National Republican., 1877-11-01
DISTRICT MATTERS.


The following interesting letter from Com
missioner Bryan to tho executive committee ap.
pointed at the citizens meeting was unavoidably
crowded out Of our columns yesterday morning
II will be read with interest,"
GEORGE W. RiGGs esq, Chairman Hon. GEORGE
TAYLOR, Judge JosErh CASEY and others:
GENTLEMEN: Mr.. Fox delivered your invitation
to me to attend the meeting OF the executive COM
mlttee Of the one hundred citizens" or II not at
tendingo present any suggestions that might occur
to me.
The purposes of your organization have been so
intelligently aid thoroughly discussed by members
themselves as well as by the press that iorbear TO
| add more than merely the expression Of the hope
that our citizens generally will study the great
questions involved, aud SO iamiliariEe themselves
with the salient points to be aDlc each one to ad
vance the good cause with Intelligent and ehectua
championship.
Embryo" edited by Messrs fachtz and Pratt, will
be found an exhaustive account of the
ORIGINAL NEGOTIATION AND CONVEYANCE
Of the lands upon which this Federal city was 10.
| Gated. From this review II Is apparent that the
nineteen original pruprctOrs donated the great
| bulk Of their lands N the General Government:
aud surely II was not the design Of the contracting
blancc OF justice thatth little remnant retained by
| those original owners should bear the enormous
expenses Of establishing aud maintaining the capi.
la that the land 80 reserved should be burdcncd
moi only with It's own taxes but with those Also Of
| the lands thus donated
claim so prepoSierous would seem scarcely
worthy Of the vigorous attack to be found In the
able report OF Judge Poland Forty third Congress,
first session. report No. 621D 10 which desire par
oppOrtune to circulate among the people the fol-
lowing extracts; The following table Of
COMPARATIVE STREET AREAS
will illustrate the scale Of magnifcencc upon
which the city was laid out;
Ratio of street areas of certain Cites-Paris,
2iOS per cent; Vienna S,US per cent; philadel
pha gDOS per cent; Berlin, 26OI per cent; Boston,
?6.0l per cent; New York, Sj.OS per cent; Wash.
| A.
''Thc committee believe there can be no question,
In laying out such city as Is here described, that
| 1t was FULLY contemplated by Government that
the extent ofexpendlures would keep pace with
| the magnihccnCe of the plan to be ultimately
carried out. - Everything about II was To
| correspond with the magnitude Of the object for
which 1t was intended. 1t foresaw far distant
future when IL was 10 be the centre of continent
under one form Of government; looking to 1t for
| where all Improvements made and expenses III.
CURED were to be for the benefit of the whole peo-
pie. There Is something revolving TO n
proper sense Of justice in the idea that the United
states should hold
FREE FROM TAXATION
more than one half Of the area of the capital city
| should require TO be maintained city upon an
| unusually expensive scale. from which the or
dnary revenues derived from commerce and
| manu- ulacturcs are excluded: that In such n case
the burden Of maintaining the expenses for the
capital should fall upon the resident population.
A very large proportion Of this population are
temporary residents, and only brought here To
the Government in various CupNcltleS. Aside
| from all question of sentiment or patriotism or
| pride In the national capital, your committee are
impressed with the belief that the Federal govern
| ment sustaIns at least such relation toward the
citizens of the local government as would require
| II to contribute 10 municipal expenses nn amount
| bearing a,rclation to the whole amount required
which the interest of the Federal government here
bears TO the interest Of the local government; aud
this they believe TO bo at least half" Those OF
It's who claim that
THE VAST DEBT OF THE DISTRICT
should bc assumed by Congress because incurred
by United States officers, appointed under the law
OF Congress fluids support In the following extract
" In strict legal sense there can be said to be no
such thing as local government Of the Dstrc! OF
| Columbia, for there can be no government within
| the District independent of that of the Federal
Government; and whatever local authority there
may be now existing. or which may hereafter be
set up within the District, 1t can omly be regarded
legally as an agency nf the Federal Government
and whatever authority this local government
may exercise, It must be regarded as the act Of the
United states, through their delegated representa-
tives."
let every citizen enter the field with good courage
and unfagging zeal II Is a mistake to suppos.
that the lnbors Of the hundred or more citizens
absolve the rest from their
INDIVIDUAL OBLIGATIONS
in this matter of such vital consequence to the Die
trlct If the choir consist OF hundred or more
under the sblest leadership II is only for the bette
training Of the entire congregation. All are ex
pccted to join In the chant In thus comparing
the attitude of our petitoning people to that Of
church assembly let me, with no irrcvcrcnce, be
seech all to attend this church and unite IN th
petition to Congress, the supreme ruler of this Dis
trlct. There is ample room outside the church 70
the discussion Of all the differences between thu
members, for the examinations and recriminations
legitimate and ilegtimate and for all the battles Il
redress grievances. Without the sanctuary thcr,
Is restraint In these matters; but within let mi
exhort all to unite In the one righteous prayer fO
rccf-n prayer which should not be disturbed b!
any such agtatlons, nor should the anthems o
either the choir or the congregation discourse on,
dscOrdant note. First, let the one great end be nj
taned-all other matters can be seulcd anerward
SO that the right may prevail. Very respectfully,
THOMAS Il. BRYAN.
WASHINGTON, Il. C., October %, 1871