The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-05-12
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

cultleS In establishing the new capt.
tai were all overcome when Congress
after years of bitter struggle, enacted
that it should be located on the banks
of the Potomac. The glebe for the
most part was heavily wooded for
est, portion of which was granted
by land patent, dated June 5, 1868,
to Francois Pope. and was called
Hamburg. Some years later as it
was located on the Tiber it was fit
tiDgly named Rome. That portion
of the present capital lying on the
north side OF the Tiber, and along the
CohonguetOn or river of swans (Po-
tomac), was dignified as the widows
mite" in an old land patent, dated
July 5. 1851, and the very spot where
the White House now stands was
owned in fee by the Queen of Portu-
gal. This territory in these early
years was inhabited by the Manacan
Indians, who We're constantly at war
with the Powhat0ns of Virginia.
These tribal striffs, the smallpox,
and the love of spiritous liquors rap
idly wasted their population, and in
1869 they left the homes of their an
cestorS and united their fortunes
with the dusky Tuscaroras. In the
changes of one hundred and fifty
years the lands conveyed by these
old patents had become possessed by
Daniel Carol. Motley Young, David
Burns, and Samuel Davidson, who
each decided their lands to Thomas
Beall and John MackaIl Cant, truss
tees, who conveyed the same to the
commissioners and their successors
in office for the United States forever.
The conditions of sale made with the
land owners by George Washington
gave the proprietors every other lot
and S25 per acre for all the land TAX
en- for use as squares and public
grounds, and in consideration there
of the streets were to belong to- the
United States forever. This arrange
ment havi"g been consumated Pres
ident Washington appointed Major
Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a hot hea d.
ed Frenchman, as engineer TO lay off
and map the city. In his allotment
of lands 10, l36 plated lots fell to the
government as their share, besides
the sites designated for public build
ings, parks and reservations.
These lots were offered at public
sale October II, 1871, and thirty-One
only were sold, at prices from 500 to
$500 each, one-quarter being paid
down in cash. Washington was
greatly pleased with the plans of
L'Enfant, particularly with his loca-
ton OF the capitol far away from the
President, thus making it difficult
for Congressman to make their visits
too frequent. This French engineer
was bull headed, hard to manage,
and Washington removed him and
appointed Andrew Elicott in his
stead. In 1893 work was begun on
the capitol under tie direction of
Mr.. HaIett as architect, soon to be
succeeded by James Hoban, an Irish
man, who was the architect of the
Presidents house. Meantime flats
of the future capital were made, sent
to Europe, and foreigners made large
investments in lots on capitol hill,
where it was thought certain the city
proper would be built. The lands
where the densely peopled portion of
the city now lies, along Pennsylva-
mia. Massachusetts and Connecticut
avenues, was then nothing but a
marshy bog thought to be almost
worthless. The building of the cap
itol and other public buildings was
great undertaking, and the lack of
funds was serious embarrassment.
The government credit was at so low
an ebb that Washington made perse-
nal application to the legislature of
Maryland for loan of $3.50 900. The
sum of 100000 was voted December
%, 1876, on condition that the COM
missioners should become personally
responsible for its payment. On
these Terms the money was secured
and the work was pushed forward
vigorously.
June 10, 1900, the commissioners
reported the capitol ready for occu-
pancy. AT once the public offices
were removed from Philadelphia to
this struggling village, with no COM
forts or convenlences. The army in
Flanders never swore more vigorous
ly than did those who opposed the
location of the capitol in this "city
of magnificent distances" as it was
derisively called, 1t was a city on
paper, One wing of the capitol and
the Presidents house, both built of
white sandstone, stood like whitened
sepulchres in the dismal dreariness
of the Struggling village. Streets ex