Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-08
OLD W ASHIN GT0N.
The Struggling Streets and Avenues
Before the War.
MR.. SHEPHERDS NOBLE WORK
He Needs No Other Monument Than the
Beautiful City He Crcated-PiOneer
Work Done by Col James G. Berret
When Mayor.
Written for The EVENING SrAR

~
w. The vast avenues embraced in the plan
Off immortal founder defied the limited means
Of the municipal government by their extent,
and, as they were wholly or for the most part
uninhabIted, they lay like vast fields fallow so
far as any Improvements was concerned The
plans over which Washington had spent many
hours lay in the Office of the commissioner OF
public buildings covered with the dust of nearly
half century. The city government had but
small means and those were absorbed by the
usual municipal expenses The city hall
vas built by money raised in part by
lottery and DIR. Blake won the CAPT.
ital prize, and was unable. as 1 have always
understood. to collect the amount. The govern
ment paid no taxes and no part of the city s
expenses, though owning and occupying nearly
one-half of the inhabited portion of the city at
that time. The condition of the city remained
almost unchanged, except the natural course
of Improvement, for years The owners OF
property seemed cortent to let the slowly
moving tide of Improvement. sluggish as
that which washed the wharves of Lcthe, do
the work, but offered no encouragement for
Investment. The first move to raise Washing
ton out Of the slough into which it had fallen
for lack of enterprise was made seventeen
years after the visit of Dickens. whose picture.
true then, can find no resemblance now In the
most remote part of the city.
AhE hONE VI
In 1859 Col James G. Berret. then mayor of
Washington, procured through the friendly
disposition of the Hon. Albert G. Brown of
Mississippi. chairman of the Senate committee
on the District of Columbia, resolution d.
recting an assessment of the government prop
erty in the city. The assessment made by
the mayor and was the first move toward OBJ
tanning o recognition by the government of its
duty to either pay taxes. as other property
holders or to assist in defraying the expenses
OF the municipal government. formed Tor its
protection, and the first acknowledgment OF
the justice of the claim was when. during the
official term of Col. Berret. the police force
was organized and half its expense as
sumed by the general government. That was
the entering wedge.
At an entertainment given by the cart Union
Association the 3lst OF March. 1859 in re-
spouse to the toast The city of Washington"
Col Berret as mayor, responded and spoke of
washington as an artist" The design over
which he labored complete in all it's
parts, SO harmonious with the ideas he had of
perpetuatlng in lovely city the contest the
struggles and the success Of the old thirteen
states which formed the confederation. that
as Col Berret said, only mind endowed with
superhuman foresight could have perfected his
magnificent intentions. The soul of the artist
shone through the knowledge of the designer
and today the world admits its beauty and its
greatness. Col Berret says: The first leading
idea Is that its broad avenues are Just
III corresponding 10
the old thirteen states. with Yer
mont and kentucky admitted after the
adoption of the Constitution and before the
completion of WashingtOn's plan. The second
leading feature Is that while the streets proper
are at right angles, due north and south and
east and west, the fifteen avenues run diagon-
ally across the city IN every direction and at
their junction with each other formed twenty
circles or squares Of various sizes and fifty tri-
angles" The avenues began with the most
northerly. New Hampshire. and in regular
order Of succession ended with Georgia then
the most southerly. The three avenues nearly
double the length of the others and spanning
the city from the northwest to the southeast
borders, some four miles in length. are named
III the order OF the states, Massachusetts,, Penn
sylvania and Virginia.
wAsHISGToS's GRAND IDEA
"If / may be allowed to penetrate the
thoughts Of the great President artist" said
Col b, ''as he sat brooding over this beautiful
conception Of his genius and hesitating as to
the baptism of the most northern and longest
OF the avenues his great heart though. of the
theater OF the first blood shed in deadly strife
of Lexington, of Concord. of Bunker Hill and
OF Charlestown. where he first assumed the Of
ice of commander-in-chief under instructions
from Congress TO make it his special care that
the liberties of America received no detriment
and with a hand trembling with emotion he
christened 1t Massachusetts Pennsylvania
just midway between the three states. touches
keystone of the old Thirteen
The third of the long avenues he named
most appropriately after his own Virginia.
Only one OF the twenty spaces at that time,
- Lafayette Square, was even inclosed. The rest
remained in as destitute a condition almost as
when WashIngton's eye first fell upon the
site"
Col Berret. in voicing the sentiments of the
citizens OF Washington. whom he represented,
said ''le WOuli maxi an aliusiOp To
hon already commenced and suspended. /
allude to the filing Of the pediments of the
center and the new wings of the Capitol.
learn that figures some twelve or fifteen in
number, 10 I'LL the center pedlments were pre-
pared by the lamented Crawford. symboliZing
The material interests and progress OF the coun-
Try, the central and tallest figure being Liberty.
with her cap. The pediments of the south and
north wings, am informed. have not been or
dered to be filled. venture to make the sug-
gestlon that an appropriate design for the
south one would be the landing of the first
emlgrants at jamestown, In Virginia. and for
The north one the landing. fourteen years later.
OF the first emigrants at Plymouth. in Massa-
chusetts. What could be more in keeping with
the leading idea In the conception of the plan
OF the city than such a symbOliZation of the
landing OF the first emigrants at the south and
north. the two joined together, il were. in
the center pediment, and Crawford's noble
types OF material prOgress-the complement OF
strength and union-wlth the GROWING token
OF liberty now and forever"
He added: III our rulers could for a moment
divest themselves of the idea that in gradually
decorating these vacant places they are doing
anything more than simply carrying to its con-
summation the beautiful conception OF Wash
lngton and IN perfect harmony with his leading
PaTlotie and generous thought. il is hardly
possible TO conceive that they would in any
narrow notion Of economy stint the means to
do it"
The PERIOD OF THE WAR.
Tins speech was printed and circulated
through Congress, and did not fall on ears un-
willing to hear the suggestions. but already
The premonItions OF the coming trouble was IN
the atmosphere. and ere the next meeting OF
Congress the public mind, as represented in
Congress, was In no mood to listen to the gentle
voice of art pleading for the peaceful embellIsh-
ment of the city designed and founded by him
whom Bryon said was
The first. the last the best
The Clneinnatus Of the west"
The suggestions made by Col. Berret of sym.
oollzing the Union were most aptly timed for
only year or two later this city became the
thester Of events which led to the devastating
var and its terrible loss of life and treasure
and during the sad succeeding years the city
vas more than once threatened with all the
dread realities which must have followed it,
capture For the next four years after 1861 all
hoQght or improvement OF streets and avenues
vas bsnished from the public mind every
thought, every energy devoted to the