Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-28
THE BOSS, BIG JOB.
How Gov Shepherd Made the National
Capital.

greatnephew of Frank shepherd, one Of
the mates of the prfvateer Bon Homme
Richard, when commanded by Paul Jones.
His father was lumber dealer at Wash
ingtOn, where mis- mother kept boarding.
house, and he, after serving as clerk,
saw that with the Introduction Of the PO-
tomac water, soon to be made, there would
be a demand for good plumbing. Going 10
New York, be learned the trade, and was
thus able to make considerable money
while young man. Interesting himself
In public matters, he was made the Presl-
dent Of a board OF public works, and he a.
once began 70 transform lines Of mud
( holes into well-paved streets bOrdered with
shade trees. he found that during the
previous seventy years the United States
government, although il owned every
| street and avenue In Washington, and
every alternate building lot besides. had
/ neglected its duty and obligation most
shamefully. The property which it owned
had been decided 10 it with the condition
that Congress should improve it. Yet,
! up to the year 1871, it had spent on It's
/ half Of the whole area Of the city only
I $500 ,O0e. while the citizens bad spent
/ 900 for public improvements. The
Z citizens had taxes TO pay. The govern
ment paid no taxes whatever. The board
1 endeavored 10 carry out the law which
/ provided that in making improvements
/ the property which abutted on the avenue
/ or reservation improved should pay its
/ due proportion of the cost.
In 1871 a new District government was
( organized, and Mr.. Shepherd, at the head
/ OF board OF commissioners, formed a
plan for the general improvement Of the
metropolis at a cost Of SG000.0 900. Work
was commenced but Judge Wylie at once
issued an injunction against its prosecu-
! ton, and a provision in the organic act
required that in case Of such ENJOYMENT
the whole question should be submitted
10 the people Of the district. This was
done. The people sustained the commits
| siOners nv vote Of 1900 out Of a total
vote of $4,000, and the work was therefore
commenced in August, 1871. In the
November following the court in banQue
reversed Judge WylIes decision, and the
work went on.
There was, OF course much opposition,
as some Of the regarding involved altera-
tons that to many property owners
seemed outrageous. TO sink a street
| from five to twenty feet below its former
level was TO leave rows Of dwellings away
up on a hill. And in some places it be-
came necessary TO raise the street levels
up to the first and even the second-stOry
window lambs of houses alongside. To
appease the angry hOuseholders left high
were graded and sOdded. and along one
row Of houses, owned by Messrs. Ed
munds, Bayard and others, a new
carriage-way was made. Houses be-
low the grade were raised by
screws to the new street line, and
new sewers were laid in accordance with
a new plan OF drainage. There was, how
ever, much discomfort Oh the part Of the
taxpayers, and in February, 1872, a com
mittee OF investigation was ordered by
Congress. The investigation lasted four
months. The cOmmitte vindlcated the
board, reporting that it had been guilty
of no evil practices, ETC., and the report
was sustained by the House in open SEES
sion. The board commenced operations
anew, and worked through the
whole year 1872 with a great deal
men employed. In March, 1873, Con-
gress showed its appreciation of what
had been done by voting about $3,500,000,
| and during the rest of 1873 the improve
ments were pushed hard. In February,
1874, another Congressional committee of
| investigation was ordered, and it sat for
five months. About 1000 pages of test-
mOny were taken. The result was the
abolition Of the District government on
the ground that it had exceeded its
authority in making the improvements,
and the enactment of a law placing the
| government of the District in the hands
OF three commissioners.
/ Gen. Grant, who was personally cogn-
zant of Mr.. Shepherds labors, nominated
| him as one Of the commissioners, but
| clamOr had been raised against him. and
/ the Senate rejected him. Favorites Of
| Congressman had undoubtedly prOfted by
! contracts, but Notwithstanding the reck-
less charges made against Mr.. Shepherd,
no one accusing him had been able to put
! his finger on a single specific fraud. For
! three years all the papers relating to the
work in every part OF the District passed
| through his hands. He thus frequently
examined more than a thousand papers a
day, and so kept himself familiar with
every detail. In that way he was able to
prevent fraud and theft, and to choke
scandals which were kept alive by sheer
falsehOOds.
The amount OF work performed under
Gov. Shepherds direction was enormous.
1t included the grading for and laying of
% miles of stone pavement, so miles of
concrete pavement, 90 n lies of wood
pavement and 200 miles Of brick side
| walks. The originally defective sewerage
was made complete and thorough. and
many thousands OF shade trees were
planted. Spots and squares formerly Oc-
cupied by tumbledown and useless tene-
ments, or for half century surrendered
pretty parks. Waste and marshy lands
In the city and suburbs were reclaimed.
The street lamps, which used to make
darkness more profound, were multiplied
Until they really light the citizen on his
| way.
This wonderful transformation was the
work OF Gov. Shepherd. but In accom-
plishing II he lost his own property, and
was forced to exile himself to Mexico.
where he is engaged in mining operations
! with his accustomed energy, but is COM
ing TO Washington TO attend his daugh-
ter's wedding. The people Of Washing
ton owe II TO themselves to erect two
statues, 70 stand in two OF the small parks
at the intersection OF the avenues. One
should represent Major EEniant the
French engineer who planned the metrop-
! oils, and the other Gov. Shepherd who
executed those plans. and made Wash.
ington worthy OF its name and fitting
metropolis for the United States Of
! America.
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DisaDpparauCp Of n Hermit