without a relaxation of the rigors of the quarantine referred to, the progress of horticulture in the United States as related to other countries is now definitely suspended. I appreciate the honor of the invitation and regret my inability to accept it for the date given, and sincerely trust the Senate committee may put this enterprise in process of creation without any delay. Yours truly, J. HORACE MCFARLAND, President. HARRISBURG, PA., May 18, 1920. Mr. CHARLES MOORE, Chairman the Commission of Fine Arts, 1729 New York Avenue, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. MOORE: I inclose a letter from Mr. J. Edward Moon, president of the American Association of Nurserymen, in which he renews the pledge of support of that organization to the botanic garden proposition. I have thought that this letter might be of possible use to you at the hearing on Friday, absence from which is a real grief to me. The American Association of Nurserymen is an organization of widespread membership and large influence. Yours, truly, J. HORACE MCFARLAND. MORRISVILLE, PA., May 17, 1920. J. HORACE MCFARLAND, Harrisburg, Pa. DEAR MR. MCFARLAND: I am very much indebted to you for the correspondence with Chairman Moore, of the Commission of Fine Arts, Washington, D. C., re the botanical garden. I am glad that you used the name of the association in this connection, for we stand definitely committed to this project. I only wish it were possible for Mr. Watson or myself to go to Washington Friday, to attend this hearing, to show by our presence our interest in the undertaking. We may do this even yet, but our funds are running so low that there are some things we should do that we can not do. Be assured, however, of my appreciation of your efforts. Very cordially, J. EDWARD MOON. The CHAIRMAN. Is there anybody else to be heard? Mr. MOORE. The only other gentleman is Mr. J. Edward Moon, the President of the American Association of Nurserymen. STATEMENT OF MR. J. EDWARD MOON, PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN, MORRISVILLE, PA. Mr. Moon. Mr. Chairman, the American Association of Nurserymen is a national body, embracing the national organizations in nursery work including all the States, has adopted a resolution definitely committing itself to the establishment somewhere of a national botanical garden. The English have done wonderful work in their gardens at Kew, and we want similar opportunities in this country. Most of the advantages that accrue to us have been brought out. But one additional thought occurs to me, and that is that our work runs over a long period of years. When we start to growing trees we have to look for the market ahead, and if we had some gardens like this one, perhaps we could develop the plant and obtain some idea of the demand there may be for it before we invest our money in its growth. Such an assurance is necessary in investing money over a long period of time.. Another idea on which I think there is some confusion as I have listened to the testimony this morning and about which the Arnold Arboretum may help you is this: The botanic garden should perhaps be under this committee's jurisdiction with the Department of Agriculture cooperating. The nurserymen are especially desirous of the scientific information that such a place can acquire. For your information the Arnold Arboretum is under a 999-year lease with the city of Boston. Such a lease, a long-term lease, is necessary in entering on work of this kind, because trees that last over a century must be insured of care, and I just wanted to inject the feature of permanency into this work. I might just say in regard to the Camp Meigs site that until the electrification of the railroads it would be found, in my judgment, a very improper site for the growth of conifer, owing to the smoke there. The Mount Hamilton site is a place of which we are very much in favor. The CHAIRMAN. Is there any other person present who desires to advocate the selection of any other site? Mr. Moore, you have had letters from several people who thought they had better sites and wanted a chance to be heard. Is there any person here who wants to speak in behalf of any other site than the Mount Hamilton site? (There was no response.) Mr. MOORE. No, Mr. Chairman. There are some gentlemen here who have asked to be heard; but so far as the commission is concerned, there is nothing further. The CHAIRMAN. Is there any person here who desires to be heard in favor of this bill? Mr. WOOD. Yes; I do, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. What is your full name? Mr. WOOD. James M. Wood. The CHAIRMAN. Where is your residence? The CHAIRMAN. What is your occupation? Mr. WOOD. Attorney at law, representing the Northeast Washington Citizens' Association in this matter. STATEMENT OF MR. JAMES M. WOOD, REPRESENTING THE NORTHEAST WASHINGTON CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION. Mr. WOOD. Mr. Chairman, in view of a hearing that took place on Wednesday before the House Committee on the District of Columbia I desire to call the attention of this committee to one or two matters that I think will be of interest. Congressman Zihlman, of Maryland, some six months ago introduced a bill in Congress for the extension of Maryland Avenue from Fifteenth and H Streets [indicating on a map the site of proposed botanic garden] to the Anacostia River. On the 1st day of December of last year the Commissioners of the District of Columbia made the following favorable report on that bill, stating that the extension would be highly desirable: DECEMBER 1. 