Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-11
OUR DEPARTED HALF
The Restoration of Alexandria County tothe
District.
Belief Fifty Years Ago That the
and Its Repeal Possible.
.From the St. Elmo va, Paragraph.


We need only recall the past to compre-
bend how wide apart. often absolutely an
tas;onistic, may be the interests of Alex
ardria city and Alexandria county. We
are reverting to a back number. q remote
incident, dating back half century, yet
fraught with far-reaching and disastrous
consequence TO the progress and prosperity
OF Alexandria county. In 1Si6. by the vote
of the people of the city of Alexandria,
then occupying an area of less than one and
a half square miles, the people Of Alex
aEdria county and the territory they owned
and occupied. containing thirty-eight and
oIe-hah square miles, were. in utter def
anee of their almost unanimous wish as
expressed at the polls, transferred and re-
manded from the District Of Columbia to
the state Of Virginia. The city of Alexan-
dria had very good reasons for desiring the
so-called retrocession. its taxpayers were
te be handsomely paid for it by being re-
feved from a heavy burden of corporate
Indebtedness which the state of Virginia
agreed to assume.
But to the citizens and taxpayers of AL
exandria county there were in this change
from federal to state jurisdiction no pres
ent or prospective considerations of profit
or advantage; and on this pregnant ques-
ticn so deeply affecting the property inter-
ests Of the county, those who were imme-
diately concerned-their WILL their wishes
we're as completely ignored as If they had
no existence whatsoever south of the Po-
tomac. s-s=---.-
In passing We must pause to say that this
Migrant Outrage was perpetrated during
the administration of Polk when politicians
of the school of Calhoun were in full con-
troll of the government, men who affected
to believe In and insist upon a strict con-
struction of the federal Constitution and
who pretended to demand that no doubt
frl powers should be exercised by Congress
or any branch of the central government.
How thoroughly insincere these politicians
were Is shown by their advocacy of a meas
ure which involved the astounding asser-
ton of a right on the part of Congress to
amend one of the weightiest and most es-
sential provisions of the Constitution ITSELF
Among those citizens OF Alexandria coun-
ty who led the general sentiment of oppo-
s.tion to this unrighteous, lawless measure
vas the late Anthony r. Fraser an old
of the most prominent, far-sighted and
energetic of its citizens. In some degree
doubtless at his instance, a handsome sum
was raised in the county to test the con-
stitutionality of the act of Congress- and
Mr.. Fraser was selected by these who con-
tributed to the fund to wait upon Mr. Web
ster and to retain him as counsel to repre-
sent Alexandria county in the legal pro-
ceedingS ;hen proposed to be instituted
before the Supreme Court of the United
States.
In the interview had with Mr.. Webster
he told Mr.. Fraser that for the moment,
steps in the direction suggested would
be, to used Mr.. Websters words: only a
waste of time and money. But" added
MI webster, in his most emphatic man
ner, "a time will come when this action
of Congress will be reviewed by that
nigh tribunal which alone can take cog
nizance Of it, and when that adjudication
is had It will be possible for that court to
render but one decision in the case name
iy, that Congress had clearly transcribed
IT'S powers in the act by which the Dis
tr1ct OF Columbia was rent asunder"
AT TINS moment of writing the citizens
Q! Alexandria county are a unit in the de-
sire that the old boundaries of the District
should be restored; though they would not
insist that the city Of Alexandria shall be
Torn from her moorings against her will.
Every one knows that were Alexandria
county part of the District 1t would soon
become by far the most attractive and
most densefy populated suburb of the cap
ital city. Had it been a part of the Dis
trict ten short years ago we should now
De rejoicing in the magnificent bouleyards
which would lead to the memorial bridge:
and instead Of the two or three electric
lines which now traverse our county there
would be a network, an ENHANCEMENT of
railways giving rapid transit to and from
the most distant portions of the county
Lacking these facilities, large areas of our
county are remote, isolated inaccessible:
and sites Of Incompatible beauty over
looking the dome which crowns the Cap
ltol as the Palatine hill overlooks St
refers. as Florence is seen from the
heights Of Fiesote, may be had for little
more than song: and these, too, are with
In or can be brought within, and will be,
by railway development, ten minutes of
pennsylvania avenue. Is Alexandria coun-
", then, to be tied to the car of good old
sleepy Alexandria? We think not We
suspect that the citizens Of Alexandria
county may have plans. purposes, enter
rr1ses, hopes of their own in which the
ancient city cannot have any part or lot;
to which it cannot contribute or further
and which it cannot hinder or interfere
with.