[no source, no date]
GOVERNMENT MAN
EXPECTED AT TNT MEETING
National Defense
Member Favors Official Telling Landowners Their Position
SESSION AT 8:30
Chester Davis Favors
Paying Landowners Off In Full; Contend They Are the Innocent Victims
A
representative of the War Department is expected to attend the mass meeting
tonight at Weldon Spring, and assure property owners the government will take
up its options on the TNT site. Chester C. Davis, head of the agricultural
division of the National Defense Advisory Commission, favored the plan and made
the recommendation to Washington Tuesday afternoon.
It was
believed a War Department man would fly here to let the farmers know they can
depend on the Government. Davis met with ten St. Charles county landowners
yesterday and assured them he would attempt to speed up the final decision and
end their uncertainty.
After a
telephone conversation with McDowell, government land optioner, Davis said he
is not concerned about the commission in the deal, that is a matter between
McDowell and the Government. “I am concerned about the landowners. They went
into the deal in good faith and are entitled to know at once what they can
depend on the Government doing. Some of them have paid earnest money on new
homesites and consequently are the innocent victims of a squeeze if they are not
paid soon.
“1 am
further interested in seeing the prices these folks get are not driven down to
the point where disturbance compensation is not included. This deal cannot be
considered as a free sale of land at a price based on assessments. They didn’t
ask the Government to buy the land, they were forced out.”
Davis says
he knows of no national defense condemnation proceedings that have gone
entirely through the courts, and was unable to say if the Government had been
able to secure better prices by that method. “Some time ago we had our men
looking over the situation. Our report was that this area was not a trouble
spot, On the contrary it was regarded as a high-class job.”
The meeting
tonight will be at 8:30 o’clock, following Lenten church services.
==========
[no source, no date]
FARMERS WILL APPEAL
TO FDR IN TNT ROW
Will Ask President to
Cancel War Department’s Action and Order Payment In Full
MEETING WED.
Farmers Abandoning
Idea of Moving Back To Homes In Area; Fear Jeopardizing Options
A petition
asking President Roosevelt to intervene in the situation created because of the
attempt to cancel options on TNT land, is expected to be drafted Wednesday
night at the mass meeting at Weldon Spring.
Meanwhile a
committee consisting of about ten property owners, met in St. Louis today with
Chester Davis, a member of the National Defense Committee, with the hopes of
ironing out the difficulty.
The
committee that met with Davis reported this afternoon that things looked more
favorable for the property owners since Davis announced he favored payment of
the farmers in full. Davis phoned Secretary of War Stimson during the session
and was told that every effort would be made to have a representative of the
Ordnance or War Department at the meeting Wednesday night to explain the
government’s views.
Those who made trip to St. Louis were Arthur
Schaefer, H. H. Seib, Dr. O. L. Schneider, Calvin and Dwight Castlio, Fred
Hollenberg, Earl Hoffman and Morris Muschany.
Farmers
were in a frame of mind Sunday to move back to their homes in the area but
today are waiting for the Government to make the next move. Indignant farmers
were quickly talked out of the “back to home” movement when it was explained
such a step would probably jeopardize their options and make collection in full
a difficult job.
A quick
settlement is desired since new property owners will have to take over land
soon if they are to get in a corn crop this season. The farmers moving to new
land cannot have a wheat or oats crop and their last chance is corn.
It was
explained that by the time the land is prepared for the crop, it may be too
late, unless something is done immediately. A scarcity of help is another
problem facing the farmers.
The farmers
will draft a petition asking that Roosevelt stop the War Department’s action
and order payment to the owners in full.
Major Carol
R. Dutton, in commenting on the report farmers would move back in the area,
said “that would be very unfortunate and disconcerting and would most certainly
impede progress.”
While some
homes, club houses and barns in the area have been de [one or more lines
missing]
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[no source, no date]
TNT Appeal to Mrs.
Roosevelt
A
60-year-old St. Louis woman yesterday wired an appeal to Mrs. Franklin D.
Roosevelt to intervene and induce the government to pay options granted on the
Weldon Springs, Mo., TNT plant site, while a group of St. Charles landowners
sent the War Department a protest against its proposed condemnation
proceedings.
Miss Mertia
Calloway, 6229 Derby avenue, former City Infirmary matron, asked the First Lady
to “see if you can induce the government to pay me.”
“My 94-acre
farm embraced in the TNT plant project is my whole patrimony and was inherited
from my pioneer ancestor, F. H. Stewart. It was a sad experience to sell land
that was the hunting ground and home neighborhood of my
great-great-grandfathers, Daniel Boone and Capt. James Calloway.
“Notwithstanding
the sentiment I was willing to sell for promotion of national defense. The War
Department has contracted to buy my land and I have delivered the deed.
Nevertheless, the War Department refuses to pay the stipulated price and
threatens condemnation. I work for my living when my health permits, but now I
have no resources other than this property.”
