Evening star., 1939-11-19
Capital SideIiehts
By Win P. Kennedy

| 6y Wut r. henneQy
Congress has just acquired for the
Botanic Garden the best known collec-
ton in this country of acacias, a plant
seldom exhibited. This is the third
famous collection installed by the Botanic
Garden under its program of develop
ment and expansion since Congress took
over the direct management of that his
torlc institution. 1t has an orchid COL
lection which is one of the finest in the
world, containing more than 300 species,
and an azalea collection which includes
more than 80 varieties in the Ruther-
fordiana group and so specimens of rare
hardy types. All three of these collec-
tions will be added to from time to time
as other varieties are obtainable. The
acacia exhibit is being installed in the
old conservatory at Second street S,W.,
between Canal street and independence
avenue. 1t contains 156 plants in "a
varieties and represents nearly a century
of careful collection by one Massachu-
setts family and is named for them-the
Roland Collection. Since it's arrival in
Washington all plants have been re-
tubbed, braced and 80 per cent are
showing flower. A number of the plants
are upward of IS years old. William A.
Frederick, who is directing the installa-
ton, says that it will take about three
years to get this collection in the best
shape for display purposes. Acacias sell
dom have been shown south of Phila-
delphia either in botanic gardens, public
institutions or on private estates The
varieties in this collection are for the
most part of the rarest types The
flowers are creamy to yellow
When Magma Charta is deposited by
the British government next Tuesday for
safekeeping during the war in the Lii
brary of Congress it will bring together
for the first time in history, and open for
public inspection, the three outstanding
documents in American history. The
originals of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence and the Constitution of the
United States will be reinforced by ex-
hibition of the best of four original
copies of Magma Charta-first document
of democracy. foundation of all our liber-
ties. 1t is an ancient Bill of Rights, as
much the heritage of the United States
as of Great Britain. 1t was an American
poet who wrote: I'VE, too, are heirs of
Runnymede." Magma Charta was an
instrument prepared for the So u of King
John, but never signed by hi because
he couldn't write, but it was executed"
by him in 1915 in what is now an English
park while prelates and barons gripping
the hilts of their swords were witnesses.
Because of its existence Charles I lost
his head and George III his colonies.
-Four original manuscripts of Magma
Charta are still in existence-one in
Salisbury Cathedral, two in the British
Museum, which could not be taken out
without an act of Parliament, and the
other from the Lincoln Cathedral, the
plaineSt copy which was brought to this
country in a special bulletproof case and
has been exhibited in the Hall of Democ-
racy in the British pavilion at the
Worlds Fair, New York, and is about to
be deposited by the British Ambassador
in the Library of Congress "for safekeep-
ing and display" These originals" are
a series of copies to which the great seal
of King John was affixed and distributed
throughout the kingdom ito be preserved
in important strongholds and among the
archives of the chapters of cathedral
churches" The one which is about to be
shown in the Library of Congress has
been in Lincoln Cathedral since 1915
until brought to the United States this
year.
The American people paid $14S11, ,0O0,-
900 in taxes last year. OF this $2,237,-
100000 was transferred from one level of
Government to another by grants-in-aid
or shared taxes; Federal grants to States
1898 100000; Federal grants to localities,
$172O00,000; State grants to localities,
1918 100000; State taxes shared with To-
calities, s427000,000 and local payments
to States, $3200O,000. One out of every
seven dollars in the $15,000,00O tax
bill was thus collected by one level of
Government and disbursed to another
level. The Federal Government collected
Al per cent Of the Nations taxes, the
States 26 per cent and local governments
IS per cent The actual expenditure was
IS per cent Federal, q per cent State
and "A per cent local.