Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-03-07
TWO BOUNDARY DISPUTES.

President Cleveland is likely to be
asked to decide a boundary dispute at
home, or it may be submitted to the
Supreme Court for settlement. Both
New Jersey and Delaware claim juris-
diction over the Delaware river for
some distance above and below the
town of New Castle. New Jersey in
sists that, as the Delaware river is the
boundary between the two States, her
Jurisdiction extends to the middle of
that stream.
A similar controversy is likely to
occur soon between the Federal gov.
ernment and the State Of Virginia
over Alexander Island, small spot of
ground near the Long bridge, which
has recently been purchased by a
syndicate OF horse men and occupied as
a race track. The question of juris-
diction is Of recent origin, and is raised
by persons who are opposed to winter
racing. Driven from New York and
New Jersey, syndicate of winter race
horse owners came to Washington
where, presuming upon the precedent
of Jackson City, the Monte Carlo of
this section at the Virginia end of the
Long bridge, thew selected Alexander
Island and established q track, conf
dent that the Virginia authorities would
not interfere with their plans.
The races commenced last fall, and
were conducted six days week, rain
or shine. When winter came the man.
ayers, listening to the voice of protest
against cruelty to man aud beast, post
poned the races on two or three
stormy occasions, but the winter being
the severest on record, the' horse own
ers and bookmakers became dissatis-
fled with the delays. Entries were an
nounced daily regardless of the wealth
er, and the races were run when the
track was covered with snow, sleet and
ice. Whether the track were frozen
solid or ankle deep in mud the jock
eys, thinly clad, would be called to
the post.
In the wild scramble to reach the
wire first many of the horses, slipping
and sliding, were cut down and fell on
the ice killing one or two and seriously
iniuring several of the jockeys and per-
manently disabling some of the horses
This aroused the humane citizens of
the District, who, being convinced that
they could not expect the Virginia au-
thorities to suppress winter racing,
searched for some lawful method of
keeping the track closed, at least dur
ing the months when snow and ice
were upon the ground. They finally
decided to raise the question of jurlss
diction.
When the Father of His Country Sc
lected the present site of the city Of
Washington as the seat Of the general
government, the States of Virginia and
Maryland ceded to the United States
adjacent territory sufficient to form
district ten miles square. The present
District of Columbia is that part OF the
old district which lies in Maryland. the
land ceded by Virginia having been re-
turned to that State, and the southern
boundary of the District placed at low
water mark of the Potomac on the Vir-
ginia shore. The officers of the HUI
name Society are confident that a ju-
dicial recognition of the boundary line
will bring Alexander Island under the
jurisdiction of the District, but the de-
cision will really rest upon the ques-
tion whether small stream of water
| between the island and Virginia is a
part of tho Potomac river.-Ne,U York
| Herald.