1919. Hon. CARL E. MAPES, Chairman Committee on the District of Columbia, House of Representatives. SIR: The Commissioners of the District of Columbia have the honor to submit the following on H. R. 10206, Sixty-sixth Congress, first session, entitled "A bill for the extension of Maryland Avenue east of Fifteenth Street to the Anacostia River," which you referred to them for report. The object of the bill is to authorize the Commissioners of the District of Columbia to institute condemnation proceedings for the extension of Maryland Avenue east of Fifteenth Street to the Anacostia River in accordance with the highway plan, and it provides that one-half of the entire amount found to be due and awarded by the jury as damages, plus the costs and expenses of the proceedings, shall be assessed as benefits. A plat is inclosed showing in red the proposed extension. The proposed highway, as laid down on the highway plan, has a width of 160 feet. The amount of land involved in the condemnation proceedings is about 750,000 feet, and the estimated cost is approximately $50,000. There is a general law authorizing the commissioners to institute condemnation proceedings for the opening of streets in accordance with the highway plan (U. S. Stat., vol. 37, p. 950), which provides that the entire cost of acquiring the nece sary land, plus the costs of the proceedings, shall be assessed as benefits. This general legislation, so far as it affects streets of a normal width-that is, 90 feet or less-is believed to be in accord with sound public policy, for, as a rule, property in the vicinity of such a new street is benefited by an amount equal to or in excess of the cost of opening the street. However, in the case of very wide avenues, such as Maryland Avenue, the cost is in general out of proportion to the local benefits, and the commissioners believe it would be only equitable that the community as a whole should bear part of the cost. The advisability of opening Maryland Avenue east of Fifteenth Street to the Anacostia River has been considered by the commissioners a number of times, but they have each time reached the conclusion that such action would be inequitable and unjustifiable under the general law, which would place the entire burden upon the property through which the avenue is to run. This bill provides that an amount equal to one-half of the cost of the land and proceedings shall be assessed as benefits. This proportion is believed to be approximately fair, but on the assumption that in the opening of a 90-foot street, which is the usual width of a street laid down on the highway plan, the entire cost should be assessed as benefits, a more equitable proportion would be to assess as benefit nine-sixteenths instead of one-half of the entire cost. The proposed bill does not authorize the appropriation of funds that would be needed to pay the damages, costs, and expenses of the condemnation proceedings. The commisioners, therefore, recommend that the bill be amended by adding a new section, to read as follows: 66 SEC. 2. That an amount sufficient to pay the necessary.costs and expenses of the condemnation proceedings taken pursuant hereto, and for the payment of the amount awarded as damages, is hereby authorized, payable out of the revenues of the District of Columbia." If amended as indicated above, the commissioners are of the opinion that the proposed legislation is highly desirable, as Maryland Avenue is one of the main avenues radiating from the Capitol and when improved will afford a direct route from the Capitol to Anacostia Park, which is being rapidly developed. Very respectfully, THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. I will state, further, that on the 17th of December the Washington Railway & Electric Co. filed, in writing, a request that they be allowed to be heard on this bill before any action was taken by the committee. I think in April, or possibly the first of this month, the committee granted them a hearing before the full Committee on the District of Columbia, and the hearing was held on Wednesday of this week. At that hearing it was developed by the testimony of the president of the Washington Railway & Electric Co., at the request of which company the hearing was granted, that this land known as the Graceland Cemetery tract, the old abandoned Graceland Cemetery tract, which consists of about 25 acres, bounded on the west by Bladensburg Road and on the south by the Bennings Road and on the east and north by the present boundary lines of the old cemetery, that the title to the land had been taken by the Potomac Electric Power Co. in contemplation of the removal of the power house, etc., from their site south of the Avenue; that they had purchased this ground for the purpose of building their power house and other structures, with a view of abandoning their site out here [indicating present site at Fourteenth and B Streets NW.], and Col. Kutz, who is here at the hearing, I believe, stated before the full committee on Wednesday-day before yesterday-that it was exceedingly desirable that action should be taken