Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-07

spoke as follows:
There seems to be grave reason for
doubt as to the true date of the removal Of
the seat of government of the United
States to the District of Columbia: and
therefore doubt as to the day to be selected
for the centennial celebration Of the event.
And this doubt is natural enough, since 1t
takes time to remove all the machinery OF
government from one place to another, and
the work cannot be done in a single day,
or In a week or month: and, in fact, in
this instance the work Of removal was
spread over several months. When, there
fore, it is desired to select day, a special
not entirely easy to determine the proper
day for the purpose; and. after all, for the
purpose OF expediency, 1t may be found
technically be the correct one, or a date
that might be wholly arbitrary. It seems
to me. however, that 1t may not be impos-
sible to establish the true date with rea-
sonable accuracy and gertrude
IF we followed European, or even Eng
lish ideas, the day on which President John
Adams took up his residence in the city of
washington would be accepted as the date
or the establishment here of the seat Of
government. In England, at all events, be-
fore the present century, the place of resi-
dence of the monarch who was the chief
executive of the realm, was always regarded
as the seat of government; and in former
ages that seat Of government was very fire.
quently changed. 1t may be remarked, in
passing. that the common impression that
the city of London has been for several
centuries the capital or seat of govern
lnent OF England is wholly erroneous. The
city OF London is not now, and never has
been, except at rare intervals and for very
brief periods, the seat of government of
England. For upward of four centuries the
English seat of government has been locat-
ed at Westminster, which down even to
about the middle of the present century
was a distinct and separate municipality
from the city of London. although 1T is now
contained within what is known as the
metropolitan district of London, which is
greatly larger than the city of London,
properly so called. In the palace of St
James at Westminster the Tudors, Stuarts
and HanoVerianS established their prin-
cipal place of residence. In Westminster
Hall they summoned their parliaments to
assemble. In Westminster they had long
established their judicial tribunals In
deed, the courts of law We're permanently
established at Westminster long before the
royal residence was officially located there
or the meetings Of parliament assigned to
take place at Westminster Hall. And 1t
was the location of the courts of law that
ultimately determined the location there of
the sent of all the governmental machinery
of England
But our President has no such function
in our governmental system as has, or
rather once had, the English monarch. The
place of residence of our President would
not determine the seat of government Let
me suppose that the President s residence
was in Georgetown when GEORGETOWN
a separate municipality from Washington.
and that Congress met in Washington: then
undoubtedly Washington, and not George
town, would have the best right to be re-
garded as the seat Of government Let me
suppose the conditions reversed, and that
Congress met in Georgetown. while the
Presidents residence was in Washington,
then Georgetown. and not Washington
would be entitled to be regarded as the
capital city of the nation.
District the Seat of Government
And, by the way. again, the city of
Washington is not under the Constitution
the seat of government of the United
States. That instrument provides that
Congress shall exercise exclusive legisla-
ton in all cases over such district not ex-
ceedins ten miles square, as may, by ces-
sion of particular states. become the seat
of government of the United States The
District of Columbia, therefore, and not
merely the city of Washington, is the seat
of government of this Union. And this
provision of the Constitution would seem
to have very important bearing on the
question of date of establishment of the
federal government in this District. For It
contemplates that the exercise of exclusive
legislation here by Congress and the estab-
lishment of the seat of government in this
District shall be simultaneous. Now, the
first act of exclusive legislation here bv
Congress was on February 81, 1901 when
Congress organized the District Of Column
plar established courts here and enacted
what laws should be in force. In tech
nical and strictly legal sense I presume we
should have to accept this date, the 9th
day Of February. 1s01 as the true legal
date of the establishment of the seat of
government in this District
But while in ii legal sense this would
probably be regarded the true date it
would seem that in the popular sense we
are justified in the acceptance of an earlier
day. 1t is somewhat like the case of war
which we know frequently commences be
fore there is any formal proclamation to
that effect, and frequently comes to an end
before there is official recognition Of the
fact. Can we determine the proper date in
the popular sense?
Our government is hree-fold-divided
into three great coordinate independent.
although interdependent branches-leeis-
lative- executive and judicial We have
been most Interestingly told this evening
now the machinery Of these different
branches was transferred here at different
times during the years 1900 and 1901 The
executive departments came first, Congress
followed. and then came the Judiciary
Shall we regard the seat of government as
having been established when the removal
began. or when it was contaminated? Was
it when the President came here to reside.
or Wnen Congress first assembled here? Or
was 1t. perhaps, on the day when the Su-
preme Court first met in WASHINGTON IF
establishment means not the beginning, but
the contamination, most plausfbIy If
might be argued to mean, then with cor
rectncSS 1t could be said that the date Of
the location here of the scat Of government
was the day on which not one not two, but
all the branches of government were first
functions
of government. And yet this argument
will not commend itself to popular an
proVal: and very properly it will fail of
general acceptance.
Fountain Head of Power
After ALL the Legislative branch of gov
eminent is with us the fountain head Of or
binary power. The legislature it IS which
sets all the others in motion. There IS no
President until Congress declares him to
have been elected. There are no courts
until Congress and the President co-onerste
IN the appointment of the Judges who are
to conduct them In other words govern
ment begins with the legislative branch
the legislature is the first branch for which
provision Is made in the Constitution. and
the operations Of government begin only
when the legislative branch enters unon
the performance of its functions
The logical conclusion from all this &c
that the seat of government of the United
states was established in this District
When congress met here for the first time
on the 22d day of November, 1870; and the
I'D day of November, 1900, will be the true
centennial anniversary of such establish
ment."
History of Occupation.
Mr.. Hugh T. Taggart made an important
f.Tt but to-,