Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-10-15


shall greet with an improved and beautl-
full city. The national capital is to-day nearer
TO what the capital Of the republic ought to
be than ever 1t was before. The greater
number Of eur avenues and streets compare
iayOrably with any streets In the world.
During the last twelve months public and
private improvements have been made In all
SECTIONS Of the city to a marvellous extent.
Private dwellings have been erected by the
thousand; the West End has grown to be one
Of the most beautiful dwelling places In the
Uulon; General Babcock has wrought Won
drous changes with the small appropriations
at his dispOsal; hotel accommodatiOns have |
been Increased; the era Of mud and ruin and |
decay has passed away forever; magnificent |
schoOl-houses have been built; elegant |
churches are being erected. The stranger |
who will come to sec General Grant inaugu- |
rated on the 4th Of next March, who toiled |
up to the Capitol in the Nth Of the Avenue |
four years ago and marked the general des-
olatlou all around, will, when he comes this
time, hardly recognize the city. The old
Washington has passed away, and the new
Washington, lovely as q flower garden, has
come, with smooth avenues, parks and
fountains, and a hundred monuments Of prl-
vate and public enterprise.
The coming five or six months will In a
great measure decide our fire as a commu.
nifty. Our destiny Is entirely In our own
hands, aud II is the duty OF every one Of US
to sec that that destiny is not lost or thrown
away. In the first place we should lay aside
= nj a,s.I
unite as one man to advance the interests Of
the city socially and commercially. The gem
tlemen who have been lntrustcd with the
management Of our affairs during the last
year and half have received a magnificent
Endorsement In the recent election. The
party that intrusted them with power has
been indicated by the country. The results
that we sec around us on every hand fully
prove that they have acted for the best in
terests of the whole city, aud labored with
| single eye to the public good. 1t is true that
the great improvements that have been made
have not been done without causing some in
| dividual loss and perhaps suffering, but that,
In the very nature Of things was Inevitable
We do not approve of everything that has
been DONE but taking the eutire work as q
whole, we arc confident that niuety-dye per
cent. Of our people will say that 1t has been
done well, and that the improvements made
by the Board OF Public Works are simply
\ superb.
We hold ii to be the duty Of every citizen
Who desires TO see Washington grow great
and prosperous, who desires to see her step
Into the front rank Of American cities and
bold her place there, to do all that In him lies
10 strengthen and sustain our District author
tiles. We shall need assistance from Con-
gress this winter, and, II we sustain our repre-
sentatiyes Us they should be sustained, we
shall get il. We must have no more lnjunc-
ton suits; no more reckless and uuioundcd
charges and fruitless Investigations such as
we witnessed year ago. Nearly three
months were then consumed In efforts to
| drag US down to oar old position Of degrade
ton and decay. The man or the party of
men who shall endeavOr TO rc-enact those
scenes this winter Is nothing more nor less
than public enemy. The senseless agitation
OF year ago Injured us immoasurably; the
gross attacks that have from time to time
been inspired In partisan papers all over the
Union have driven away capital and hindered
Investments. II the persons who caused 10
much dUtriment In the past seek to indulge in
similar practices this winter. It Is well for
them to know in advance that they will meet
the fate they so richly deserve aud viii not be
tolerated. We mean that our authorities,
from the lowest to the highest, shall be held
to strict accountability, but we shall not
countonance efforts that are only made for
the pure sake Of "Cussedncss," and out OF a
spirit of partisan opposition. The national
capital should have nothing to do with ma
tional politics In the sense and the meaning
that other portions of the Union have to do
with them. The city belongs to the nation !
Is the ward OF the republic the common
daughter OF all alike. Hitherto she has been
treated as u sort Of st9p-daughtcr among her
sister cities; but we have only ourselves to
blame for II. We have never been united In
our demands Instead OF that we have stood
alOOi, split up into score OF factlous-One
department working against the other one
clique undOing what the other did.
Now, II we wish to prosper and advance,
this spirit Of dlsuniOn and dsOrganization
must come to an end. The pressing and I'M
mediate duty of all Washingtonans Is to make
Washington in fact as In name the capital Of
tho republic. To achieve that end we are
now In better position than ever we were
we have in fact everything In our favor, and
1t will be our own fault If we throw 1t away
General Grant warmly srmpatbizes will
every movement to benefit the city; in hi
last message no spoke kinder words for 1t t
Congress aud to the country than were Spoken
by any President since Washington. A larg,
majority Of the men 10 both Houses of Con
gress are friendly and will not hesitate Il
give us liberal appropriations If we only seel
them in the proper spirit and bring the prope
influences to bear upon our representatives
local as well as national. During the mex
four years Washington will have an oppor
tunity such as she never had before. Let u
prepare to avail ourselves Of ii.