Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-03-04

rate OF s25 ($6666) 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 54l acres; and
thus the United States, for the consideration
of $4,000 acquired title to 1858 acres or nearly
fOttr.ffthS of the entire area of the city, viz:
Area OF streets. ::...........3 1904 acres.
lots donated. ...::::1,5es s
Total. tal.........................5,65 5,653
1t was further provided in these deeds that
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 grant of money to be
appled toward the erection of the public
buildings, &c, under the act of Congress of
10th July, 1870. for establishing the permanent
seat OF Government; and it appears that the
ITS lmpr0vident management, paid not only
the $4,000 due the pr0prietOrs, but also the
cost Of erecting the public buildings prepared
for the reception of the Government in 1909.
and of their restoration after destruction by
the British in the war of 1872.
1t is a fact, then, that the public buildings
ment and the 54l acres of public reservations,
now worth from SIS, ,C00,000 to $4,000. .00O to-
gether with all the streets and avenues of the
city, were a tree GIT to the United States from
government, as ratified by the state of Mary
land. and confirmed by the Supreme Court of
the I nited 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 mOiety of lots which fell to
above referred to, was reconveyed to them.
subject to such regulations as 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
buildings to be erected thereon. And the con-
trol OF private property thus reserved was
early period of the city'S history.
The plan of the city, as approved by Wash
ington, IS on scale OF unprecedented magni-
ticence; with streets, 80 to 160 feet in width,
covering more than half its area; and, at the
period OF its foundation, and for many years
thereafter, it was without population, or 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. 1t was not until
lSl2 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 projected by its found
sTs Tor PreGy S to be
out regard, in a legal sense, to the voice or
wishes Of its citizens. And, although the ap-
pIopIlatlons by Congress, for general i'm
at all commensurate with the princely grant
under which the Government holds nearly a
hundred millions of real estate, or with the
Grand design and expectations of the found
erS OF the Republic and of its capital, as man.
iiested by their early acts, they have at all
times admitted the national obligations, and
responsibilities in this regard.
See report of Senator Southard, I'd Febru-
airy, 1885; report of Senator Brown, 18th May
1873 1s}S; @ report , Of House Committee on D; of G.,
Judiciary, lst June, iS7l; report Joint Commit. it
tee of Two Houses, 1th December, 1874; report
Joint Committee. of Two Houses, 1876
careful inquiry into the comparative ex-
penultufeS DV the local and federal GoVprp-
mentS, for streets, sewers, and other improve
ments, for the common benefit, shows that
while the appropriations by Congress for these
objects, Ij ,,o up to the present, do not exceed
s6,0COO0O, the District Government has eXpend-
ed Tor the same purposes not less than $35, ,000,-
shGnt @ %es M m s1m 1a Is d d5ePresened Ph by DEBT Of
has been furnished in cash, by the taxpayers
of the District.
1t further appears that these expenditures
by the local Government, except So 9,OOO, 900, ex-
pended prior to 1871, were made, and SIS 100000
OF this oppressive debt contracted, by agents
OF the Enited States, over whom the citizens
OF the District had no control Whateyer, and
for whose acts, therefore, they are in no man
ner responsible.
The federal property, equally with that of
private owners, has shared the general benefit
OF these expenditures; but, in addition to this,
q large portion thereof has been expended in
front OF the various public reservations. 1t is
lures has not, by several millions, reimbursed
the local Government for improvements, by
which %dnc6. the public propertyhas been specially
As in the beginning, the Federal City was
without population or resources to which it's
founders could look for its development and
wholly without means, either of wealth or in
dustry, to meet the enormous outlays, necessi-
tated by the magnificence Of it's plan. 1t has
o the wants
owned by the United States, and pay no taxes:
ana the other half T. is IN now mortgaged E for more
tracted in exhausting and paIalyzng efforts to
make it what its patriotic founders designed
it to be-a National Capital, worthy Of the
By the statistics upon taxation, it appears
that the assessment Of the taxable real estate
OF the District for 1878 was $s7, ,612 222s, while
the value OF Federal real estate according to
assessment made in 1873 was So, ,9S6, ,l56. Had
the government property been assessed under
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 in
dividuals is believed by the assessors to be at
present value and when this fact i'm connec-
ton with the enormous leyies of special taxes,
Is considered, it may be confidently asserted
private property of this District is greater
than that borne by any other community in
the United States while its resources in pro-
portion to population, are less. For it must
be borne in mind that the rate of taxation,
$50 on the $lU0) 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. 81 e. = :
-, 1t is estimated that more than t,co,titths 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 per
cent. per month is running against all prop
erty i'll arrears for general taxes: and the
special taxes, "a large amount of which are
now held by banks,) bear interest at the rate
OF ten per cent. per annum. And if we add to
cial proceedings against delinquents it is ap-
parent that, without speedy relief, the District
government will soon be possessed of more
than half of the property of IFS citizens