Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-10
JAMES ELECTED
FEDERATION HEAD
Montgomery Body Engages
in Hot Fight Over Pro.
posed New Roads.
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY,
Stan Correspondent Of The Star.


precipitated long and, at times, heated
debates. The meeting was featured by
thrusts of the parliamentary strategists,
which it appeared for time would XIII
the two measures. The federation par
ticularly considered the proposal for
the laying out of new boulevard from
the District of Columbia line to Gettys-
burg as a Lincoln memorial and the
extension of Massachusetts avenue from
the District line into Maryland as far
as Minnehaha Valley. Both were nm
ally approved in amended form.
James Elected President.
The association also elected Stephen
James of Linden as its president. II
was unanimous choice. 1t also elected
B. w. Parker of Bethesda to fill va
cancy on the executive committee.
While the concensuS as developed by
the discussions on the floor indicated
that there was unanimous support for
both projects, the difficulties thrown
into the way of prompt enactment OF
the reports and resolutions were on the
matter of route.
Keen resentment at the efforts OF
Harry Martin of KenSington to demand
specific time in which to continue his
discussions of the matter was shown by
the federation delegates at one point
when they stamped the floor and Kissed
at him. He told them that if they
didn't like his remarks to get out. How
ever, Capt. Joseph C.. Cissel, who was
presiding saved the situation when he
gave the floor to Martin, saying that
he had at first recognized him under
the impression that woman speaker
had yielded the floor.
The Lincoln Boulevard project was
0nnrnuad in O ro1OFt nf the committee
on roads, streets and bridges, presented
by Charles H. Hopkins
Mr.. Lamar then moved that the mat
ter of location be stricken out, offering
it as an amendment, and the previous
question was called for. Another parlla-
mentary wrangle followed, after which
the amendment was lost by vote of
80 to 80.
Shoemaker sought again to have the
whole matter recommitted when o. M.
Kile discussed the question as to what
effect the request for this project would
have on other Federal projects which
had been approved, he said, by the
federation. Shoemaker's motion to re-
commit was lost, as well as the amend
ment of Mr.. Kile.
Amendment Is Approved.
The report of the committee was
finally adopted when the federation ac-
cepted an amendment by Mr.. Lamar
which said that the whole project was
approved irrespective of location"
When the election for president was
reached, Capt. Cissel emphatically told
the delegates that he would not. under
any circumstances, consider taking the
presidency. The nomination of Mr..
James followed The nominating speech
was made by Oliver owen Kuhn, who
praised him in the highest terms, and
was seconded by w. B. Horn.
The Massachusetts, avenue extension,
which was passed over from the last
meeting, was then taken up, and was
followed by the offering of a substi-
tute by r. E. Bondy, which would have
requested the Park and Planning Com
mission to give consideration in its
master highway plan to such an extern
sion, and saying that it was the sense
of the federation that any action on
road projects should be deferred until
the master plan was submitted to the
county commissioners.
w. B. Armstrong objected to this
on the ground that it did not express
any opinion as to whether the fedora
ton was for or against the matter.
Former President Barbar then moved
to recommit, with instructions to the
committee to study the District of Co.
lumbia highway plan to ascertain what
are to be the main arteries out of the
city into Montgomery County. He sub
sequently withdrew this when Mr. Kile
presented another substitute, which
was adopted, providing for recommittal
with instructions to the committee to
proceed with the master road plan in
the light of the sentiment expressed at
the federation to the effect that MaSsa-
chuSetts avenue shall be extended in
approximately straight line at least as
far as Minnehaha Creek, with appro-
pirate connections with the Conduit
and River roads, recommend that the
committee on legislation and legal
action take necessary steps to bring it
INTO reality as soon as possible.
The debate was precipitated when
George H. Lamar, Rockville, sought 20
have stricken from the resolution any
suggestion of route. He declared all
parties interested had not been given
full hearing, or, in fact. any hearing;
that he thought it was due them. He
pointed out that the only information
many of the residents had of the mat
ter was statements in the newspapers of
action on the matter to date. He
thought the people pushing the project
should look into the matter of the his
tory Of the proposed route, and pointed
TO the Rockville pike as a road which
went away back into the early history
Va bLlC NdlAOIl. AZ Wdo ObGI bli4S plhCy
he said, that not only Lincoln went to
Gettysburg, but over which George
Washington, Lafayette and Braddock
Travelled. He thought, he said, that the
old road would be enormously located,
If it did not use the old national pike.
Route Object of Difference.
Mr.. Lamar moved that the body go
on record as faVoring the construction
of the proposed boulevard at Federal
Government expenses, but asked that
the question of location go over until
after the committee had held hearings
on this phase. This should be done, he
said. as matter of fairness and
de"ency.
There followed another tilt between
Martin and the presiding officer, during
which the former was ruled out of
order, but Mrs. F. C. .GetZendanner
saved the situation by yielding the floor
to him while he was loudly injecting
his remarks into the debate to the ex-
clusion Of everything else.
A. e. Shoemaker, pointing out that
the federation in the final analysis
would not have anything to say about
the route, moved to recommit the mat
ter. E. Brooke Lee then pointed out
that the question Of location was not
before the meeting and that the TydingS
resolution in the United States Senate
said nothing about a route. He said
that Virginia had been the recipient Of
much Federal money on new projects,
naming the two memorial bridges and
the boulevard to Mount Vernon now
under construction. All the resolution
before the federation did was to urge
a road through Montgomery County
at Federal Government expense, he
added. In the end, he said, If it was
decided that Rockville had the best
route it would get It and it would not