Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-01-17


''fOr the use of the United States" the Govern
meht paying for the lands so reserved at the
rate OF f23 tst666) per acre and the residue of
lots to be fairly and equally divided between
the United States and the grantOrs.
The lands reserved by President Washing
ton under this grant aggregate 5l acres and
Of$36,OO0 acquired title to 1858 acres or nearly
to"';GIth Of the entire area of the city, viz:
Area OF streets sntars:;;:a. acres.
lots donated. $500. ,50S
Total. .hG53
the moiety of lots donated to the Government
should be sold, and that the proceeds, after
payment to the prOprietOrs OF the $4,000 due
for the reservations. should be held by the
United States as a grant Of money! to be
applied toward the erection of the public
buildings. &c. under the act of Congress OF
10Th July, $780, for establishing the permanent
seat OF Government: and it appears that the
fund derived from this gift, Notwithstanding
its imprOyident management paid, not only
the $4,000 due the proprietOrs but also the
cost of erecting the public buildings prepared
for the reception of the Government in 1890,
and OF their restoration after destruction by
the British in the war of 1872.
1t is a fact, then, that the public buildings
originally provided for the use of the Govern
ment, and the 54l acres of public reservations.
now worth from S25,o0o,Oo0 TO 900. TO-
gether with all the streets and avenues of the
city, were a free gift to the United States from
the original prOprietorS. And the title OF the
Government, as ratified by the State Of Mary
land, and confirmed by the Supreme Court of
the United States, is SO complete and absolute
that Congress may at any time close and occu,.
py, and even ALLEVIATE, any of the streets, and
the owners of lots affected thereby be without
redress Even the m0iety of lots which fell to
the prOprietorS in the division of the residue
above referred to, was recOnveyed to them.
subject to such regulations rs might be pre-
scribed by the President IN regard, not only to
the use and Improvement of the streets. but
also to the 'materialS and manner OF the
tuUdings to be erected thereon. And the con-
troll of private property thus reserved was
freely exercised by the Government in the
early period of the city'S history.
The plan of the city. as approved by Wash
ington, is on a scale OF unprecedented magni-
covering more than half its area and at the
period of its foundation, and for many years
thereafter, it was without population, OF re-
sources OF any kind the Improvement OF its
streets. and the building of sewers. bridges.
&c., being the sole and exclusive care of the
Government and its agents. It was not until
1872. that the Corporation of Washington and
the Levy Court OF the County were authorized
to open and improve the streets and roads.
From the facts here stated, it is apparent
that Washington was pro jected by its found
ers for purely national city, to be governed
and improved exclusively by Congress. with
out regard, III a legal sense, to the voice or
wishes of its citizens And, although the ap-
pIovemeHts in this District. have never been
at all commensurate with the princely grant
under Which the Government holds nearly
hundred millions of real estate, or with the
grand design and expectations of the founder,
of the Republic and of its capital, as mani
tested by their early acts, they have at al
times admitted the national obligations and
responsibilities in this regard.
See report OF Senator Southland, ID Feb.
1888; report of Senator Brown, 18th May, 1855;
report of House Committee ON ID. of C., 18th
| MAY, 1872; report House Committee on Judlci-
AIRY, lst June, 1874; report Joint Committee of
Two Houses, 7th Dec, 1874; report Joint Com
mittee OF Two Houses, 1876.
careful inquiry into the comparative ey-
penditureS by the local and federal Govern
mentS, for streets, sewers, and other improve
ei ments for the common mon benefit shows, that
objects, up to the present, do not exceed
s6,OOO,OtO, the District Government has ex-
pended Tor the same purposes not less than
$35,Oo0.COO: which hsum is represented by a debt
of about $g3,OO,0G0, and the balance of
S12 coo, COO has been furnished, in cash, by the
taxpayers OF the District: j.,
1t further appears that these expenditures
by the local Government, except 81 ,0O0 eX-
pended prior To 1871, were made, and ST., ,000 900
OF this oppressive debt contracted, by agents
OF the United States, over whom the citizens of
the District had no control whatever, and for
whose acts, therefore, they are in no manner
responsible.
The federal property. equally with that of
private owners has shared the general benefit
of these expenditures: but, in addition to this,
a large portion thereof has been expended in
front of the various public reservations 1t is
claimed that the S6,O00,G0D of federal expendi-
tureS has not. by several millions. reimbursed
the local Government for improvements, by
which the public property has been specially
AS in the beginning. the Federal City was
without population or resources to which its
founders could look for its development and
improvement, SO alSO at the present time it is
wholly without means, either of wealth or in
dustry to meet the enormous Outlays, necessi-
tated by the magnificence of its plan. 1t has
no business, except what is based on the wants
OF Its citizens and OF the government service:
onehalf OF its property, and the best half, is
9%he6 %d t6 oy 1e nted states, ana Pays 1 taxes
than OneJOurM of its value by a debt con
tracted i'll eXhausting and paralyZing efforts to
make 1t what its patriotic founders designed it
to be-a National Capital, worthy of the name
il bears. .....
By the statistics upon taxation, it appears
Of The District for 1873 was $g7 g7.672,2Ss. while
the value of Federal real estate according to
assessment made in 1873 was $95, ,9S6 l56. Had
The increased rates at which private property
is now assessed, the value would have been
considerably beyond that of the latter.
This assessment of real estate owned by
individuals is believed by the assessors to be
at least twenty per cent more than it's actual
present value; and when this fact, in connec-
is considered, it may be confidently asserted
that the burden of taxation imposed on the
private property of this District is greater
,hah INA ti; that borne ] by & any other community in
portion tOpopulation, are less. For it must
be borne in mind that the rate of taxation,
49, on the sl0O) moderate as it may seem is
levied on less than one half of the real estate
OF the District, which is thus made to bear the
burden of The whole.
1t is estimated that more than t,ro .ftths of
the entire real estate belonging to citizens is
now held by the District of Columbia under
purchases at tax sales. A penalty of tUo peI.
cent per month is running against all pro
perty III arrears for general taxes; and the
taX-ilen certificates, issued for arrears of
special taxes, "a large amount of which are
now held by banks,) bear interest at the rate
oI ten per cent per annllm. Aud ii we add to
all this the expense OF tax sales and of juli-