The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-06-17
d. which Is the lower part of Tren-

ton, which is the lower part Of Tren-
ton.
On December %, 1874, the second battle
of Trenton was fought, almost on the
| anniversary OF the first, and the Southern
| congressman were, like the Hessians, put
to rout, for the resolution to locate IN
tho vicinity of Trenton was passed, and
! a committee, consisting of Philip Schuy-
Ter, of New York; Philemon Dickinson, OF
Trenton, and Robert Morris of Pennsyl-
vania. owner of the tract now known as
Morrisville, Pa, opposite Trenton, were
named as the committee to select the site
and spend 100000 for the first buildings.
The New Jersey ONE had won the
day and Trenton had a carnival. Wash
ington was then dragged into the eontro-
versy and later John Adams. On Febru-
airy s, 1855, the distinguished soldier and
patriot wrote in his usual serious VEIN 70
Richard Harding Lee: 'By the time the
Federal buildings on the banks of the
Delaware, along the point of a triangle,
are fit for the reception of Congress-, 1t
will be found that they are very improp-.
erly placed for the seat Of empire and will
have to undergo a second selection IN a
more convenient one.' So far John Adams
had kept out of the controversy, but al
ter Washington had expressed himself ne
did not hesitate to speak on the subject.
He was sure that it was not central, and
tina Congress could not be made COM
Portable.
On April 5, 17S5, the first installment of
the 100000 appropriated by Congress was
asked for by the committee and that
opened the matter afresh in Congress.
The opposition had in the interval been
doing considerable underground work.
The original resolution voting the $l0O,00o
was recommitted and lost, Massachusetts
and New Jersey standing together. The
matter dragged, and was revived in Sep
TENDER 1898, when Elias Boudinot again
pressed the cause of New Jersey, but the
vote to locate the national capital within
the State was lost by a vote of 4 to 46.
While the controversy was going on the
enterprising people of Trenton and the
farmers in the vicinity began to make
great preparations for the future. The
merchants and hotelkeepers had a fore
taste of the great boom that would come
when the national capital was perman-
ently located in Trenton, and real estate
went up in price; some of the farmers az
tually threw their farms into town lots,
as the columns of the Trenton papers at
that date Indicate. Federal City was
started by spectators who expected to
make it the town that would eneroach on
the national reservation sufficiently near
to feel the business throb that would
come with the transaction of public bust
ness. The plot was surveyed and divided
and several small houses erected. When
New Jersey lost the White House and the
capital. Federal City boom faded away,
and all that is left is the name and a halt
dozen habita lions.
Another outbreak of fever caused the
national %ctpital to again remove to
Trenton in 1888. Washington and Adams
came to the place reluctantly, the latter
complaining that there was no house of
sufficient style for the entertainment OF
the President of the United States. The
Cabine and the heads of the departments
and the clerical force all came to the
town and found lodgings and entertain
ment. but the Trenton hotel men and the
boarding house keepers raised the tariff
on them all around, because of CONGRESSES
ungenerous treatment of the place.
Washington resided in the Phoenix
hotel. a small affair, over which has been
built a later day hotel. The Cabinet held
forth in the .sBlazirg STAR" now the site
of the Mechanics National Bank" 1t
was in the old Phoenix Hotel that Cen
erai Hamilton made his very demonstra-
tive appeal to Washington and the Cab
met against sending a mission to France
because of its cruelties inflicted in the
name of liberty. In fact, this important
controversy of history was the constant
theme of discussion and conference at
that time. The mission was directed to
be sent To Franc Marquis Lafayette
was entertained by the nation at Trenton
and he made no complaint about the
boarding houses. for he was entertained
b. the select go"