Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-11-02
Location of the Capitol.
From the N. Y. Commercial Advertiser


In August, 1889, Congress then
being in session in this city, reso-
luton for permanent residence"
for the General Government was in
troduced-th residence to be "near
the centre of wealth, population, and
extent of territory" with reference
to the navigation of the Atlantic
Ocean and the particular situation
of the Western country. There was
considerable debate on the question.
Finally the present capitol was
selected. Mr. Madison, in the course
of his remarks, said that the capitol
fought to be placed in the centre of
the Union. 1t ought to be in situa-
ton to command information from
every part of the Union, to watch
every conjecture, to seize every cir
cumstance that can be improved
The Executive eye ought to be
placed whore it can best see the dan
gers which threaten, and the Execu-
tive arm whence it may be extended
most effectually to the protection of
every part. In the Judiciary De-
partment, if it is not equally nee
essary, it is highly important that
the Government should be equally
accessible to ALL" !.
In 1914 the subject of removal
of the capitol came upon resolution
of Jonathan Fish, of New York, to
remove to "a place of greater securi-
ty and less Inconvenience than the
city of Washington" The Capitol
was then in ashes, and Congress was
sitting in the unfinished Patent Off 80.
The movement was for temporary
purposes onl but all agreed that
if the seat Of Government was dis
turbed it would lot be restored in
Washington. 1t was urged that it
was advisable to move to place Of
security, where an expenditure of
ten or fifteen millions would not be
necessary for the simple defence OF
| Congress. Among those who voted
for the removal at this time were
Daniel Webster, Aston Is. c., In
gersoll Pa }, Kent On. y, Pickering
(Mass.), and Stockton { N. j.
In 1916 the removal of the capitol
was again agitated, and the feeling
of the West toward the great sea-
board cities then came out in bold
relief. The occasion was the re-
PROCESSION of Alexandria to Virginia.
Senator Allen. of Ohio, said that
Fifteen hours before "a bill was in
troduced in Congress Wall street had
knowledge of it, and a delegation
was on hand to regulate the details
OF the bill. Thus had their tariffs
been formed-thus the commercial
interest overruled all others. The
great men of the people lived on the
soil--four-fifths of them-and it was
in the centre that the seat Of govern
ment should be located" Hunter
and Bayley, of Virginia, urged Con-
gress to act without reference to
that state. Calhoun argued in favor
of leaving the capital where it was.
This brief resume is interesting as
showing the tendency of thought at
various periods of the national ex-
istence in regard to the removal of
the capitol. Now the task would be
more difficult than ever. General
Sherman tersely remarks that it
would take one hundred years to get
q bill for the removal through the
House of Representatives, one hun
dred years to get one through tie
Senate, and even after the passage
Of the bill by both houses, one hum
dred and one years would be spent
in discussing the most eligible point
in the Mississippi Valley to which
the capitol could be removed. The
conflict of rivalries and jeaousies
will prevent action.