Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-12-10
THE NATIONS FETE.
A CENTURY AGO IN THE CAPITAL
OF THE NATION.
WHAT CELEBRATION MEANS
Marvellous Development OF a Place of
Brick and Laborers' Huts-Vicisi
tudes Of the First ongress-Other
Fads and Circumstances in the
Growth of the National Capital.

Washington, Dec. Confidently
with the celebration of the one
hundredth anniversary of the removal
of the national capital from Phila-
delphia to Washington on December II
next it is interesting to recall the
changes which have occurred in this
city during the dying century. A hun
dred years ago it was described by a
| poet as this famed metropolis where
fancy sees squares in morasses,
obelisks in trees" Another cynical
| writer prophesied that as soon as
| Washington died the city which is to
| be the boasted monument Of his great
ness will also be defunct." The wife
Of the president who succeeded Wash
| ington (Mrs Adams) was very I'M
| happy in her first impression of the
capital city, describing it as "a place
of brick kilns and laborers' huts."
Pennsylvania avenue. now. as every
| one knows, the principal street of the
city, was a deep morass covered With
alder bushes The streets and cave
nues" were merely indicated by cuts
through the woods The white house,
although planned on a grand scale,
was in a totally unfinished condition,
keeping was anything but satisfactory
to herself although she evidently tried
to make the best of it. After she had
| been there a short time she exclaimed:
eff they will put me up some bells and
| let me have wood enough to keep fire
will be pleased. Surrounded by for
ests, can you believe that wood is not
to be had because people cannot be
| had to cut and cart it? We have in
| deed come into new country" Not a
single room in the white house was
ready for occupancy; not even the
/ stairs were put through the house.
| On Monday the white house wash was
hung to dry in the east room. Incl
| dentally it may not be known to all
that the white house was named for
the old colonial estate where the young
widow Custis was living with her two
little children when Gen. George Wash
ington first paid her his court.
Looking retrospectively at the CAPT
tai city as it was in 1900 one can al
most excuse the poet Moore for call
ing it in derision the Getty of magnifi~
cent distances referring probably to
the fact that the houses were a long
way from each other It's population
was then about 5000, and it contained
only 100 brick houses and 253 frame
dwellings,. Through the intelligence
of the people and their absolute faith
in the permanence of the capital one
is now able to appropriate Moore's
expression and apply to it meaning
which was quite foreign to his mind.
The present capital city is now known
the world over as a city not only OF
magnificent distances, but as one of
splendid climate, superb streets, hand
some residences and cultured society.
The Program.
The program for the celebration is
as follows:
10 a. m-Reception at the white
house by the president of the United
States to governors of states and
territories. Col Theodore A. Big
ham will make some remarks in con
nection with the display of the model
of the new white house and Com
missioner Macfarland will present a
historical sketch of the District OF
Columbia during the past century,
Suitable responses will be made by the
governors of two states
p. m.-Military and naval parade
from the executive mansion to the
capitol
2 p. m.-Review of parade at east
portico of the capitol by the president,
cabinet, senators and representatives,
governors of states and territories and
other officials.
D. m.-Commemorativ exercises
will be held jointly by the senate and
house of representatives The speak
er of the house will call the assembly
to order and introduce the president
pro tempore Of the senate as presiding
officer. Addresses will be made by
Senators John w. Daniel of Virginia
and Louis E. McComas Of Maryland
Payne of New York and J. D. Richard
son of Tennessee.
p. ma formal reception and CO.
lonial ball will be, rendered by citi-
zens Of the District of Columbia.
The following story of the selection
of the permanent site for the capitol
is instructive, going, as it does, a lit
tie more into the legislative detail of
the transaction:
If the first congress (Which was
called upon to legislate concerning
the establishment of the permanent
seat of the federal government had
not had under consideration at the
same time an act for funding the fed
eral debt and assuming the debts con-
tracted by the several states during
the revolutionary war perhaps the cap
| ital of the United States would have
! been permanently located somewhere
farther north. And it happened thus:
! VIRGINIA was eSnocia11v anita o0niStic to