some way or other in reference to this proposed botanic garden site and the extension of Maryland Avenue, because in case the Potomac Electric Power Co. made application to the board of commissioners for the erection of buildings and power houses within the lines of the proposed extension of Maryland Avenue, that the commissioners were absolutely without authority to deny such a permit or to prevent them from making that construction. In other words, if they made application for a permit to build a power house right in the line of Maryland Avenue, that the commissioners, if the permit applied for complied with the building regulations, were without authority to deny them the right to erect the structure. But Col. Kutz is here, I believe, and can speak for himself in reference to that matter. The hearings before the House committee was adjourned about halfpast 12 pending the outcome of the hearing before this committee. In other words, it was decided at that hearing that if the Committee on the Library decided to purchase this tract for a national botanic garden and arboretum then the bill introduced by the Congressman from Maryland should be amended so as to provide for the extension of Maryland Avenue from Fifteenth and H Streets NE. to Twenty-fourth Street, which is the southern boundary line of the proposed Mount Hamilton Park site; and it was also decided that in the event this joint committee decided at the present time not to purchase this site that then the board of commissioners would recommend the extension of Maryland Avenue from Fifteenth and H Streets NE., in accordance with the terms of the bill as introduced, with an amendment that the eastern terminus should be at the western taking line of the Anacostia Park improvement. The CHAIRMAN. Do you say that the Potomac Electric Power Co. has already purchased the land there? Mr. WooD. Purchased and own the old Graceland Cemetery tract. Mr. WILSON. Not in their own name; in the name of another company. Mr. WOOD. They purchased the tract of land, but the title is held in the name of Clarence F. Norment; he holds the deed in escrow. I do now say that it develops that the Washington Railway & Electric Co., which asked for the hearing, did not own a foot of ground affected by the proposed extension. 1 See map 38, end of vol. 2. 1 The people situated and resident in all this territory are very anxious for the extension and opening of Maryland Avenue. would do nothing, absolutely nothing, to interfere with this proposed park and we are perfectly willing that it should be extended to this point-to Twenty-fourth Street-but, of course, Twentyfourth Street is not a public street. Twenty-eighth Street is. But the feeling of the board of commissioners, as outlined by Engineer Commissioner Kutz before the Committee on the District of Columbia in the House, was that it is highly desirable that action be taken at once by Congress in order to prevent the absolute blockade of the extension of Maryland Avenue from Fifteenth Street eastward. As you gentlemen are aware, and well aware without my telling you, the entire area of the District of Columbia as it exists to-day was taken from the State of Maryland, and there is no monument to the State of Maryland; there is no monument to perpetuate the name of the State of Maryland except Maryland Avenue, and Maryland Avenue, as you well know, begins at the Potomac River on the west and extends in a northeasterly direction to this point' [indicating on a map of the District of Columbia], where it is stopped by certain construction by a depot known as White House Station, by tracks, and other structures that have been put in the lines of Maryland Avenue. We trust and very sincerely hope that the committee will decide this question as to site as soon as possible. With a view of getting the matter in some sort of shape to be acted upon, a bill has been prepared which I will submit to the committee; a bill for the acquisition of a site; and the only amendment, the only change in that proposed bill is to substitute the word "three" for the word "two.” There is an area of something like 400 acres embraced in this territory which is assessed at $211,000; and there is no doubt but what it could be acquired for that sum. It is nearly all farm land; there is no development there to speak of and only a few houses. It could be purchased at a very advantageous price, I think, at the present time. The CHAIRMAN. What is the significance of changing the word "two" to "three "; what do you mean? Mr. WOOD. In that bill it is provided that an appropriation of so much should be made; it should have read "$340,000 for the acquisition of this site "; it reads in there "$200,000," and it should read "$340,000." The CHAIRMAN. These are drafts of a proposed bill. Have they been introduced in either branch of Congress? Mr. WOOD. No, sir; they have not; and I just suggest them to you. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection one will be printed in the record. (The draft of the proposed bill referred to is as follows:) A bill to provide a national botanic garden and arboretum on the Mount Hamilton site in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That to provide a national botanic garden and arboretum on the Mount Hamilton site situated between the Bladensburg 1 See map 38, end of vol. 2. |