The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-14
AN AMAZING GROWTH.
Washington City Flourishes
Like a Western Town.
FORTUNES IN REAL ESTATE.
People Go There From all Over the
United States to Spend Their Money
Mr.. Flowers Champagne.

rlghted, 1880. New railroads are being
built out from Washington City in every
direction. Three new electric lines are be-
ing constructed, and the rails are already
down between the treasury and the patent
office of the new G. street line, and cars
will be running, it is said, by the hrst oil
January The business part of Washing
ton is changing. A few years ago all OF
the chief business houses were on Penn
sylvania avenue with few second-class
stores on Seventh street. About eight
years ago little shops began to spring up
on + street, which runs parallel with the
avenue on the north. and only
about four years ago was it settled that +
street was to be great business street.
Now the street property is the most
valuable business property in the city and
as an evidence of its rise, the Honorable
John w. Thompson, Washington's mill
ionaire banker, bought last spring the cor
ner of + and Thirteenth street, just below
the Ebbitt house, and paid $4,000 for it.
This was considered an immense price,
and the conservative investors of the
city raised their hands in won
der. Mr.. Thompson went off to Europe
during the summer, and after nice trip
through Norway and Switzerland, re-
turned few days ago and sold his prop
erty for $350OO0, making $4,000 off it in
six months This street railroad has
made a great boom in G street property,
and it will soon be as busy as f street is
now. The owners of residences along it
have grown rich, and houses which three
years ago were worth $1,000 are now worth
$25 900.
4l.a oft
Denver was named, tells me that his land
lady was the other day offered $54,OO0 for
a house which she had bought for $1,000,
and there is negro woman who owned
little 5000 property on street some
years ago who has made SIS 900 on it. Elk
Senator Buckalew, of Pennsylvania, and
General Denver were chatting together last
night of the wonderful growth of Wash
ington, and of its elements of prosperity.
''The people outside of Washington" said
General Denver, "can't understand 1t.
They say the town has no
manufacturers, no water front, and no
commerce, and they can't see anything TO
make it grow. 1t has, in fact, the biggest
factories in the United States, and its
hands are the best paid. There IS the
treasury factory, with its 5000 employees,
receiving an average of about 81 600 year.
There is the interior department, which
has 5000 or 1900 more high-priced hands.
And there is the pension office, the war
department and the dozen of other govern
mental institutions, which must increase
in size and which distribute millions of
dollars every month"
'Yes," said Senator Buokalew, "and
there is congress with its 400 men getting
5000 salaries and spending more than
5000 year here on the average. There
are the thousand odd people who hang
around congress wanting to get something
out of it, and there are the nabobs who
are coming here from all parts of the coun-
try for their winter residence and spending
here the income of their millions. There
are millions of dollars spent every year In
a social way, and Washington City has,
believe, the best elements of growth of any
city of its size in the country"
YES" said General Denver, ''and the
transient element of Washington City
brings great deal into the city. Every
Inauguration brings 900 strangers, and
he is mighty close calculator who can
pass through Washington City without
spending at least $50 on the way. Wash
ington City gets 100000 out of every
Inauguration, or an average of half a mil
lion dollars a year from this source alone,
and it has conventions of all sorts
from week to week, year in and
year out. Today it is the dentists
of the United States, tomorrow it is some
branch of scientists, and the next day it
is something else. The city grows right
along in beauty and in population. Its
people pay only one-half the taxes, and
the capitalists are not afraid of the voters
voting more taxes upon them. 1t is city
of low taxation and of fair taxation. and
it will be the Mecca of the capitalists for
years to come"
Speaking of the money spent in enter
tanning in Washington Roswell P. Flower,
of New York, gives some of the best din
ners of the capital city. He dined nearly
every member of congress last session and
he is now one of the most popular men in
public life. learned last night the secret
of these dinners. They were given on the
ground of good fellowship in the nrst place,
but in the second place they were also given
to educate Mr.. Flower to the peculiar
tastes and natures of the men who dined
with hun. Under the sparkling bubbles
" Flowers champagne the senator's and
feelings as to public matters, and Flower
now understands how to work each of
them as to his own plans in regard to ma
tional interests and as to the axes of his
constituents. Flower is one of the best
diplomats in congress. He has big head
and brainy one When he smiles, he
smiles all over and he never smiles in vain.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.