Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-04-27

Especial CorrcETondcncc1
WASHINGTON, April 25.- Nowhere Il
tho name Of Washington held In deeper
reverence than hero In tho Federal city.
If Washington was the father Of his
country the synonyms Of pitcrnalisin
fail adequately to express his relation
ship 10 the capital. Il was Washington
who conceived the city, selected the site,
secured legislative location Of the seat Of
government. and borc the bftint Of the
burden Of setting the stripping capital
upon It's feet The story Of Washington
the man and Washington tho city Is well
told In history aud yet not well known
to the people II Is story worth
telling again and again. and Of cspe-
cial tineliness Just now when the great
accomplishments Of the first president
are receiving 30 much attention. When
first inaugurated president n hundred
years ago Washington was busy with his
plans for the creation Of great national
city on the shores Of bis beloved Poto-
mac. Washington was in this as in
many other matters long ways ahead Of
his times. Tho site Of the present capi
tai city had been seen by him and had
won his admiration, many years before.
When mere boy no saw II while riding
the country on horseback, and spoke Of
IL when as young officer he campcd
with Braddock on the hill where stands
tho National observatory, within tho
limits Of the present city. Then there
was nothing here but wooded slopes
partly TILED by two or three farmers.
On the hill tops was an almost unbrokcn
thicket of scrub oaks, and the lowlands
were covered with underbrush Of alder;
but between the broad Potomac and the
bluffs, mile and half away, and the
heights of Rock creek mt Georgetown
and of the Eastern branch, five miles
apart, there lay an nmphithcatrc of such
gentle slopes and useful levels that the
eye Of the young surveyor was quickly
attracted TO IL. Washington, always
more of n merchant and engineer than
artist, had thoughts Of n great com
mercial city here, with tho navig
able Potomac, reaching TO the sea
TO help il in the race for suprem-
acy. IL was in this spirit that he
had surveyed tho route of canal from
the Potomac 10 the Youghiogbeny, de-
signed To connect the Atlantic with the
Ohio ut Pittsburg. OF u company or
ganizcd to build such canal he after.
ward became president. And yet 1t is
possible that even Mt that early day he
foresaw the destiny Of his country, and
felt sure IL would some time require n
capital. IL he did not dream of indie
pendcncc, he surely looked forward to
local autonomy and the need Of u scat of
government Tho site of this city he
often passed on his way 10 and from
Georgetown, and later, when occupied
with public cares, while en- route from
Philadelphia and New York to his home
at Mount Vernon IL IL a curious fact
that for generations the Indians used the
site of this city rs meeting place, hold
ing here many council fires OF these
great talks" traditions survived all
through Washington's life, and this
legislative and governmental use of the
ground by the aborigines may have sug.
gcsted to Washington IA similar use by
the new posscssors OF the soil
However this may have been, II il ccr-
tain that Washington was the first and
i'i'h''Nt VI tilt tptulibll OI
tho national capital on the shores of the
Potomac. For eight or ten years bitter
contest was wagcd in congress over the
selection of a site for the capital Of the
young republic. There were many rival
aspirants for the honor, and even at
that early day sectional jealousics were
strong. New England and New York
were afraid the south might gain undue
advantage over them. The Judgment
of congress often changed, and as its
favor shifted from site To- site-now the
Susquehanna, then the falls of tho Della.
ware, again the Potomac and later Ger
mantown-tho country was thrown into
turmoil of conflicting opinion and in
tcrcstS. At one time hill passed both
houses of congress locating the Capital
AT Germantown, now u suburb of Phila-
delphia, but some delay ensuing. recon
sidcration was had and Germantown lost
her golden opportunity. So bitter be
came the contest that it was feared the
republic, as yet none too strongly welded,
would be shattered ere "a settlement was
reached, All this time Washington IA
rored the Potomac, as his correspondence
shows, and was 10th to abandon the
project which had occupied his attention
for many years, but he modcstly re-
Trained from using his great influence in
any active manner.
At this juncture another contention
arose and threatened the stability of the
republic. 1t was, curiously enough, n
public measure similar To the direct tax
rcfunding bill, which President Clcvc-
land vetoed n few months ago Ia car
rying on the war Of independence the
New England and northern states had
contracted large debts, which they now
wished the government 10 assume. Tho
south, having no such obligations, or, if
any, Of smaller sums, naturally pro-
tested. Secession was threatened hy
both sides, TO high did tho feeling run.
This danger was aycrtcd 10y bottle Of
wine and good dinner. just as bottles
of wine and good dinners occasionally
exert great influence upon tn" legislation
and politics Of this day. Hamilton and
Jefferson accidentally met in front of
the presidents house in Philadelphia and
engaged In conversation about the re-
funding measure and capital project.
For half AN hour they walked up and
down together, and next day met Mt
dinner in JeiTerson's house, having
for company several of tho promi-
nent men Of both north and south.
Hamilton, taking the initiative, ex-
pressel the opinion that the men
Of tho north would be willing TO let
the capital go 10 the Potomac if the
men OF the south would consent to pas.
sage of tho debt assumption act. This
suggestion for compromise was happily