as soon as the substantive law
was passed they would rush through
the appropriation on whatever supply
bill might he pending. with a particu-
lar view of getting 1t in the second
deficiency appropriation bill, but this
was one of the most important meas
ures that got caught In the jam be-
hind the f1libuster.
So there Is no doubt that both
branches of Congress are ready to
make the appropriation as soon as
Congress meets again, and the same
men are to be in charge in the next
Congress. This is important because
the Department of Agriculture feels
that 1t really must have this arbore-
tum to perform it's best work for the
| producers of the country, to advise
most wisely on such problems as re-
forestation, and to have a great out.
door laboratory in which it's scien.
fists can study plant diseases, soil
conditions and such problems.
The great national associations of
those devoted to the study of nature
and growing things are impat tent for
| the Government to set up here a
| sanctuary in which the people can get
close to nature, and which will place
this country abreast of. If not ahead
! Of, all other nations in such studies.
In this connection it should again
he emphasized that while the National
Arboretum will give very attractive
entrance to the Capital City from the
east, it is in no sense a local mark
and playground, but a great national
institution from which will radiate
many advantages to every Stata in
the Union.
BY calling in we'll trained bras
band and some good singers the House