Evening star., 1898-12-16
- loilo" -.
NAn A.I
Northern Liberty Market House

tlltl nave btt'il written ana spoken with
reference to claims arising out of the
structiOn of the Northern Liberty market
house
For many years prior to September, 1872,
this market house occupied the space now
called Mount Vernon Square in the very
heart of the city. 1t was not handsome
certainly, yet it was one of the most sue
cessful places of business of its kind to
be found anywhere. No store market
house of today presents finer variety of
fruits, vegetables, meats, etc, than could
be found in this old market house in 1872.
Your correspondent "W. j. NJ" in The Star
of December 1 should have sought more
light ere attempting to appeal to the
setshness or stingness of business or
property interests.
To say that this market house never had
within and around it ten thousand dollars
worth of truck" at time is simply
to display ignorance. 1t was not an un-
common thing to have the sales on Satur-
day evening amount to 5000. | have
known one man to sell five hundred dol
lars worth of fruit in few hours An
other is still living in Washington who
carried stock in this old market worth
from 81 600 upward The evening the mar
ket house was destroyed one man who had
stand only feet by feet had con-
signment of grapes on that stand worth
$500. in addition to other fruit A number
of these men bought fruit by carloads and
sold it by the barrel and box, and at re-
tail in these "old sheds"
Among these dealers were some of our
most excellent citizens, whose business
activities were a credit to our capital city.
The title to the stalls came originally
from the city government, which collected
an annual rental from every owner. The
authorities. however, recognized the right
of transfer, and these places of business
were often bought and sold, the city gov
ernment transferring them on it's books to
the new owner. | recall three such trans
actions coming under my immediate OBJ
servation, where the stalls sold for $500,
81 500. and $5,!N, respectively.
For years these reputable citizens of
Washington thus engaged in honorable,
legitimate trade, supporting their families,
and contributing to the material inter-
ests of our city.
One September afternoon in 1872, without
moments notice, a large force of work
men under the direction of the District gov
ernment appeared at the corner of 7th and
X streets, surrounded the market house,
and absolutely demolished it, destroying
stalls, fixtures, and stock, and sacrificing
at least one life
Up to this hour these two hundred citi-
Zens have not received one dollar from any
source whatever for the property and bust
ness thus destroyed
This outrage was not committed during
the excitement of war, but when the city
was quiet and peaceful and the courts all
open. This mob was not organized in the
streets of Havana, Manila, or Paris, but
in the capital city of the greatest nation
of modern times,
Legislation asked, begged, prayed for,
has been long delayed. Hundreds of fam
lilies despOiled of property. and deprived
of income, waited in vain for redress. Some
of these, so cruelty wronged, have long
since passed away from earthly scenes,
and their little children have grown to
manhood and wOmanhood in the very
shadow of our nations Capitol building
vainly pleading for justice.
ha Ian Of han tyr.at 1tY--f,
years Congress passed a bill empowering
James G. Payne, auditor of the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia, to
anime and audit any claims that might be
presented
By July 10, 1897. claims aggregating $500
U0O had been filed ut the city hall. This
amount included not only the value of
stock and fixtures. but portion of the
actual business value of the property de-
stroyed. These figures were promptly pre-
sented to the officers of the District gov
ernment, and by them transmitted to Con-
gress.
to bear upon Congress, but it is matter
of public record that Congress at once
amended it's former legislation and declared
that the allowance shall be limited to the
actual value of the fixtures, tools, and
stock in trade, so far as the same were lost
or destroyed, and to the fair value of the
stall privileges for the unexpired term of
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1S73.' The
terest should be paid on the claims allowed.
This was a sad blow to those who had
waited for a quarter of a century, and who
had realized that hope deferred maketh
the heart sick"
This new law necessarily caused the re-
lection of claims for the actual business
value of the property destroyed, and the
thousands of dollars paid for stalls by their
owners was irrevocably lost. Under this
amended law the auditor of the Supreme
Court approved claims amounting to S12S,-
900. and the District Commissioners have
recommended an appropriation of that
amount.
The main question originally involved
that of doing simple though tardy JUS
tice to honorable and deserving citizens
The amended law involved only the ques-
tion of saving money to the treasury. Can
a great government like ours afford to be
unjust to its people at home, while proper
ly sacrificing so much blood and treasure to
help the islands of the sea?
| have large faith in my fellow citizens
and know that Americans everywhere de-
sire to be just and equitable. 1t does not
seem possible that anyone, knowing the
facts, could oppose this appropriation. 1t
should carry with it interest from Septem-
ber, 1872. for the amount of the award
includes only the exact value of property
destroyed and as the owners have been de-
prived of it's use since 1872, surely they
are entitled to interest
Many thousands of dollars were expend-
ed annually on these stalls and stands,
and even then they We're not "a thing of
beauty" and / am rot sorry that Mount
Vernon Park has taken the place of the
old market house. The men whose inter
ests / voluntarily represent and defend
were good true citizens; some of them are
living yet, and in active business, and are
proud of the new Washington which they
have helped to build and beautify, but no
good citizen should wish to improve our
city through mob violence, even though
the mob was directed by the city authori-
ties.
1t is our boast that legislation protects
the highest and the humblest in every
legitimate enterprise and in every prop
erty interest. 1t is true that no marble
palaces We're built under the sheds of this
old market house-no works of the old
masters adorned its shabby walls-the men