The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-11-23
Seleet Miseellany.
EARLY DAYS IN WASHINGTON.
HENRY LOOMS NELSON.

If Philadelphia was sad. what can be
said of Washington in these early days?
When the government moved there in
1900 the journey was made over roads that
did not deserve the name of highways,
that were mere wagOn-tracks blaZed
through the woods. The wagons were
rough and springless makeshifts. The
company was prOmiscuous and democrat
ic. The inns were generally neat, but the
food was chiefly of sated pork There
was everywhere inadequate accommoda-
ton. Europeans complained that they
were compelled to sleep in rooms which
contained from two to a dozen beds, and
sometimes to occupy a bed with stranger.
The journey from Baltimore to Washing
ton that is now made in an hour required
long day century ago while the best
part of three days was consumed by the
Journey from Philadelphia to the new cap
ital As Mrs John Adams recalled it, the
way was sombre. the woods were thick,
the swamps were noisomc the evidence of
life were few. Now and then hut was
seen in small clearing, and there were
inns at the end of the stages between Phil
ldelpha and Georgetown.
Washin gton itself was the most uncOm-
Portable capital in the world. Nothing
was finished The President moved into
an uncompleted White House. and Con-
gress into an incomplete Capitol. Penn
sylyania Avenue was described by John
Cotton Smith as deep morass covered
with alder bushes" The trees had been
cut from it. sidewalks had been made with
chips from the stone of the Capitol, the
black Tiber Creek wich crossed it had been
| spanned by Il timber bridge Here and
there were groups of wooden buildings for
! the accommodation of Congressman. Six
| brick dwelling houses that are still stand
ing on Pennsylvania Avenue between
| Twentv-t first md Twenty-second streets
! had been built with money derived from the
sale of lottery tickets There was one
good tavern about forty rods from the
| Presidents house, but there was enormous
! hcrs of Con sress. the cabinet officers, and
all but Il few persons who were compelled
| to keep house lodged in the tavern and
| boarding houses. What diScomfOrts they
endured is best illustrated by an entry in
the diary of Il member of Congress.
Speaker Scdgwick,' he wrote, was al
lowed a room to himself the rest of us in
pairs" The Northern members who had
never favored the removal of the capitol
10 the banks of the Potomac began to talk
about their eXpatriation, and to grumble
1t the loss of luXurieS they had enjoyed in
New York and eSpeciallyin in Philadelphia.
attempts to repair the mistake and to move
back to Philadelphia were at once begun.
These failing an effort was made in 1904
to remove the capital to Baltimore. The
two wings Of the Capitol were not com
pleted until 1911, and so slow had been
the progress of Washingto that after the
public buildings had been burned by the
British in 1914 there was a strong party III
Congress opposed to an appropriation fol
their repair.
The people who dwelt i'll the Fedora
City" in 1890 were poor, idle, unclean
Mr.. Wolcott said, They live like fishes
eating each other. Some of them were