1366 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 
park where these rapidly disappearing specimens of the animals 
indigenous to this country may be preserved for all time to come, if 
it be possible; and I am amazed that any gentleman should reach the 
conclusion that in order to carry out and perfect this national purpose 
the tax-ridden people of the District of Columbia, who have no voice in 
either House of Congress, who by the express terms of the Constitu- 
tion are the victims of any arbitrary power that Congress sees fit to 
inflict, should be made to contribute a portion of that expense. 
Mr. H. L. Dawes. Mr. President, I agree with the Senator from 
Kentucky [Mr. Blackburn] that the Zoological Park should be main- 
tained by the Government of the United States. I want, however, to 
enter my protest against the idea that this is an awfully tax-ridden city. 
Mr. President, when the proposition to make the Zoological Park 
first appeared in the Committee on Appropriations it was suggested 
that the District Commissioners could see to it that those whose real 
estate was to border it would donate or contribute something out of 
the lands which they were to sell to the Government for the purposes 
of this park. Instead of that, every one of them not only refused to 
contribute a square foot of land, but put up the price of the land that 
they were to sell to the Government of the United States 100 per cent 
more than it was before. 
It is contemplated to embrace this park in a larger park, which I 
hope will be done, but those who reap the most benefit pecuniarily 
from it and all who do reap it are the taxpayers of this District, and 
all of the advance in their property serves to lessen the per cent of 
their taxation. 
The Government of the United States has assumed $33,000,000, 
expended in grading and paving the streets and avenues of this city, 
and is paying now the bonds issued by the District for that purpose. 
The expenditure of these $33,000,000 has enhanced the value of every 
square foot of taxable property in this city four hundred fold; and 
yet the Senator from Kentucky talks about a tax-ridden District 
which can not be compelled to pay upon its enhanced value something - 
toward the money taken out of the Treasury of the United States. 
They are only taxed $1.50 on the hundred dollars for all their real 
estate; and every dollar that we expend in these parks here, and 
which we ought to expend for them, is enhancing the value of the 
property. The limitation which is fixed by law on taxation here is a 
rate less than in any other city that I know of in this country. 
Mr. President, I believe in beautifying this city; I believe in mak- 
ing everything pertaining to it in some way correspond to the gran- 
deur and greatness of the Government; but those who have pocketed 
money day by day out of this expenditure, those who are reaping 
these rich rewards, benefiting the real estate of this ¢ity and this Dis- 
trict, are the last men who ought to come here and complain of the 
