National Republican., 1883-09-05
ExrENDrNe THE CITY LIMITS.
Mr.. s. p. Browns Response to the Com

Mr.. 9. p. Browns Response 20 the Conn
missioners in Behalf OF the Petitioners
It will be remembered that some weeks ago
a petition signed by many Of the most infiu-
ential citizens of Washington was handed to
the commissioners praying that the plan OF
Washington be extended on the northern
boundary so as to include the hills extending
west Of Seventh street. The REPUBLICAN,
prefaced this petition with an article showing
what was tho intention Of the founders, and
how necessary for the future prosperity and
beauty Of the city was this conformation. The
commissioners replied to tho petitioners, ac-
knowledgng the wisdom and justice Of the
petition, but intimating that the commits
sioncrs had no power to alter the plans now
being laid down in tho northwest Of the city
so greatly at variance with the organic plan.
Future subdivisions" they said, should be
made to conform with the plan of the city by
q law that should bo passed by congress.
Now this, of course, was an absolute abandon
ment Of the original plan of the city. From
being the handsomest city in the world II
will not, under the ruling, be twenty years
before Washington will be iumble OF
crooked and blind streets, worse than the old
part of Boston was before the great FIRE. A
great deal Of dissatisfaction was engendered
by the letter of the commissioners.
And now, Mr. s. =. Brown, to whom the
letter Of the commissioners was addressed,
has written to those gentlemen the following
communication:
WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept 4.-To THE HON.
oRABLB BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE
DISTRICT OF Gentlemen: My
apology for delaying formal response to
your communication of tho thirty-iirst ul-
timo is the fact that, owing to midsummer
nha nd nth haa al IN
some time TO consult as fully as l desired
with the leading petitioners whose names
were signed to the petition OF July 10.
Your Communication covers the desired
ground, and in behalf of the petitioners
thank you for tho attention to the needs oi
the district manifested by the tonor Of your
communication.
Your letter, however, contains one clause
which seems to me obscure and the meaning
Of which appears, in view of the particular
object of the petition, to require calculation.
You say (page 2, lines 2 and 81 "a law
should be passed to compel future subdi-
visions to conform to it,"
Accepting this clause at its normal moaning,
l infer that you surrender the right Of gov
ernment to regulate tho Typographical ar
rangement of the district, so far Ms already
surveyed additions to tho city of Washington
are concerned. That is to say: Wherever
plots Of subdivisions have boon made at the
will of the owners, prior to the passage of a
law by congress expressly regulating the
same, you admit the right of such owners to
adhere to their subdivisions, irrespective of
the grand plan OF the capital city of the
nation.
This construction of the laws, statutory and
otherwise, Of the municipality, would in my
Judgment be in the first instance fatal to the
main object of the petition of July 10, from
the fact that certain inharmonious and un-
symmetrical subdivisions having already been
made or projected, they would by the lam
guage of your letter have acquired an
indefeasiblo right to remain permanently, sc
to speak, Of inharmony and incongruity in
the midst of the grand plan.
This implied construction /, on behalf OF
the petitioners. most respectfully undertake
to combat In our judgment the original
plan of the city of Washington was calculated
to embrace any and all future additions tt
the municipal territory that might be made
within the bounds Of the District of Colum
bia, and tho natural logic Of the laws which
congress has from time to time enacted with
regard to the system of streets, avenues
shade, parking, and parks, applies by un'
questionable implication to the whole terri
| tory of the federal district, subject only Il
such insurmountable obstacles of nature a.
| may be apparent.
That the next twenty years will witnes
the building of o city on the heights nortl
Of Boundary and west of Seventh street, equa
| in extent aud Importance to the present Wes
End, and doubtless far surprising 1t in beaut,
of architecture and surroundings, no observ
ing man now doubts.
The confguration of this tract is remark.
ably adapted to the extension of tho system
Of streets and avenues which abuts upon il
from the south. AS yet but Comparatively
little actual improvement has taken place
and only portions Of the tract itself have
been subdivided upon plans inharmonious
with the original city. The authority Of
congress to regulate such affairs is unquestion-
able. The desirability Of preserving the
continuity of the original plan of the city, or
grounds Of convenience of transit, beauty oi
situation, facility of ventilation, and sym
metry of topography, is too plain PROPOSE
tion to require demonstration. 1t fact, il
may be observed that the managers of one Of
the new additions-that formed by the late
Stone estate-have already plotted their trac
in conformity to the plan of the
as the confguration Of their ground
seems to require in order to produce feasible
grades. But larger and important additions
are in some instances being plotted without
| conformity to the general plan Of tho city
and it is to this fact that the petitioners par.
| ticularly desire to call the attention of the
| authorities.
We trust that whatever recommendations
may be made to congress on this subject in
your report will be based upon the assump.
tion of the inherent precedence of the original
plan of the city ever the whole territory Of
the District of Columbia, and that the resul,
may be the enactment Of general law regu
lating additions which shall settle for all time
the question now under discussion.
Owing to disfranchisement and non-repre
sentation the people Of this district have nc
means of evincing their public spirit or popu
lar will except through petition and remon
STRANGE, and the emergency now presented l.
certainly one in which those appliances
should be exhausted in order to conserve tn,
public welfare of the community, present and
future. Very respectfully, your obedien
| seryant s p BRowN