Evening star., 1939-12-31
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star
Fifty years ago the growth Of the city
required the extension of the street sys-


.. tenn into suburban areas.
Suee' A bill to that effect was
Extension introduced in Congress.
PIons The Star Of December q,
1889. says:
"The Commissioners have before them
a bill for the extension of the streets
and avenues Of the City Of Washington.
There are probably few bills before Con-
gress of SO great importance to the Dis
trict, for if passed 1t would establish
permanent system of highways and SIM
plify the general plan Of streets outside
of the city and prevent confusion OF
thoroughfares. One important provision
of the bill is that the Commissioners
shall have the power to extend the
streets to any existing subdivisions and
through intervening tracts of land.
Another important provision is that
relative to the width Of streets. The bill
stipulates that in no case shall these
extended streets be less than 80 feet In
width. In some subdivisions about the
city the streets are In many cases not
that wide.
But perhaps the most noticeable of
the provisions of the bill is the one in
reference to damages awarded for con-
demnations, as it makes complete
change Of existing methods. The bill
says that one third shall be assessed by
the Commissioners upon the private
property in the abutting squares, except
for Improvements condemned under this
act, and shall be collected as special i'm
provements taxes in the District since
February 81, 1871, are collected and shall
be payable in five equal annual INSTALL
ments with per centum interest from
date of assessment; the remainder shall
be chargeable to revenues Of the District
of Columbia and the United States In
equal parts
The present system of awarding DAM
ages in case Of condemnation is to make
them payable from special appropria-
>tions.
"The placing of the discretion of the
naming of streets, avenues, alleys and
public spaces in the Commissioners Is
another provision and will meet with the
approval Of the Commissioners.
1T is the seventh section that is creat-
ing the most discussion and the Com
missioners intend to give it serious con-
sideration before reporting upon 1t.
| That section is as follows:
"'That to provide for the payment of
the lands and improvements condemned
for streets and avenues hereinbefore pro-
vided for, the Commissioners of the Dis
trict of Columbia are hereby authorized
and empowered to have executed and
prepared bonds of the District Of Colum-
bia of the denominations of 500 and
| $500, to an amount not exceeding
$2,500.000, to bear interest at the rate of
per centum per annum, payable semi
annually and to run and be payable so
years from July l, 1890; said bonds to be
signed by the Commissioners Of the Dis
trict Of Columbia and countersigned by
the Secretary of the Treasury Of the
United States
"A prominent official at the District
Building today, in speaking Of the bill,
said that it was one which would receive
great amount of opposition, but II
passed it would give general satisfaction.
The clause giving the Commissioners
discretionary power in the condemnation
of land is q broad one. II passed the
Commissioners could 60 to the subdi-
visions which do not conform to the gen.
eral plan Of the city and condemn the
land, although the streets may be paved
1.-THE Commissioners are all Of one
voice regarding the importance Of the
bill. They say the necessity Of some such
bill is manifest, although the present
one may not be broad enough. They will
consider the bill before them at an early
| date and report their views to Congress-