The Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1865-1870, 1869-12-14
TIE REMOVAL OF THE NATIONAL
CAPITAL

There have been a great many frothy
things and some sensible ones uttered
rpoa :he question Of removing the Ma
tionai Capital from Washington out
into the great West, but the only reason
~ upon the subject whicn has met
our observation as coming from the
advocates Of the measure is contained
"a an article in the Western Monthly
{Caicsgol for December. There is a
good deal of rubbish in the article and
good deal Of truth and in the latter
sort OF its paragraphs are the historical
illusions which remind Us how greedy
he Southern add Middle States were 10
make the present Capital a rival to New
York, aud how grasping the chivalry
OF Virginia and Maryland were for
the scrapiags and pickings which are
Afforded in place ike Washington
where the bsggars aud bummers pre-
tend to q suavity of condensation while
cordially grasping and eagerly hoard
ing tH- pi,ifuI earnings of their worse
than Italian prostitution. After borrow
ing somewhat loosely from Parton and
others, the writer, whose name, (un
Ike those of the other authors of the
articles in this improving M.gazinel isI
omitted from the sub headings of the
caption, saws, smong other things
vhich are good arguments in favor of
the removal that:
II has no resident population of men who
have retired from the active pursuits Of bust
ness, to live a life of generous hospitality.
or Of men who would pursue life oflearned
research /; and the characte. of the society,
apart from such as Is to be found among those
who have an official residence, or are there
IS visitors. Is hollow and superficial While
the public buildings have an impressive gram
deur the private buildings are crntemp'iale-
"a though diamnads were set in pinchbeek;
but thev subseIve the purposes OF their cree
non, viz. shops, restaurants. and boarding
houses Perhaps there is no CITY where the |
contrast between opulenee aud poverty is so /
marked /: where the government lavIShes its 1
wealth so literally. and where the individual |
icies il out 81 niggarjly-
The surroundings are far from atfractive;-l
no handsome villas. with graveled walks, !
trimmed hedges, shruubery, orchards, and
g,reensSard. The soil, never rich, has become |
exhausted BY repeated groupings, without l
having been restored BY any feTtilizing prin- /
cipie- There are few or no vegetable gardens /
- supply the wants Of great city; and hence /
tha Washington markets are the poorest IN |
the country. The exhausted soil supports,
IN many places, growth Of scruhby pine.
and in Others stretches out in barren wastes
In a Capital situated in the heart OF the
Food-producing States, the cost OF living
would never be exorbiran'ly high. The ma
t.rials for construction, such stone, lime,
brick. and lumber. and the useful ores and
minerals. such as coal. iron, lead, and copper.
are abundant and readily accessible by land
and water conveyance
The cost of building up a new Capitol Is
wheu that cost will be sppOr-
,ionsd among one hundred millions of people,
Il the States of Iowa and Illinois were To-
gran, to the United States an area of ten
miles square, embracing both banks of the
for the purposes of founding
'apital, the moment the act vas consIn-
mated, the enhanced value communicated
o the property would more than paw all the
,osts of removal and reconstruction.
When Constantine transferred from Rome
y Constan,inople the seat of empire, It was
ound that population at once concentrated
round the new capital. and before the lapse
Il n century it rivaled the old capital in the
:xten. and grandeur of the buildings, and in
he number and opulence ofits eitizehs- So,
N the banks of the Mississippi, before the
.pse of decade, would rise another Wash
ngton. preemincnt over the old in all those
which should characterize the
eat of magnificent Republic.
This latter paragraph is ms ridicu-
5usiy suited a. 'GsrruloUs' Davis
cunter verbosiries 10 Roman plaiitsdes;
While the L, in cist of the argument is
ieysrIy laid and vastly more cogeuI
nd coherent than anything which has
'-,ore emauased from the Western press
ud urators-whose "foridiiy" offer
vus 40 numerically punctured and ex,
,Ioded nv The calmer writer's of the ;
ooier lstitrd-s. The subject is siIlI l
., a, TO discussion.