Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-10-28
laDifal-NOyiny.

One good result is reached Big the senseless
agitation for the removal Of the national capt
tai per semi-annual convention; and that il
that it demonstrates the utter weakness Of the
movement, both IN numbers AMI weight.
The Cincinnati convention just ended Is
characterized by the press everywhere a. ian
abortion" "a fizzle," and several OF our CO.
temporaries, heretofore indifferent or fayora-
bic 10 the project, now declare that the agita-
ton ought to be abandoned, now and forever.
And, notably, the most positive utterances of
this sort come from the West. The Cincinnati
Ga<e,ts, for instance, devoted whole columns of
its editorial space, while the convention
was in session, to a scathing exposition
OF the irresponsible nature OF the con-
cern, and the mischievous and indie
feasible character of the undertaking.
That paper, in pointing out the fallscy of the
alleged reasons for removal, says that the geo
graphical objection is met by the new facilities
Of travel; that the objection that New England
has undue influence in national legislation fiom
the present location is absurd, and that it would
be strangely pusillanimous to move the capital
from Washington, where it is sandsiched be-
tween two southern States, to fly from the in
auence OF New England.
As regards the point of defending the capital
in case of war, the Gazette holds it would be
If another secession war were possible, it would
be as likely to come between the West and the
East as the North and the South. Nothing less
than capital on wheels woald answer this
reason; and il Is fatal to any extreme Western
movement. As regards foreign attack it would
be strange precaution to put the political
capital 10 fight from an inland location for fear
of war, when the commercial capital, with
twenty times the wealth. is on the seaboard.
The Gazette seems disposed to concede that as
TO climate, Washington is too far south for the
highest conditions of health and human vitality,
and that gain could be made in this respect by
q more northern position. This We think is a
great error. The mortuary statistics OF Wash.
ingtOn Tor a long series of years have shown a
smaller death ratio than any other city of its
size il tie country. And it would seem difficult
TO trd place where the climate is more equa-
BE and better fitted in this respect for the meet
ing OF representatives from all parts of the
country. The small proportion of lung com
plants in Washington, for instance, shows that
it is better adapted for legislative city than
points further north, more trying to the lungs,
and where the contrast between the atmosphere
OF the halls of legislation and the external air
would be greater. The Gazette, however, admits
that nothing would be gained in climatic con-
u
central States, where there are high winds,
fierce storms, and great extremes Of wet and
drought, heat and cold
Ike location Of the capital, it says, in any
large city or as an appendage to any large city
Is cut OF the question; the nation will not give
up tie beautiful site on the Potomac and the
msgnihc6 Mt proportions on which the capital Is
there laid out, and its extensive public grounds
TO move into city or into the suburbs Of a CITY,
Nor u IL practicable to make a city speculation
out OF tie capital; for to place it near a gre at
city, but 80 far away as would be necessary to
get site sufficiently spacious would make two
rival towns mutually injurious And the
Gorette comes to the sensible conclusion, after
reviewing the whole ground at great length,
that ''this injurious agitation, which tends to
Destroy the property OF innocent persons and TO
prevent neeGful Improvements OF that which is
rapidly growing to be a splendid capital, should
terminate"