Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-19
WASHINGTON OLD AND NEW.
| Col. A r. Britton on Her Past Growth and
Present Needs.

Col A T. Britton on Her Past Growth and
Present Needs.
From Kate Fields Washington.
''Halloo, Col. A. T. Britton! Can you leave
your many duties and talk about Washington?
You are not the oldest inhabitant by any means,
| but you are one of the most enterprising; and,
| having been here ever since the war are able
to compare the former capital with the new"
Compare? There's no comparison IL is
the difference between an unkempt slattern
! and beautiful woman arrayed in her best
gown"
| very likely. Washington must have been
poor specimen Of an overgrown country village
| in 1861. What was the population
'Only &C, 600. and it was governed by no less
than three different corporations Washington
! city had its mayor, board Of aldermen and
common council; SO also had Georgetown; ard
| all of the District outside tho corporate limits
| of those two cities was governed by the levy
court, whose initials can still be seen upon some
| stone posts along the country roads. At that
| time Washington had lost the charming SIM
plicity and rustic features of a village without
| having assumed the attractions and improve
ments Of city. 1t had grown somewhat, but
| its trousers were up to its knees and its coat
| sleeves were ont at the elbows BY the grace
| of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad it was fed
| and clothed by Baltimore; and in all its moral,
| years behind the development OF the nation it
should have represented.
THE war of secession, take it, necessarily
| revoutionized this state of affairs?"
Yes. The immense governmental eXpendi-
| lures here, the necessary incidents flowing from
the continued presence of great armies in this
| immediate locality the influx of intelligence,
patriotism and courageous strength from the
best thought of the north, infused new blood
and nerve force into the dormant organization
which had simply existed here. The ice rapidly
| broke up before the incoming tide. Every
| train of army wagons that fairly ground the
| unpaved streets out of the semblance Of creative
form opened the way for the beautiful carriage
| drives that have succeeded them. EVERYBODY
of strong, young life that settled here necessi-
| tated the growth of municipal improvements,
| OF homes, of school houses, OF everything that
| goes to make up the moral, social and intel
lectual development Of the capital city of great
| nation"
| WAS not the proper expression Of this de-
velopment restrained and hindered for a time
| by the non-progressive elements of the old
moss-grown Washington life?"
! 'Cnquestionably. 1t required Baron Hauss-
| man to break those letters, and Alexander II.
| Shepherd became the man for the occasion.
| Whatever may have then been said of the rude
| energy with which he broke through all the
| mere forms OF restraining law and moved with
forceful disregard of individual rights to the
promotion OF the general and ultimate good of
the community, it would be difficult to find the
| old citizen of Washington who will not now
pay glad tribute to the power and intelligence
with which he built up this city of mud dust
and shantles to be among the most beautiful
cities in the world. Many of his most bitter
enemies Of those days would now gladly con-
| tribute to do him honor. 1t is meet that it
| should be SO. To few men comes the oppor-
| tunlty OF saving and recreating the capital city
OF republic of 100000 of people. Fewer
| men would have had the courage and power to
seize upon and improve the opportunity"
| Il N glad you appreciate long abused man
| SO thoroughly. OF course il has since taken
great power, wise thought and liberal legisla-
| ton to build up the moral, social and intellec-
| were 30 boldly reformed by Shepherd. What
| do you think of its present goyernment?"
| I'm my opinion Washington stands today as
the best governed municipality in this coun-
try. OF course much remains to be done.
| Progress is a necessary incident to the life of
the world The tree that has ceased to grow.
dies. The government, whether national or
| municipal, that does not advance, retrogrades
All mus; keep moving, either forward or back
| ward"
What are the present necessities of our city,
in your Judgment
1T would be a large contract to point out
| the necessities of a quarter Of a million of peo-
pie, but one point may be hastily indicated.
| Much has been done to invite rich people to
| Washington, but little has been undertaken to
encourage the incoming of the class of medium
wealth. Yet from the latter class come the
strength and growth of any community. The
board OF trade and other representative organ
izations of this District should by carefully
prepared editorial matter published in the
press of the entire country, by properly written
correspondence, by well circulated statistics in
the form Of pamphlets circulars and other
wise, make known to the great body OF Amer
| lean citizens in ordinary life and station that
| Washington is not only one OF the best gov
erned, most healthful and pleasantest places Of
residence, but that 1t is also one of the cheap
| est