Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-02-14
And bowed to white and to negro,-

By starlight on Sunday morning
He kissed my mother adeu,
And threaded the Necks of the Chesapeake
In the snow storm or in the dew;
Old cross roads cbapels grew temples
While he lit with his radiant face,i
The truest and longest sermons
Thatever brought sinners TO grace.
No priest OF the Roman conclave
Had tact or GOshoRmie more;
No bTigand, armed TO the goTget
Felt safer the wild woods DER;
Priest, friend, Franciscan and doctor,
At length his renown appears
A spirit OF civilization,
A statesman on Gods frontiers
And so / shall quit the village,
Content my escutcheon to show;
Content that nothing is stirring,
But the worm that's at work below,
And the soul OF the seed, hence waited,
Which the Lord OF the Harvest must seek
In the little Old-fashioned places,
That doze by the Chesapeake.
HOW WE ARE LIED ABOUT.
The present District of Columbia government
began less than three years ago, under more
usnquil auspices than had been known In Wash
ingtOn since the days of such pastoral MAYORS
as SeatOn and Force. The country was in the
height OF that prosperity stimulated by general
confidence, large crops, cOpious foreign invest
ments in our bonds and railways, and prudent
handling OF the national debt. The new civic
authorities were regarded by the old resident
gress, while the Presidents discretion IN the
local appointments made the revival of the Dis
trlct large feature OF his general policy. Hen
~ ID. Cooke, who had been prominent in almost
every charity OF the District for eleven years.
was made Governor. n. p. Chapman, formerly
OF Iowa, was elected to Congress BY 1896 votes
against II, l0i; and he was reelected in the au-
tumn Of 1872 by 12,443 out of 9,jO1. At a sub
sequent election, October II, 1873, for members
of the House OF Delegates, there was no oppo-
sition ticket to the Territorial government, and
nlxT III oh
schools.
The first secretary of the new territory was the
son OF Hen. Edwin Nj. Stanton. The Board OF
Public Works was led by \. X. Shepherd. a
native of the District, who had been the real
conceiyer OF these political and industrial
changes, moved thereto by some experience in
the Old City Council, and by large property
interests which he held in new blocks of resi-
dences He was the fist man at the close of the
war, TO invest the money he had acquired in il
as master mechanic, In brick and mortar IN
the District. The engineer on the Board waz
y. IL. Mullett, who had enormously developed
as the Supervising Architect of the Treasury
ana has designed or completed more public
architecture than any American. He sketched
the grades, suggested the plans of sewerage and
assured us how the broad avenues could be paved
with small exchep uer, by advancing the foot
walks and parking them next to the house
with sod. Mr.. Mullett was succeeded in time
10y Adolf Cluss, architect, and formerly in the
Bureau of Naval Construction, who had buIIt
the agricultural Building and designed great
number of private residences and public halls
and markets, and lived in Washington since
Fillmore's administration. With these and
other incidental engineers, the Commissioner OF
Public Grounds, Major o.. e. BabcOck, of the
|. ). Army, cordially CCOperated, in order that
the civic and the national improvements might
advance upon the same general plan. 1t may be
said at this point, that the government Possesses
in Washington ninGty-twO d ifierent resei yations
comprising more than six hundred acres.
The first work in which the new authorities
had to engage at home, was to confirm their Sc
a liar VNta nfa
The HOuse of Delegates passed an act author
iZing loan and An issuance OF bonds TO the
amount OF S4,WO 600. The people voted on ii
and aftirmed their satisfaction by 14,7GO votes
against 1,2l3. This vote was of remarkable
unanimlty when we consider that the whole
debt OF the two meagre corporations up to tha'
time mad been S4,3SO, 600. Notwithstanding
this and many subsequent endorsements at the
polls, vast amount of litigation has been
forced upon the authorities by grudging tax
payers; and TO prevent in junctOnS which nigh
bring the work to a stand when all the expen
sive forces and materials had been assembled
1t has been found necessary TO move in the nigh;
like force OF pioneers and tear down some Ole
hulk OF a market shamble in the midst of the
business quarter or abate the nuisance of
freight railroad. The prescience of the nex
workers on Washington was attested by their
suDterranean utilities with which they preceded
mere landscape parade, so that about two
thirds of their work is actually out of sight
While the above labor was in progress, the
lmprovers OF the city were beset by every spe-
cies OF provincial ignorance, which seeing one
nof some comprehensive work proceeding
contemporaneOusly with another, and not UNI
Outstanding the connection, filled the air with
cIamors. Everybody who was disturbed in the
slghtest wanted the thing explained to him, or
he became malcontent. AS the constitution
placed the District under the exclusive jurisdic-
tlon OF Congress, external critics took I'D the
ignorant grievances 6 citizens as In some
mighty felony was going on. Editors at remote
points supported their correspondents, and ar
last the merer rehabilitation of Washin gton which
rat nm To
ton, and was sure to be a thankless task, As
snmed all the stigma of an administration crime
but there were two men who never lost cour-
age, Mr.. Shepherd, the executive officer ard
PRESIDENT Grant, who was the only man in high
Office TO give him unwavering sJnport Nv
what has been achieved in Washington they
VIII poth De vlndicated by the future.
JERRY SNEAK.
The gay police reporter,
He comes to Washington,
To tell how gallant principles
Are sacrificed and done,
And he thinks the leading statesmen
Are cracksmen every one.
The enterprises current
He jOtteth down as "jobs;"
line good old men of family
He Classics as sn0bs:
AND he estimates the President
AS some old pal who robs.
And yet while he blasphemeth.
ho pines 10 De guest
AT tresides Official
Where he called the host pest
And they get the story on him,
Which he does not think lest
Alas! poor social founding,
We Pity while we scorn
Inv youth was ere the SUNRISE
Thine age is ere the MORN
And All career is night to thee,
And all men look forlOrn.
ARCTURCS GADABoUT.
HE Ice HOUSE DISASTER IN PHILADFI-
PHIA-Idking The Bodies from the RuiDs-At
o clock last night J'nsthan Murphy was taken