Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-06-13
maintaining ana supporting n, should be borne

Maintaining ana supporting II, should De oorne
by lis citizeps.
While the city. has expended out OF the take
paid BY its cfazens, a large suN 1 q opening
making, repairing. and paving streets and side
walks required By aeparse population scat
tered over slarge area and mas opened and i'm
prov ed In discfimfnateiy those leading to ami
around the buildings ian reservations OF the
General Governmant, enhancing the value of
the nation I roperty. that Government has
spent upon streets and avenues laid out to suit
itscwn PURPOSES and convenience over part
OF Bhich the JaexeTcise exclusive control, COM
para,iyeiy lttla, andsh little on PennsyIva-
MIA avenue and those streets and avenues i'm
mediatsir around the Capitol, Presidents
House, Executive departments, and other OF
its own exclusive properly, the improvement
of which was Indispensable to Its convenience
and promOtive OF Its interest.
Upon those reservations the Government had
expended in buildings and other improvement
for lis own ex Clusive use the sum OF SH,709,-
;g3a 81, partly tsken from the public treasury
apd partly from the sale of lots, donations Of
private ind Yiduals,s while those reservations
themselves are valued by sworn assessors At
S13iI2 2e3 sc, making the aggreeats value Of the
nations real properly IN this city to be 2s, 2f.-
81 is, nearly equal toall individual property.
and which If lie HE TO the same burden, would
yield by wsy OF taxation revenue to the city
of S2le,91923 annually.
This immense property of the Government
has at all times been free from taxation. while
tie property efindividuals has bsen subject TO
il. Holding here greatly more property than
elsewhere in the Union, assessments upon
" hicE al1ke 10 private property nave been from
time to time m abe, the government has been
snbject to no imposition Of the kind, and taxes
COLLECTED only from individuals.
The avenues vary from one hundred and
twenty to one hundred sixty feet in width. and
| the streets from eishty 70 one hundred aud
| forty feet, tine average being ninety feet cost.
ing nearly dono.e the amount OF streets the
same length, and more moderate dimensions,
| OF which NJ ally two hundred aud twenty ven
miles in length Of them have already been
made. 5-s
r C de, far too great for the number OF inhabi.
tants it was TO be, ard Is the nations city,
the Capitol OF the country. the property OF the
patton, and to all Americans should be q
matter of pride and interest .as.T
And as it has OF grown in the usual man.
ner, bit has necessarily been created in short
me-, The pressure for Improvement has been
| burdensome 10 iis citizens.
| The city Of Washington is the creature OF
| Congress and the Cover ment tor their O wn
| purposes, and where they have Unlimited con-
| troll, and can regulate and govern witho at the
uterfers OF the States, and is not dependent
upon the will or resources OF any particular
| portion OF the Union, and can never be the
subject of local interest.
Much has been done by the Government
| towards the improvement OF the city, yet not
go much as should be-. Charge the General
| Government with the money received from
| te sale of lots, and W hich shouldhave epured
to he NJ fit .ot the city, the interest thereon
| ana with the rate of taxation on it's vast prop.
erty asis paid BY iDdivid alsand credit it with
e, cry dollar spent and properly chargeable to
| the impro emtnt Of the city, It will be found
that the General Government is debtor to the
| city. r1..
IT, therefore. Congress would allow, and
see 10 reason why they should not, the prop.
| erty of the General Gove' nment to bear i's
equal proportion Of the burden OF maintaining
ard supporting tie city government, OF i'm
proving ikeir own and the citizens joint prop.
! erty, OF supporting the number Of INDECENT per
SOILS attracted 10 the seat OF Government, and
OF educating the children of the thousands
| focking here from all sections of our common
| country, no more could or would be asked.
Many important Improvements have been
| made during tie last term OF the mavorai'v,
| and those without any additional Indebtedness
20 the city; Z 20 station houses for the use and
| con veneBee OF the polc-, and school house
l OF great capacity and OF ornamental structure.
| have been furnished, an market house on the
cite OF the old Centre Market, suitable in ca
| pacity ard appear ance TO the city, begun.
| The appropriation of large sums Of money
| for the Tection Of public works is in some IN.
| stances economy, in others otherwise, especi.
| ally when 1t tends to increase the burden of
| taxation. therefore recommend great caution
in reference to this subject.
Let me invite your attention to the very i'm
| portantsnbject Of our streets, and the necessity
of adopting some plan for their durable pa
| wing, in lieu OF the present int fectual mode Of
! gIaveling. T..
east OF 25th street east, and Of the basin at the
| west end OF the canal. is 6,I10N acres, or
2te' 1864 square feet divided as follows;
Public reser vations. Is, is9 ACE
Building lots....... .Rl 1893 ga
Avenues, s;rsets and open spaces. 11a ,aa5
Total ......... ............... 26S, 192, $40
The total length Of the streets is.... 1lI9 r.
The total length OF the avenuesis.,. 1873 797 It.
| Aggregate....... ............ 1,3U3, AGO n.
Or 227 SO miles.
or the 227 93.1OO miles of streets, nearly all
have been opened and graded, and to pave
| ths m, with their unusual widths, especially
the avenues, and keep them in repair, suggests
the necessity OF doing something to relieve this
corporation aud property owners from the
very heavy tax on their resources that would
be necessary.
The adoption of the plan of wide streets and
av'Dpes were by General Washington for
some practical utility, though its utility may
not as yet have been developed, and Ii 8 way
out ultimately and permanently destroying
that plan, il would be a temporary relief, and
until the utility OF wide streets should be de.
ve!ored, be well to avail ourselves OF It.
Iwould therefore respectfully suggest that
instead Of permitting individual property.
owners to inciose and plant with trees por-
has teen suggested by the honorable the Secre-
taTy of the Interior In his last annual cominu.
nicatlon to Congress, and which 1t would be
impossible for this Corporation, or the General
Government, ever TO repossass, and would
involve the necessity and cost of taking up and
reiayiDg the side walks or foOt.pa Yemsnts
WhertVef aircady iaid, tee plan OF s9oded
course, OF whatever Gimensio might be neces-
sary TO Teouce an avenue or street to the de-
sired width. be made on each side, outside of
the gutter or curbstone, aud, if necessary,
planted and ianked with trees.
This would efiectually contract the dtmen.
sions OF the streets and avenues, as well as or.
nament them, ard greatly lessen tina cost of
paving, and should it hereafter be deemed
lecesssry to restore the street or avenue to its
original width or even less 1t could be readily
done without eifecting the property or interests
Of others.
Considerable difficulty and cor fusion arises
from the " az in which streets are designated
and named, and it has been 10 me a MATER OF
serious reflection whether another mode Of
designation should not be adopted, and am
salts fled that though to do so would occasion
some temporary inconvenience, great and
permanent benefit would result
AS now there are so many streets earring the
same appelation, though distinguished in the
case of the lettered by North and South, and
the Numbered BIZ East and West, that great