Evening star., 1901-02-09
Something About Americas Most
Beautiful City.
PRESSING NEEDS OF TEE DISTRICT
Relations Between the City and
the United States.
WAsHINGTON's sGovERNMENT

Henry B. f. Macfarland in the Philadelphia Sat
urday Evening Post.
| The District of Columbia is the national
! capital. The city Of Washington is the
| immediate seat of the government of the
United States. The federal District, which
| was provided for in the Constitution, and
| in the act of Congress of 1870, was orig
inally, as selected by President Washington.
| out Of the territory the Potomac offered
| by Maryland and Virginia, ten miles square.
| But since the retrocession, in 1885, of the
| territory on the Virginia side Of the Poto-
mac, the land area Of the District amounts
to about seventy square miles. The Dis
trict of Columbia, placed by the Censtitu-
| ton in the exclusive control Of Congress. Is
| governed, under the act of Congress of 1878
(Which the Supreme Court of the United
| States has termed 1.-The constitution Of the
District of Columbia'), by board Of three
| Commissioners, one of whom Is always an
| officer of high rank of the corps of engi-
| neers of the army, the other two being
| civilians, appointed by the President and
| confirmed by the Senate. The Commission
| ers serve for d term of three years, under
the direction of the President, to whom they
make an annual report; but the District
| has been held, nevertheless by the United
| States Supreme Court, to be municipal
| pie of the District of Columbia lost the
elective franchise, and the United States
| government, which owns more than one
| half Of the land of the District, and had
paid no taxes and made no regular contri-
button to the expenses of the District for
seventy-eight years, promised to pay one
| half of the expenses for the future. Before
| that time there had been no permanent
government for the District of Columbia,
and very little recognition of it in congress
sional legislation. except during the period
from 1871 to 1874, when Congress main-
| tanned full-hedged territorial form of gov
| ernmpnt with legislature a delegate in
| Congress and governor. The Commission
| ers of the District of Columbia are the sue
| cessors of the governor of the District of
| Columbia; and not of the mayor of Wash
| ngton, who was the chief ruler of the Dis
trict of Columbia before 1871 1t seems
| necessary to repeat these facts about the
| government of the District of Columbia be-
| cause so many educated people do not seem
| to know them. 1t Is a constant cause of
| surprise to Americans, as well as foreign
| ers, that there is no voting for any political
| officer in the District of Columbia, and COM
| paratively few people seem to understand
| that the city of Washington has no govern
ment except that of the District of Column
| bia
Growth and Beauties of Washington.
| Under the present form of government
the District of Columbia, long retarded
| in its development by the neglect of the
| general government, has greatly improved.
and has nearly doubled in population and
| wealth. The city of Washington now in
cludes Georgetown. the old Scotch town
| that antedates the District of Columbia,
and which is the seat Of the famous old in
sttution of the Jesuts. Georgetown College.
| It also includes several smaller places, and
| has spread out over the hills to the north
| Of the old time city limits until it is almost
coterminous with the District Of Columbia.
| At the present rate of growth practically
| the entire District of Columbia, outside Of
the park reservations, will in fifty years be
h,,tlf wit !, fhn oft nf a ThQ
| rapid transit provided by what is consfd-
| cred the best railway system in the United
| States, all underground electric, there being
| no overhead trolleys within the city limits,
| has made the suburbs available, and, in
| some respects the most desirable residence
quarters, especially in hot summers, when
| the elevation of one or two hundred feet
above the old city, which is almost at tide
| level, makes a delightful difference.
| Besides the suburbs within the District
| line, there a dozen prosperous towns
and villages a few miles out, along the lines
of the railroads entering Washington, which
| are practically part of the District: while
Alexandria, and even the city Of Baltimore,
| which is only forty-five minutes away on
| the railroad are used as places of residence
| by many people in government employ or
| in private business.
| The official reports Of the United States
| census taken in June last gives the pOpula-
| ton of the District as 27S,71S, but there is
| every reason to believe that this is at least
| 10000 less than the real number, for fully
| that many people would be away for the
summer on the 1st of June. The census of
| all large cities ought to be taken on the 1St
| of January.
While the District of Columbia is pri-
marily a place for government and resi-
| dence uses, it has considerable manufac-
turing and commercial interests although
| it sells very little to the outside world.
An Industry No Panic Can Affect.
| The great industry. to speak, is that Of
| the United States government, which gives
| employment to about 10000 persons, to
| whom is paid about $23, 900 600 year, which
! gives the unique economic condition Of prac-
| tical commercial stability. No matter what
panics or industrial depressions may occur
| in the country, the business Of the govern
| ment goes on and the steady stream of gov
ernment expenditure continues, increased in
volume from time to time when any new
public building is erected or any other un
| usual outlay Is made. 1t is estimated that,
| besides salaries, the federal government ex
| pended in the District of Columbia during
the century just closed about 500, ,OOO, 0O0, the
| greater portion for government buildings,
| government parks and other things owned
absolutely by the government, although
| since 1878 it has paid on an average about
| So OOO,OO0 a year as its share of the general
expenses of the government Of the District
| of Columbia. 1t is interesting to know that
| the total valuation of all property in the
District of Columbia is about S41OOOO COO
rest belonging to the United States, and
| being. therefore, exempt. These figures rep
| resent considerable amount of capital in
| vested in commercial and manufacturing
| enterprises demanded by the local needs.
| The 2,295 manufacturing establishments re-
| ported in the census of ten years ago pro-
duced a product valued at $50 296 259, on
| an aggregate capital Of SOS, $40, 25S, and it is
| believed that there has been a large in
| crease since that time.
| But Washington is not the place to make
fortunes. and people do not come to Wash
ington for that purpose. 1t is rather
| resort; first, for the winter months, and
| then for most of the year, of people who
have made fortunes, small or great, in the
distinctively commercial or manufacturing
| cities elsewhere. Since, under the civil
service act of 1883, as administered with
more or less fidelity by every president,
the tenure of the civil servant in the execu-
| tive departments has been made stable, it
| is probable that more people come to WASH
| ington merely to reside than come to seek
| or to take offices. except when the census
| bureau is organized. once in ten years.
when, for short time. large temporary
force Of clerks is employed. The heads of
| the departments and the higher officials
| change with the political complexion of
the administration, but the great majority
| of the subordinates remain from one ad-
ministration to another, and, with their
a. hfx,sr Lace,