Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-12

! and east were separated by creek and
| morass from a fiat area nearly two miles
| long, only a few feet above high tide and
extending from the present Capitol Hill
westwardly to the Potomac and southwark
| ly to Anacostia; and more than 400 acres
were subject to overflow by freshets. (See
map by board of sanitary engineers, June
$500 The uplands made miry roads ana
would need paving; and the lowlands need
ed dyking, sewering, draining and building
of sea walls. and the filling up OF marshes
The place was a most unsuitable site Tor
city of ordinary municipal resources, but a
suitable one in every way for the capital of
great republic with the revenues of a ma
ton to improve II.
4 Shrewd Bargain.
Washington undertook to get the land
from the owners and effected his object by
persuasions, and, in the case of David
Burns, by threats. His bargain was credit
able to his shrewdness as business man.
March 3, 1871, he wrote to Thomas Jeffer-
son that he had purchased the land for the
federal district, as follows:
THE terms entered into by me on the part
of the United States with the landholders
are that TALL the land) is coded to the public
on condition that when the whole is laid off
as a city (Which Major L'Enfant is now
directed to dol the present proprietors shall
retain every other lot; and for such parts
| of the land as may be taken for public use
for squares, walks etc, they shall be al
lowed at the rate of f25 (s66.66) an acre.
Nothing is to be allowed for the ground
which may be occupied for streets and
alleys"
The assertion so often repeated that at
this interview Washington exhibited to the
owners a plan of the city is contradicted
by the language of the above letter. A
rough sketch of the White House and the
executive departments near it was probably
shown. (See n. Kings letter of September
%, 1903, Burch's Dig, 35D. March 80, 1891,
nineteen
that In consideration of the great benefit
We expect to derive from, having the fed
eral city laid off upon our lands, the Presi-
dent is to have the sole power to order (the
city to be laid off in what manner he
pleases," etc), repeating the terms stat
ed by Washington in the above quoted let
ter to Jefferson.
June %, lIYf, the proprieto-s decided their
lands to trustees for the use of the United
States for a federal city, with such streets.
squares, parcels and lots as the President
for the time being shall approve" The
United States Were to have streets for
nothing, all squares, parcels and lots for
its own use at f25 an acre, half the residue
OF all other lots for nothing, and the price
| C$36.O99) Of all parcels, etc, for it's own use
to be paid for out of the proceeds of lots
donated, when such lots should be sold. The
surplus Of sales was to go to public build
ings and city improvements. CSee Burch's
Digest, Do, 300.
The omission to mention avenues" in
the letters. agreements, and deeds relating
to this transaction is remarkable. There is
nothing in the documents to show that the
proprietorS had any notice whatever that
the proposed city was to be laid out on
plan widely different from those of New
York. Philadelphia and Baltimore. Len
fants plan was not ready for several
months after the deeds were made by the
proprietors. 1t was submitted to Congress,
in an imperfect form, December IL. 1871.
| (Burch, 1850.
Partition of city site with former owners
Acres.
Donated to the United States. for
streets and observation-disclosures. 1905
Donated to the United States. 1916
building lotS.--. W.
Bought by tine -tsaited- States for pub
| lie buildings and use............... Gal
Total number of acres taken by the
InlteQ StateS...... o,lS9
| 10, 1856 lots decided back to former
owners -.......................-.... vs.
Total number Of acres divided. .... Gill
In 1870 and 1871 Maryland donated to
the United States $4,000, and Virginia
$12O GEO. in consideration of the location of
the District within their limits.
Southa rd's Report.
In a report made February .. 1885, for
the Senate committee on the District of
Columbia cad Cong, I'd SESSION., Senator
Southland says: 1T appears that the peo-
Pile of the United States have paid moth
ing for all their public lots, nor for the
property in the streets. They procured
them and now own them. without the ex-
penditure of a single dollar
In the same report Senator Southland
states the account as follows:
THE number of building lots acquired
by the government was 1915 A large
proportion of them have been sold and
given away by Congress- and 1t appears
by the records in the office of the commits
sioner of public buildings that the account
of the government in regard to them may
be thus stated: The cost of said lots was
nothing. There has been received from the
sale OF the building lots $I41.o24.45; there
have been given away to charitable and
literary Institutions lots to the value of
$4,000 800 of which was given to a col
lege out OF the city,; the lots undisposed
of, according to the assessment of 1874,
worth Sl0221Si; there was received by the
government in grants from the states of
Maryland and Virginia Sl?2.OJ0 Gn the
years 1870 and 119D: amounting in all to
81 1122 - And If IL be a correct esti-
mate to put the value of the whole public
reservation at S1,JOn,UOu, the amount will
be S2,612, 24629.''
In report made to Congress in 1916 by
the Secretary of the Treasury, the amount
"accruing TO the United States. from the
mere circumstance OF locating the seat
of government at this place" is stated AT
81. 919, 1911. If Congress had not forced
les of let's when there was little demand
for them, or donated lots given to 1t for a
known as the Federal city fund.- might
have been made to yield at least five mill
lions. an immense sum compared with the
government revenues at the end of the last
century.
Congress Ruled Directly.
II. Second Period. 1871 to May 3 1872
These eleven years are distinguished in the
early history of Washington city by the
fact that the United States managed its
capital. without using the intervention of
any subordinate municipality. 1t acted
through the President and city Commits
sioners appointed by him. The principal
act of this period was the announcement
by President Washington of the plan of
the national capital
This plan was the result of the skill and
genius of L'Enfant, stimulated to the high
est by the patriotic enthusiasm of Washing
ton and Jefferson. The last named sent
from Europe for suggestions the plans OF
the finest cities of the world and the for
mer was in frequent consultation with the
architect. LEnfant was familiar with the
radiating avenues from hunting lodges I'm
the royal forests of France anu with the
three grand avenues diverging from the
palace Of Versailles, the most beautiful COW
eminent city of Europe. In his ardent i'm
agination, the widest street in Versailles
was to be narrower than the mario .-est of
the leading streets i'm the federal city, and
the three avenues of Versailles We're to be
thrown into insignificance by more than
twenty in the capital of the young and grow
ing republic. These avenues, some Of them