Evening star., 1932-02-07
ARLINGTON FIGHTS
i. s. LAND CLAIMS
Congressional Aid to Be
Sought in Fixing D. c.
Boundary Line.
Special Dispat tch 10 The Star.


iRLINGTON COUNT COURT
| HOUSE, Va, February 6.-An appeal to
the General Assembly OF Virginia 10
enact legislation looking toward Joint
action with Congress in determining the
boundary lines between the District Of
Columbia and Virginia is to be made
by the county board in an effort to
fOrestall an attempt by the Federal
! Government to obtain the title for
nearly 200 acres Of land lying near the
south end of Highway Bridge.
Commonwealth Attorney Lawrence
Douglas was directed by the board Mt
its regular session here today to draw
up Immediately a resolution requesting
the State Legislature to take SuCn ac-
ton and also empowered him to make
any vigorous and positive" steps ne
! deems necessary to fully protect Airing
ton COunty's interest in the matter
Government Suit Discussed.
The action of the board came as the
climax of a tWo-hour discussion of the
significance Of a suit filed several days
ago in behalf of the Government against
Robert Dye of Arlington County, George
E Garrett of Potomac, Va. Edward x.
Braddock, North BraddoCk. Va: william
P. Woolls of Alexandria; the Richmond,
Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad Co.
and Herbert and Sarah H. Guggenheim,
trustees Of the Milton Hopfenmaier
estate.
The suit, entered by Assistant Attor-
ney General Nugent DOddS United
States Attorney Leo Rover and wilson
L. Townsend, a special assistant to the
Attorney General. is the first Of series
to acquire title for the Federal Gov
ernment to the land which they claim
is below the high-Water mark which
existed at the time tie State of Mary
land ceded property to the Govern
ment for establishment of washington
as the National Capital
Douglas brought the matter to the
boards attention. pointing out that the
Government under an act OF Congress
of 1912 had already filed one suit and
is contemplating the filing Of at least
four others within the next month,
claiming fee simple ownership in all
of the plots involved and urged the
board to act Immediately to defend its
interest in the northeastern section of
the county.
"The area involved" Douglas de-
clared. contains the most vital prop
erty in the county, having the only pro-
greSSiye development existing in Ar
lington at this time" He estimated
that approximately $4,000 in taxes is
DdlU lllGO Oldlt anu tOuIllN NOII6lO SdIlI
year by property owners in that Sec
ton.
The first case, Douglas asserted, will
act as a precedent for future land
seizures as far south as -Four Mile Run,
the southeastern boundary of the
county.
Former State Senator Frank L. Ball,
who has already been retained by four
real estate owners whose property lies
within the area sought in the suits, de-
clared that the county will be deprived
of its entire water front if the Govern
mCnt is successful in its suits and said
that the future industrial development
of Arlington would suffer serious
| blow as result
IF the move goes through" Ball con-
tinued. the county will be the only
political division in the world that has
a navigable river for a boundary with
out being able to use it,
Cooperation Withheld.
The Northern Virginia delegation in
the General Assembly has already
taken one drastic step as a result of
the filing of the suit. declaring that it
will withhold all cooperation from the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission or any other governmental
agency until the matter is satisfactorily
settled q.
A bill for a s25 900 State appropria-
ton for the George Washington Me-
, mortal Parkway and measure amend
ing the Ball park and planning body
were to have been introduced at the
current session of the State Legislature.
1t is the claim of those who entered
the suit that the United States OBJ
tanned absolute title to the property in
| c,,aetioro h11 yirtuo Of the recSiOD from
MARYLAND and that the defendants are
without any valid title and are unlaw
fully on the property. 1t is alleged the
defendants claim title under alleged
patents" of the State of Virginia.
1t is understood that the Govern
ment plans to claim title to portion
of Hoover Field in one of the suits