The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-04

THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Growth Of the City Of
.4ae4 Washington.
Its Systematic Public Inn
= prOvements.
E. . . .st. d..
SIX MILLIONS SPENT AT A POP.
DelineatiOn of the Current
G lff Enterprises.
!, >~~~~c>c~~~>~~~~~~~-
SKETCHES OF THE LEADING CITIZENS.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 1871.
The resident ana municipal life of this city are
gvershadowed by Its political importance Ameri-
cans however, can never be Indifferent to whatever
aecs their capital and increases its attractions to
foreigners and critics. The recess Of Congress
allows me to send you letter upon this city as
place of abode.
THE ALLEGED WASHINGTON ''RING."
Some OF the newspapers have commented ungra-
Blousiy upon she new improvements going on In
Washington city. 1t has been said that tncy arc \
conducted by Q 'ring" not unlike the late Tam |
many ring, and that So 100000 are about to be bor-
towed at high rate OF interest to carry them on.
much OF which money VIII get into the pockets Of
ne suppositious Ring, and that they win spend
large part of 1t merely to improve the unpopular
parts OF the CITY, where they nave happened to buy
property cheaply.
Stories Of this sort often originate IN misconcep-
non, or In the malicious imputaton OF some person
not altogether satisfied TO see hts neighb0rs prosper
the truth is that Washington received terrible
scare from the West during the last session of Con-
gress, In the demand OF St. Louis and Chicago to
carry the capital OF to tho Mississippi Valley.
Among the arguments used to accomplish this fool.
ieh transportation were the incapacity OF Washing
ton to make its improvements and its perpetual
application for Congress to grant 1t money which
t was strong enough to have assessed upon Its own
people. The younger business men OF Washington,
such as Governor Cooke, Alexander Shepherd and
some others, who had settled in the city during the
war and had concluded to make it their permanent
home, finally resolved to revolutionize the form Of
the city by the aid Of the negro vote, and take it
altogether out OF the hands Of the old fogies and
ex-rcbels who constituted what was called "tne old
citizens Of Washington"
now WASHINGTON cor IT'S NEW GOVERNMENT.
In the first place they offered terms to those old
Iogies, but meeting with steady resistance, finally
left them out altogether. BY dnt OF good dinners,
good treatment OF congressman. public meetings
and control Of the local newspapers, these young
men prevailed upon Congress to give them quail
Ned form OF government, by which the Governor Of
the district and the principal Board OF the Legisa
ture were to be nominated by the President and
only the lower legislative body voted for by the
people. A delegate in Congress was also provided
70 be elected by the people outright Board OF
Public Works was also created, which should have
charge Of disbursements for all constructions and
improvements In the district. 1t resulted that the
negro vote was cast solidly for the new plan, and
the '0ld citizens" were left out In the cold. They
nade some feeble efforts, helped by one Colonel
Philips to turn out the now government through the
action Of the Courts, but failing they relapsed into
. condition Of chronic grumbing, which avails
them nothing and only tends to impair their
mutual property the real estate Of the city OF WASH
ington.
When the new Board got into power, IL came at
once to tho main point and that was TO raise
money. MIR. Shepherd, native Of this district, an
enterprising young man, by avocaton boss
plumber, drafted plan OF general improvements,
10 be paid, for Jointly by 100000 loan. and by
$4,000, 600 to be assessed upon properly holders
hu
This staggering proposition in Town which had
never voted itself anything but mado itself q
measly-iooking lobby every year, begging an ap-
preparation from Congress, was forthwith pro-
nounced to be o corruption scheme. IL is proba-
bly, only corruption scheme thus far
that the whole $e,OoOooo ought to be taken ont Of
the pockets OF the present property holders here,
generation. These Very .old citizeHs,n now COM com.
planants who preferred to give their town over 10
NE Soutn IN nme OF rebellion Taer ama, see the
able fortunes by the improvements necessated upon
their lands IN the political metropolis should have
been made to pay part OF IL back IN these general
improvements. The estates OF Corcoran, Riggs,
Taylor, Todd and such people are amply sufloient
under the hammer and been forfeited for not meet.
ing said taxes nobody would have been much
cheaper; whereas now ir Is held at preposterous
ngures considering the very insufficient character
TIE TOWN WITHOUT INSTITUTIONS.
Inc only theatre In washington IS a dangerous
structure on an unpopular street. sustaining an in-
onerent STOCK company scarcely able to second the
sstars" who pass through the town In winter
There has been no club TO speak OF here until within
a1ew months, aud That one has grown out Of the
more hopeful municipal governments. The market
shamDles in the centre OF the city were nideous to
and a market company is putting up costly and
handsome brick STRUCTURES But even this market
the '.oId citizens.n who would neither buid
2 market themselves nor were willing : to
connected tue city with It's nourishng suburb
OF Georgetown. and It frequently happened that the
passabe. so that the markets Of Washington have
always been higher IN prices than elsewhere In the
ste s: BEEN merely scattered OF un Oh
tenements surrounding the government BUILDINGS,
Without local institutions OF any Kind and Win
pleasant climate after Congress had ceased its work
and the executive government had gone or jun
ketting. 1I1
In constrast to such city washington new pre-.
eents the animated spectacle of great gangs OF men
in the middle or winter grading streets
anew, laying wooden and asphaltuin pave.
MAKE broad pavement or boulevarded streets,
putting down new water MAINS laying new streets
PARK pass through The waoe town. ana encircea
BY the city, alter the fashion OF Green, st. James
na ~ ydS ,s Pans s 10 ondS c thus Il that
can walk along its main artery or Pennsylvania
avenue and see distinctly spread before him at the
foot OF the improved grades the river Potomac.
The reduced grades OF some OF the streets have
left the Old houses well up In the air. but the banks
beng set as terraces render them more picturesque
sp which shall take sno city %ent out Of the the
Did shambles where the Courts now SIT An opera
New bridges are nearly 1nlshed across Rock
Greek, and the Tiber u already partly
Navy Yard to Georgetown there is block
pavement for nearly the whole distance and the
avenue OF an afternoon presents delightful scene
OF teams, h0rsemen and buRgiae promepading.
The terraces OF the Capitol are at last completed
and II the government comes up to It's promise the
Park the east eide OF the Capitol win be regarded
next spring SO as to show the Capitol from the front
as conspcuously as IT 10 now beneld from the rear.
two yearA and many hundred are now gong up, all
OF better class than were known IN former times.