National Republican., 1885-08-07

IIlts
Mount Vernon, nt the death Of Wash
ington in 1900, comprised 10000 acres
of land. 1t was divided into five farms
upon which wheat, corn, and tobacco
were largely raised. Washington in.
herited this vast estate from his
brother Lawrence, who came there and
erected mansion in 1743. and named
it in honor of Admiral Vernon, under
whom he had served as captain in an
English regiment in the West Indies in
17i0. In his will Gen. Washington di.
vided the estate into three parts. The
mansion, with 1000 acres of ground,
was left to his nephew, Bushrod Wash.
ington, an associate Justice of the United
States Supreme Court. Judge Wash
ington, having no children, left the es.
tate to his nephew, John A. Wash.
ington, who retained possession until
April @, 1858, when for the sum of
100000 he disposed of the mansion
and 200 acres of Mount Vernon TO the
Mount Vernon association. There is a
little romance connected with the pur-
chase which is worthy of mention. To
Anne Pamela Cunningham, of South
Carolina, is due the honor of raising the
purchase. money and giving TO this coun-
try the home Of Washington. She was
an only and indulgent daughter, a con.
frmed invalid from her nineteenth year.
In her childhood she had visited Mount
Vernon, when the idea took hold of her
to make 1t her aim in life to buy Mount
Vernon. From her sick bed she aroused
the enthusiasm of the southern women
that resulted in success. She inspired
Edward Everett, and his lectures
on Washington and writings netted
the sum of S69,000. She inter.
ested Madame La Vert and Mrs.
Cora Mowatt Richie and in 1860
the house, the tomb of Washington, and
200 acres of land became the property
of a national association. The legisla.
ture of Virginia granted charter to the
association. The capital stock was
limited to 100000. 1t was granted in
perpetuity and no disposition of the
property could be made without the con-
sent of the legislature. None of the
Washington family could thereafter be
inferred at Mount Vernon. During the
war the spot was treated as neutral
ground by the soldiers of both armies.
Congress after this appropriated $1,000
TO pay losses sustained by the associa-
ton in passenger traffic. Among the
plans to carry out Miss Cunningham 8
project was the formation Of ladies'
association, each state in the Union was
to be represented by q lady who was
to be known as vice regent.
The constitution of the association
states that the officers shall consist of
regent, vice regents, secretary, treasurer,
and such subordinate officers rs may be
.nund necessary. Each regent shall
haya the power in case of her impending
death to name her successor. The
regent sh all have the first nomination of
the vice regents. The vice regents and
the regent sh.,ll constitute the grand
council, which meets annually at Mount
Vernon or Washington. The legislative
power of the association is vested in the
brand council. From 1866 Till the pres
ent date the vice regents have met In
annual concavc ut Mount Vermont The
aim of the ladies has been since the close
of the war to raise the sum of ;Sl00.0G0,
which, properly invested, would give u
sufficient income TO meet all expenses and
forever keep open, free to the public, the
portals of the place. BY strict economy
in expenditures an endowment fund has
been created, and the report of it in
1884 for the fiscal year ending April 80,
made by Treasurer G. Francis Riggs, is
as follows: u. S. a. per cont. bonds,
$4,000; u. per cent. bonds, $4,000;
u. $. currency 6 per cent. bonds, 81 900;
Central Railroad and Banking Company,
of Georgia stock, 81 400; Central Rail-
road and Banking Company, per
cent. scrip, $500; two shares of
Portland and Rochester Railroad
Company stock, and four shares
Farmers Bank of Virginia, from which
tho association derives no income.
The receipts, according to the same re-
port, were $i,2i4.3O, and expenditures,
s3,1s9.G0. Superintendent Hollings.
worth also reported as follows :. There
were 1G,7O7 visitors by boat and 2l0 by
land. The receipts were From boat pas
sengers, $5, ,680.50; excursions, $415.69;
visitors by land, s54.75; sale of flowers,
$4O7.35; sale of photographs, $3o6.08;
boat wagon, $l07,05; sale of COWS, $4S;
articles made of Washington's oak,
sG0.75; sale Of guide books, $67.20;
sale of milk, $22S,G GO; sale of farm pro-
d,,ce, $435.s3; lunch table to June 0,
sl99; sale of Lossing's history, wills,
&c, N25,75; checks received from re.
gent. s13; balance left over from pre-
vious year, $l.74; total receipts, So
GO; expenditures, sS,033.44. The
balance was deposited with Riggs *
Co. In 1884 there was cultivated ten
acres in corn, ten in oats, four in pota-
toes, six in wheat, one in rye, eighteen
in fruit trees, twenty in grass, and one in
vegetables.
The secretary of the council is Mrs.
NJ. j. NJ. Sweat, of Portland, Me-, and
the reports are all printed at her home.
The report makes thirty printed pages,
and the ireasurer's $ accounts show that
500 were paid to have them printed.
But few copies are printed, and these are
doled out to the select members of the
grand council with the understanding
that the world must not look upon them.
This way of doing business has occa-
stoned much trouble among the ladies,
resulting in aristocratic and democratic
'lactions. The aristocrats desire all mat
ters to be kept from the public, while
the other side wants everything done
openly and in public gaze. There has
been much trouble occasioned by the
warning elements.
A reporter in an interview with Mrs.
Col. l.. w. Washington, a vice. regent,
last evening, asked her if it was possible
for the United States to gain possession
,of Mount Vernon by purchase.
''No," Mrs. Washington replied, "for
a clause in the charter reads as follows
'The property purchased by the associa'
tion shall be forever held by it, sacred to
the father of his county; and II from