The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-22
THE ANNIVERSARY PLANS
Final Report Adopted and the Time
for the Celebration Fixed.
The Suggestion of n Memorial Bridge
Rejected - Enlargement or Re-
building of the Executive Mansion
and the Construction of nm Ave-
nue. Through the Mall Proposed.

The Joint committee on the centennial
celebration Of the establishment oil the
seat OF government in the District OF Co.
lumbia held its first meeting at the Airing
ton yesterday, and after much deiioera-
tion decided not to accept the plan Tor
Memorial Bridge, as recommended by the
local citizens committee. but adopted ihe
following report as final:
The special committee to which was re-
ferred the plan of celebration sugge sted
by the citizens committee, has the hoEor
to submit the following report:
"First-That the celebration be held In
the month of December.
Second - That commemorative eXer-
cises be held in the two houses of Coz
gress. separately or jointly, in honor of the
anniversary OF the first session OF Congress
held in the permanent Capital.
''Third-That the enlargement OF the
Executive Mansion. in harmony with It's
, present style of architecture, or the erec-
( tion of a new building, and the construc-
tion of an avenue. to be known as Cen
| tennial Avenue, running from the Capitol
! grounds through the Mall. to the Potomac
( River be made features of the celebration
"Fourth--That in connection with the
! ceremonies OF enlarging the Executive
/ Mansion and opening the avenue orations
| be delivered by citizens of national i'm
portance, and thnt such exercises be pre-
! ceded and followed by parades of military
( and naval forces and OF civic organiza-
I tions. of as great proportions and varied
representations as practicable from the
| United States and the several States and
| Territories.
..Fifth-That the celebration culminate
in an evening reception and such other en-
tertainment as may be decided upon.
TLis report was submitted by special
committee OF five, consisting OF Senator
Mcmillan Chairman: Representative Heat
wole, Governor Dyer of Rhode Island. and
Messrs Bell and Parker. Of the citizens
committee. The report was adopted al
most unanimously by the joint committee
after some discussion.
The Committeeman Present.
The meeting was called to order by
Commissioner Wight, at IL a. m, with the
following members present:
Select Committee from United States Senate
Eugene Hale, Chairman; George G. Perkins.
| Joseph Simon, Alexander s. Clay, Thomas Is.
| Turley. and James Mcmillan.
Select Committee from United States House ot
I
| W. ". Crout, J. p Heatwole, J. 5. Sherman, J.
A. Hemenwsy. II. J. Gamble. j. W. Bailey.
Marion De Yries, W. S. Cowherd. and John Z.
| Bell.
Committee from Country at Large-Colorado.
Charles s. Thomas: Delaware. Ebe W. Tunnel
Florida. William d. Bloxham; Georgia, Allen ID.
Gambler: Idaho. +. Steunenberg; Indiana, James
A. Mount; Louisiana. Murphy J. Foster; Mime
sofa, John Lind; Montana. Robert b. Smith;
New Hampshire Frank W. Rollins; Pennsylvania,
William A. stone; South Dakota, Andrew T.
Lee; Utah, Heber 81. Wells; Vermont, Edwin C.
Smith; West Virginia, q. W. Atkinson; Nyo
ming. DeForest Richards; Alaska, John G. Brady
and Arirons,AN. o. Murphy.
Citizeas' Committee from the District OF Co
lumbia-John b. Wight, Chairman; W. V. Cox
secretary; NJ. ~ Parker, treasurer; Charles J.
Bell James G. Berret, John Joy Edson. Iheo
dore ". Noyes, X. Ross Perry, John W. Thomp
son. and Berish wilkins.
In opening the meeting Mr.. Wight stated
why the committees had gathered IL
Washington, and gave a brief outline oi
what had been done by the local commit
tee In the past. He stated, in part, thai
the National Committee consisted Of Sc
lect committees from the Senate and House
committee from the country at large
consisting of the Governors OF the Yariou:
States and Territories. and citizens COM
mittee from the District OF Columbia. The
! present movement, he stated was the re-
suit Of some agitation by the people ol
Washington. and various meetings have
been held since November. 1895. The Pres
ident in his message to Congress. in De-
cember. 1893, recommended that some ac-
tion be taken and the following resolution
was enacted:
Be Il enacted by the Senate and House Of .cp
resentatiyes Of the United States Of America il
\ Congress assembled. The President is authorizes
|. 10 appoint committee from the country 8
large, OF such number he shall think proper
| 10 act with any committee that may he ap
pointed by the two houses Of Congress, either o
them, and with any committee that may be ap
pointed from the citizens Of the District OF Co
iumbia. who may prepare plans for an aPpro
PIRATE national celebration. in the year nineteel
hundred, Of the first session Of Congress in tn
: ! District and the establishment of the seat o
3 government therein. said committee shall repOr
their proceedings TO the President, TO b, by lin
9 communicated TO Congress.
Q Sec .. The actual expenses OF the members 0
said committee SO appointed by the Presider.
shall be poid by the Secretary Of the Treasury =.
, vouchers TO be approved by the Secretary OF til
1 Interior.
l as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated iron
, any money in the Treasury not otherwise sppro
priaied. to carry into effect the second section
. this act.
: The Senate and House committees wer
at once appointed, with Senator Hale o
Maine as Chairman OF the former and Rep
resentatiye Cannon Of Illinois as Chairman
of the latter BODY. commissioner hlgn
was chosen chairman of the citizens com
mittee. composed OF ten representative cit
: liens.
Many states Represented.
Twenty States and Territories were rep
5 resented at the meeting. and Senator Hal
= of Maine was chosen permanent Chairman
with W. V. Cox as Secretary Commissione
Wight then outlined the plan for the cele
, bration, as recommended by the local citi
, zens committee. which provided for
Memorial Bridge across the Potomac Il
: Arlington This was referred to a specia
committee and included statement, a
follows:
THE citizens committee have agree
| and will take pleasure in doing the same
, 1 to raise such an amount of funds as vii
be required to meet the expenses OF III
: celebration proper, so that everythin
which is purely local shall be paid for b
the citizens of the District entirely at thei
expense. The only expense asked of tn
c General Government is TO provide for tina
4 which is purely national in its character.
4 The committee then took a recess until
o'clock when the special committee re
t ported
d In present the report Senator Nc
K MILAN stated that the White House. as
> stands today is not fit for the residenc
: of the President of the United States, an
4 that, as many improvements would hav
e TO be made in the near future. IL wa
3 deemed proper TO enlarge the present build
I ing. He stated that the report was unani
mously decided upon by the committee, an