Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-06-22
line would begin at Hunting creek
-o,-A1.

the Old Dominion, as well as territory
south of the Eastern branch. The site
of the corner stone, having for few
months pending this action of congress
been outside of the district, was
allowed to remain within the iuris-
diction of the federal government for
period of fftv-five years. Then in the
year 1916 the act of retrecession wa5
passed and the state of Virginia again
assumed authority over the territory
wnere the corner stone was located.
And thus it happened that nearly EaH
century after he was gathered unto
his fathers, the plan of Washington was
nu1lified and the national capital was
placed entirely on the north side Of the
Potomac river; and this condition was
brought about by the influence of the
misguided Virginia legislators who
failed to comprehend the unwritten and
unspolzen desires of the greatest OF
Virginians.
The original corner stone of the Dis
trict of Columbia is now on Virginia
soil. and has none but mnemonic rele-
vancy to the capital of the republic. 1t
was laid with great ceremony and pa
rade away out in the country on Jones'
point, south of the present lighthouse,
on April Is, 1791. From that point, inn
mediately afterwards the survey was
commenced and lines were run as di-
rected by the presidents proclamation.
These lines were marked by hewn
stone posts placed at intervals of one
mile. The posts were inscribed on the
district side with the words: ''Juris-
diction of the United States" and on
the opposite side, according to location,
were inscribed either the word MARY
land" or Virginia" On another side
appeared the abbreviation ''vari" for
variorum, with the number of the stone
and the date 1871 or 1792. The survey
was completed during the year
1892. The corner stone is about
two feet high and stood isolated until
the United States built the wall inclos-
ing the lighthouse. The stone was
then included in and forms part Of this
wall on the south. From this stone
the surveyors located the longitudinal
and meridian center of the district.
The stone marking the exact center OF
the ten-mile square was located about
where the Washington monument now
stands.
The entire population of the city of
Alexandria and the contiguous coun-
try was less than 10000 souls, and
therefore the numbers Of the partici-
pants were as nothing in comparison
to what would be expected upon such
an occasion to-day; for now at least
half million people would throng our
streets, crowd our cars, and almost
swamp our steamers. Nevertheless
the ceremony of laying the corner
stone was quite an event at that early
day. There was as grand process
sion as the sparse population OF this
section of the country could muster.
Two of the newly appointed COM
missioners of the district were present.
A contemporary account states that
when Hon. Daniel Carroll and Hon.
David Stuart, district commissioners,
arrived in Alexandria on the 18th Of
April, 1791, the mayor and commonal-
ty, together with the members of the
civic association, at three o'aock
waited on the e2mlaissi2naers g. ME.
Wise'99 1Cfty HoteD, where they dined,
and, after drinking glass of wine to
the following sentiment, viz: MAY the
stone which we are about to place IN
the ground reroain an inmovab1e
monument to the wisdom and unanimi-
ty of North America the company
proceeded to Jones' point in the follow
ing order: First, the town sergeant;
second, District Commissioner Carroll
and the mayor; third, men and COM
mon council; fifth, strangers; sixth, the
master of lodge twenty-five, with Dis.
trict Commissioner Stuart on his right
and Rev. James Muir on his left;
seventh, masons in the usual form of
masonic proeession; eighth, citizens
two by two.
The master of the lodge, Commits
sioner Stuart, and others placed the
stone and it was laid in accordance
with the masonic ceremony. That
was quite in keeping with the cir
cumstances, for George Washing
ing in free-masonry as he was OF
manship. The masons in those days
were paramount in all civic affairs, and
Washington did much to accelerate the
influence and standing of that order in
the new world.
The company partoolz of refresh
ments and, returning to Wise's tavern,
drank toasts, one of which, that of DR..
E. G. Dick, has been preserved: 'sMay
jealousy, that green-eyed monster, be
buried deep under the work we have
this day completed, never to rise again
within the federal district But, with |
all their toastings, fraternal desires and |
intentions, jealousy, that green-eyed
monster" was not buried beneath that |
stone, nor was ''selfshness forever
buried" Those people Immediately |
entered into scramble for choice town |
lots, for federal offices, for official pre- |
fermentS, and their descendants have
been keeping it up ever since.
SMITF D. FRY.
Alarming.
Piplin The board of health census
shows an alarming state of affairs on |
irlr