Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-14
UNCLE SANS SHARE
Tho Nations Obligations to the
Federal City.
EQUITY OF The DISTRICTS CLAIM
Tho Commissioners Make a Report
on the De Almond Bill.
AN INTERESTING SHOWING
AN INTERESTING SHOWING

The District Commissioners do not ap-
prove Of the De Almond bill-H. R., 444S-
which proposes to repeal all provisions Of
law whereby the United States pays one
half of all District expenses They have
returned the bill to the House District COM
| mittee with long report, in which they
set forth in detail their objections to a
legal separation of the nation and it's
capital. In their report to Chairman Bah
cock they say:
1.-The circumstance under which the ma
tional capital was founded by the national
government for it's use, created an
equitable obligation on the part Of the ma
tional government to share the expenses Of
its maintenance and development.
THE District of Columbia asks from Con-
gress only justice, not favors. Its people
make no appeal to sympathy, nor to pride,
but. strong in the equity of their case, they
invoke for it the impartial judgment of an
enlightened Congress. If it is said that no
other city has half it's expense paid by ex-
traneous aid, 1t is answered that no other
city has to maintain magnificent capital,
fit to be the political metropolis of 10000
900 of people If it's financial system is
anomalous, it's situation and it's obligations
are equally anomalous. The only child of
the nation as Senator Southland styled it
sixty years ago. 1t was never so worthy as
now, OF its iGuStriouS parentage.
The exclusive legislation of the Amer-
can Congress surely entails upon that body
a grave responsibility, and all that is asked
| is that the relative rights and obligations
of the District and the government may be
discussed and decided in the forum of rea-
son, and by the well-settled principles Of
constitutional law"
Constitutional Basis.
The Commissioners cite that clause in the
whit hot
| shall have power ito exercise exclusive
such District, not exceeding ten miles
| square, as may, by cession of particular
| states and the acceptance Of Congress, be-
| come the seat of government Of the United
States" and this power they say, was con-
ferred upon Congress for its own protection,
and 50 that the legislative and executive
functions of the government could be car
ried on without moleStation.
During the revolution Congress was re-
peatedly compelled to change its place of
meeting by the approach of the British
troops. In June. 1873, it was obliged to
leave Philadelphia by a demonstration of a
body of the diSSa tiSfied soldiers of the reyo-
luton, and as the city and state authorities
acknowledged their inability to afford the
necessary protection, the trainers of the
Constitution saw the necessity for giving
to Congress absolute control of the future
capital. wherever 1t might be located.
PRESIDENT w washington entered into a bar
gam with the nineteen owners of the land,
mostly covered with forest trees, and with
but few residents, by which they decided
their lands in trust to two trust tees, with an
agreement that he should select so much as
he saw fit should lay it out as he chose
that all land taken for streets. avenues and
alleys should be a free gift to the United
states government; that the land selected
for public reservations, for public buildings
parks, etc, should be paid for at $6 &c per
acre; that the balance should be laid out
into squares and lots, to be divided equally
between the original proprietors and the
government
Dividing the Land.
The land taken and its apportonment
was: Total number of acres for the city,
GIL; donated to the United States for ave-
nues streets and alleys, 5000 acres do
mated to the United States, 10, 1856 building
lots, or 9S2 acres; bought by the United
States for public buildings and use, al
acres; total number of acres taken by the
United States. 5,129; 10, 1876 lots decided back
to former owners; in acres. 9S2. AS the
al acres for public buildings and reserva-
tons were required to be paid for out of
the first proceeds of the lots donated to the
government. it will be seen thatof the Gill
acres, 5,129 or five-sixths of the whole,
Were a gift to the government, and that
consequently the very ground upon which
the Capitol, the Executive Mansion and all
the original department buildings stand,
did not cost the government a farthing.
The city was designed as the capital of a
great nation-one in wnic h every citizen
of the nation was to have an interest, and
in which all would have national pride.
With that idea it was laid out on a mag
nificent plan and scale. OF the Gill acres,
3,iS are occupied by its streets, avenues
and alleys more than "A Per cent of it's
entire area. There is no city in the world
in which anywhere near So large a proper
ton of its area is thus occupied.
A National Plan.
Senator Southland, in a report, said that
the District was "the creation of the
Union for it's own purposes" the plan of
which was formed by the public author
tiles: the dimensions of the streets deter
mined by them without Interference by
the inhabitants regard to their particu-
lar interest or convenience, a plan calcu-
lated fol. the magnificent capital Of great
nation bat oppressive from its very dimen-
sions and arrangements to the Inhabitants,
if its execution to a considerable extent to
be thrown upon them.
The official records show beyond cues tion
that the government understood clearly
that it. and not the citizens. of whom at
that time there We're but a few hundred,
was to open the streets and make the i'm
provements. 1t was always spoken of by
the authorities THE Federal City
the seat of the national government" The
commissioner always spoke of it as be
longing to the United States government"
and in their accounts they universally
spoke of the funds received and disbursed
the "city funds
Both Washington and jefferson so under
stood it. In a letter to the commissioners,
December IA, 1895. Washington says:
President WnslhinstOn's View.
when you are In a situation to begin the
opening Of the avenues, it is presumed
those which will be more Immediately use
ful will be first cleared
In a letter to the commissioners, dated
August %, 1901, Jefferson says:
Il consider the erection of the repre-
sentatives chamber, and the making Of a
good gravel road from the new bridge on
the Rock creek along Pennsylvania and
New Jersey avenues to the Eastern branch,
as the most important objects for ;nsur-
ing the destinies Of the city which can be
undertaken"
1t was so understood at home and abroad
The first two sales of lots were extern
sively advertised in England, and Thomas
Law and other Englishmen were among
the purchasers. The general belief was
that the United States would bear all the
expenses of the new city.
In speaking Of the grants made by the
citizens to the general government, the
Supreme Court says: