Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-02
votes in favor Of assumption of the state
war debts.

war 0eOc9.
Some D0EEerel Rhymes.
In this way assumption was carried, and
the Potomac got the Capitol BY the terms
of the Potomac act Philadelphia was to be
the temporary seat Of government until the
year 1eoo. and after that ~ Representative
Wolcott expressed It, the capital was to 60
permanently Ito the Indian place with the
long name on the Potomac" where the pc
cuniary and territorial offers made by the
commonwealths Of Virginia and Maryland
were to be availed OF. The ten-year con-
cession to Philadelphia, 1t would be OBJ
served. was intended. as Jefferson tells us.
''as an anodyne." to calm in some de-
gree the ferment which might be excited
Dy the other measure alone-that relating
to the Potomac and Connogocheague. This
picturesque but formidable looking Indian
name was pronounced Conny-go-chig. rhym-
Ing with big, Jig, and pig. The creek Con-
nogocheague was. and still Is. an obscure
stream rising in the northern part of
ward to Williamsport, in Washington coun-
ty, Md, where it joins the Potomac. Con-
gress at that time was holding its sessions
in New York, and the metropolitan news
papers Of the day abounded in quaint
squibs and quirks and jibes and doggerel
rhymes at the expense Of the unfortunate
creek. In one of these performances a
Gotham servant girl is represented as an
that
Since you writ us.
The Congress and court have determined to
quit u.s.
and then, as referring to her masters feel
ings on the subject thus:
He hopes and prays they may die in .
II they leave us in debt for Federal Hall;
In fact, he would rather saw timber or dig
ihan see them removing to Connogo-
Where the houses and kitchens are yet to
The trees to be felled. and the streets to
be named"
Another piece, entitled Virginia to Massa-
chusetts," illustrates the sectional jealousy
tnen existing in relation to the prominent
men who had been concerned in the selec-
ton OF the capital site:
dear Sedgwick. give over the making q
bother.
About the Potomac. about the Potomac;
We speak not In fun, it's as sure as a gun,
You there shall smoke shoema ck, You there
shall smoke shoemack.
And you. Mr. Gerry. be not quite so merry
About Connogocheague. about Connogo-
For your dull punning jeers. your mobs and
your fears
We care not a fig. we care not a fig"
In turn, Massachusetts, is thus made to
reply to Virginia:
fe noodles! how noozled. perplexed and
bamboozied
Are We of Potomac, are We Of Potomac;
fe had better be found at your homes, safe
and sound,
A-smoking of shoemack, a-smok:ng Of
shoemack.
The Union you'd sever for sake of YOUR
river,
And give up assumption. and give up as
SUMPTION;
There's White, and there's Lee, and there 8
Maryland'S G.
Wise men all of gumption wise men all
of gumptionv'
The Federal City Christened.
But the ''noddies'' had their river and
their shoemack and the capital besides, al
thoush not quite on the Connogocheague,
ana they could well afford to accept good
humoredly the thrusts aimed at them in the
last extract And Connogocheague, more
over. was not destined to be a perpetual
joke. 1t dropped out of sight completely in
short time. and the federal city with pre-
eminent fitness was christened Washing
ton" by order Of the first District Commits
sioners.
There is tradition that the confederated
tribes OF Manahoacs and Monocans the In
dams who Inhabited the territory now en-
braced In the District of Columbia when the
first English settlements were made in Viz
ginfa, used to hold their annual campfires
and barbaric councils on the very spot
where Congress now meets. In 1853 the
ground was occupied by a canny Scotchman
named Pope. who facetiously called his
plantation Rome and named the little
creek that formerly flowed across it, now
filled up, THE Tiber." Is 1t not a reason
able expectation that the city of Washing
ton on the Potomac and the government
planted here may yet altogether outshine
the glories of the republic Rome on the
Tiber. JOHN d. CREMER.