Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-21

would call upon distinguished representa-
| tive of the city, and for the time being one OF
| the Commissioners of the District govern
! ment lone who did much in his private
| capacity to beautify Washington, even at his
| own expense, and who commands to a large
extent the confidence of this community"
Commissioner Truesdell was then presented.
CommissfOncr TruesdeIrs Speech.
Commissioner Truesden said: st regret
that Commissioner Ross is not here to
speak for the municipality this evening,
but am always glad of an opportunity to
say a good word personally for our distin-
guished guest and to join in any demon
stration in his honor. No one who witness
ed the great Transformation in our city.
wrought by him. or who now visits the
capita. for the first time, could fall to take
rote of the fact, that this beautiful city, In
which every American feels the deepest
pride, and which excites the admiration of
the world is a monument to two men, the
great Frenchman who planned 1T and our
honored guest and fellow-citizen who laid
tho foundation for its present beauty and
future greatness.
Mr. Truesdell then referred to the negl ect
with which Congress had treated the capt.
tai city, which had struggled as a Strag-
Cling village through seventy years Of pre-
carious existence until. in February, ISL,
when. with a population Of 100000 and a
debt of five million dollars, a per capita in
dehtedness larger than we have today with
all our magnificent improvements. the ter
ritorial form of government was estab-
lished, and the District of Columbia be-
came for the first time in its history one
municipality.
Conditions in 1871.
1.-THE population of Washington" contin-
ued Mr. Truesdell, had increased between
1860 and 1870 from 61,0OO to 100000. an in
crease of 5000, Of which increase about
one-half were colored and the residue made
up largely of government employees. drawn
here by the temporary but very large in
crease of work in the executive depart
ments during the war period, but who were
not generally bona flde residents of the
District. Neither of these classes of peo-
pie increased the wealth Of the city greatly
or it's ability to bear the additional burdens
of debt"
He showed that the assessment Of real
estate in 1871 was as follows: Washington,
500, SIS, SS6; Georgetown, SS,213, 46I; total.
S73, o.. 353. The debt was s5OoO,OOO, or
.O6Sl per cent Of assessed valuation. The
assessment In 1895 is: Washington, $751;
O54, 76i; Georgetown. $I.T51,6 county, &c.
74S,6 go; total. SID, 555.0 4G. The debt is $ls-
OOO,0 900 or .G4 per cent of assessed valua-
ton. But as the United States under the
organic act assumed one-half of the debt,
1t Is only .0l7 per cent of the assessed vall-
alton.
He then referred more at length to the
crippled CO nultlOu VI w dSHiIStOL, DOlh
physically and financially. In 1871, and con-
tinued
The Work Of Regeneration.
ut was at this critical period in the his
tory of this city that Alexander R. Shep-
herd, aided by few far-sighted and pub
lc-spirited citizens, undertook the appar-
emily hopeless task of lifting the city from
its helpless condition to a place worthy of
its position as the capital of the republic,
and to arouse Congress from its lethargy
to a sense of it's obligations and duty to the
city. Such was the task which Shepherd
had set for himself and his brave asso-
ciates, and such were the conditions under