Evening star., 1877-11-13
THB RELATIONS OF THE DISTRICT o.
COLUMBIA TO THE GENERAL
GOVERNMENT
Report From the improvements Com
n1ttee OF the Citizens Com
mtttee Of One HundreG
An Efecfirs E.rI i5if.

bia, has been made by the Improvem snIs
Committee OF the Citizens Com mittee of One
Hundred:
WAsHINGroN, d. C November sin. 1s77
VI " GdE, Esq Chairman Of IAtpTOre5lsh'
C. 0lBrttoc:
Sir-In obedience TO resolution of the S0th
ullimo, under which We were appointed n
SUB committee TO obtain and report tnfOrma-
ton respecting the relative duties and ooii-
CATIONS OF the Federal Government aud the
tax-payins citizens of the District OF q Jlum
bia In regard TO public imprOv ementS in said
District, We beg leave 10 report the follow ng
statement of facts derived from official
sources and pertinent, as we think, 20 the
subject in hand, viz: The Constitution OF
the United States invests Congress with
power of"eXclusive legislation in all cases
Whatsoever IN this District, with the SANE
absolute authority and control that IL Dos
sesses and exercises over the various forts,
magazines, arsenals, and navy yRris of the
Country Article l, section 8, clause II.
2. The present site of the city of Washing
ton, embracing an area Of ,16I acres, as the
result of negotiations conducted in person
by President Washington, was on 29th June
H9l, conveyed TO the United States "tO be
laid ont for a federal city, with such streets,
squares, and parcels and lots, as the Presi-
dent OF the United States for the time beng
shall approve" and that al the streets, to-
gether with such squares, parcels ami lots.
as the President should select for sites for
the public Buildings, and other purposes,
should be held forever ''for the use OF the
United States" the gOvernm snt paying for
the squares, parcels anu lots thus selected AT
the rate OF $500 per acre, and the resid he of
the lois 10 be fairly and equally divided be-
tween the United States aud the proprietors
Deeds of Daniel Carroll and others, ori ginal
prOprietors.)
;. The lands reserved by President Wash
lnglon FOR the use OF the government under
this arrangement, and still held by the
United States, aggregate OIL acres, and thus
The United States for the consideration OF
so6,00O, acquired title to ,6l3 acres, or nearly
fourth -fifths OF the entire area OF the city,
viz:
Area OF streets ............... , ,6ai acres.
reservation: -----..-..-.... OH -
90 lots donated. ..........l,5 sos
Total ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. SOS
and this title, as ratified by the state of
Maryland, tact of assembly 18th December
1911, and Judicially establ shed by the Su-
preme court Of the United States, (Nan Ness
VS.. city of Washington, Peters, 2}2 q, is
complete and absolute tnat the government
may, whenever so inclined close and oc
cupy and even ALLEVIATE any of the streets,
aid the owners of lots affected thereby, oe
without redress Even The mo,e,y of lots
which fell to the prOprietorS in the division
of the residue above referred to, was recon
veyed 10 them subject TO such regulations "a
might be prescribed By the President, Ia
regard Dot only TO the improvements OF the
streets, but also As to tue materials and
manner of buildings to be erected thereon.
4 The plan OF the city. as approved by
Washington, Il ON scale of unprec edsnted
magniticencS, with streets from 10 TO 100 feet
in Wldtii, covering more In in haf its area,
and al the Period OF lis foundation, a Id for
many gears therea. er. 1t was without popu-
latGn.
). u view OF the preceding facts it is clear
that Washi g'on was projected by It's found
ers for a purely ationai city, to be governed
and improved exclusively by Congress,
without regard 10 the voice or wishes OF It's
citizens; and such in fact was It's history
during the first twenty years of its progress,
or until lel2. when for The first time the Cor
pOratiOn OF Washington a1t the Levy Court
of the county were authorizki - open a nj
improve lhe streets. roads, &c.
Z. In The deeds Of the propfietors above
quoted il was ~i,rLher stipntated that toe
nnoleiy OF los douaet TO the governmels
sn1uic oe sold, and the procae lis of such
soSs after the payment to them OF the $1,000
due for the public reservations, should be
held by the government as ga grant %
money" to be applied towards the erection OF
the public buildings, &C., as provide ed in tue
act OF Congress for establishing the perIDa.
nent seat OF government, approved 10th July,
1890. And il is a fact that the fund derived
from this gift, notwithstanding its improvi-
dent maragem ent, paid not only the paltry
the cost OF erecting the public buildings,
Capitol, Presidents House &C., as origi-
nally prepared for the reception of the gov
ernment, and OF their restoration after de-
structiOn by the British in the war of 1872.
7. II appears, then, that the public build
ings originally provided for tue use of the
ervstiOn. now worth from S25,000,O0o to
$50 900 900, together with all the streets, ave
nues and alleys, were a free GIT 10 the Uli
ted States from the original proprietOrs; aud
although the appropriations by Congress for
Improvements In this District, in which the
gOvernm ent has an interest In common with
our citizens have never been at all commen-
surate with this princely iiberality. or with
the obligations which it imposes, or with the
grand designs and expectations OF the found
trs OF the republic and OF It's capital, as man;
1fested by their early acts, they have at all
times admitted the national obligations AM
responsibilities in this regard, as will appear
from the following reports. VIZ: or Senator
Southsrd ID February 1885: Senator Bro ~ue,
10Th May, 1858; House committee on ID. c.,
18th May, leI2; House Committee on judi
clary LIST June, ls'i; JOIN Committee Of two
Houses, .th December, ISL Joint Com nit
tee OF two Houses, 1SIG. And these various
express IONS by Congress have been jealous
ly seconded in most of the annual IN Assages
of the Executive 10 Congress.
Z. An examination OF the comparative ex-
penditures by the local and federal govern
ments in this District for streets, sewers, and
other Improvements for the common benefiC,
SO far as we have been able to pro Secuts the
inquiry, shows that while the apprOpri stions
Of The general government for these objects
up to the present time 10 not exceed so 900 ,ODi,
The District government has expended f,r
these purposes not less than S35, 900 900, which
sum is represented by a debt OF about
S25 000, COO, and the balance OF Sl2 900 900 has
been furnished in cash by the taxpayers OF
the District.
9. 1t further app ars that these expendi-
So Zoo 100 GOO expended prior to is.i. We're male ma ie,
and SIS yOOO,O00 of This oppressive debt COO
tracted, by agents OF the United States over
whom the citizens OF the District had no con
troll whatever, and for whose acts, therefore,
they are in no manner responsible.
10. A large portion OF these expenditures
by the local government has been made for
improvements in front Of the various res
ervations, and the federal property equally
with that OF private owners has shared the
general benett of all these expenditures. BIZ
a simple Improvement m ade recently by the
District government, VIZ the filling OF the
canal and improving of b street from Eth
street eastwardly, more than 80 acres OF laut,
valued at - j00, 900, have been recla amad and
added 10 the government park fronting on
The same; and II Is claimed that ne Sc .0lO .ooo
OF federal expe nditures has not by several
millions reimbursed the local governm eat
for Improvements by which the puollc prop-
eriy has been specially benefited.
IL. As, in the beginning, the federal city
was without population or resources 70 which
its founders could look for its development
and improvement, so also al the present time
ID is wholly without the means, either in
property, commerce or manufactures, TO
meet the enormous oullays which the mag
ni6cence of its plan requires. Ii has no
business except what il based oa the local