FIFTIETH CONGRESS, 1887-1889. 1189 
during the long discussion upon the tariff, have seen the poor people 
sitting out and lying out on the streets iy day and night, under the 
baking sun of the day or the reflected heat of the streets at night, 
unable to get relief from the intense heat; and I do not know that we 
can do a better thing than to furnish to the children of the poor peo- 
ple some shaded places where they can go and get rid of the hot glow 
of the summer sun. 
If, then, it is important to preserve the animals of the country, how 
much more important is it to do something toward preserving the 
health of the people, and especially those of our people who can not: 
get away in the summer time? I trust we will not be niggardly and 
unjust to these people; and while we are willing to establish a park 
here for animals, forget them and their wants, but that we will rise to 
a proper consideration of the question, and I believe when we have 
done so we will give to the people of this city what is given to the 
people of other cities, who have the privilege of electing their own 
city officials, their own city council and mayor, a proper and suitable 
public park. 
Mr. Ciements. Mr. Chairman, I will occupy not exceeding five 
minutes in this discussion. The gentleman from South Carolina has 
spoken of the injustice to the people of this District in refusing this 
appropriation, and intimates illiberality on the part of the Govern- 
ment. 
Mr. Hempniiy. Well, I do not mean to say that the Government is 
illiberal, but I tried to show that the people of the District did-not 
receive as much benefit as some of our friends seem to think they have 
already received, and as I myself thought they received before I got 
here and served upon the committee. 
Mr. Criements. I wish to show, Mr. Speaker, something of the 
obligations of the District to the United States in connection with the 
District government. 
The bonded debt of the District of Columbia which the Govern- 
ment of the United States has assumed—that is to say, one half of it, 
principal and interest—on the 1st day of July was $20,581,000, as 
shown by the following statement from the last report of the Treas- 
urer of the United States. * * * 
The annual interest on this sum at that time was $906,000, of which 
the Government of the United States is paying one-half. In addition 
to the funded debt—and by the way I will state that the principal part 
of this has been for improvements in the District of Columbia—in 
addition to the funded debt there is one-half of the amount recently 
expended on the aqueduct tunnel for the increase of the water supply 
of the city; so that the amount due on the 1st day of July by the Dis- 
trict to the United States for money already advanced for the tunnel 
was $1,038,000. The debt of the District, funded and otherwise, of 
