Evening star., 1901-06-07
THE EARLY RECORDS
Columbia Historical Society to Have
Them Printed.
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Report of Committee Giving List
of Documents and Papers.
WORK OF COPYING BEG GUN

1t is proposed by the Columbia Historical
| Society to preserve in print the early rec
| ords of the city councils which are still In
| manuscript These records cover a period
| or over sixty years. beginning practically
| with the organization of a local govern
| ment for the city of Washington and con-
tinuing down to the year 1863, when the
| council journals were printed. This work
| on account of it's magnitude as well as its
public value, is the most important yet I'M
| dertaken by the society.
At a recent meeting of the board of man.
ayers report prepared by Mr.. Hugh T.
Taggart, was read, which was made in ac-
ccrdance with former action taken by
the board appointing a committee, consist
ing of w. B. Bryan. Hugh T. Taggart and
NJ 1. Weller, to consider this subject The
board made an appropriation to meet the
expense of the work of copying these man.
The report upon which this action of the
board was based IS as follows:
me Undersigned committee, heretofore
appointed by the board, and charged with
the duty of examining and reporting upon
the documents and papers bearing upon
the early history of the District of Column
b1a, which are now in the possession of the
District government, and of further re-
be published with an estimate of the cost
OF such publication submit the following
report which, owing to the magnitude of
our task, Is necessarily partial one
The committee first called upon the
Commissioners of the District informed
them of the duty with the performance of
which we were charged, and request ed
that we be permitted to have access to the
records in question. They manifested great
interest in the matter, promptly granted
our request, and have since rendered every
aid and assistance In their power to
further the object in view
Miscellaneous Papers and Books.
These records consist of a large mass
OF miscellaneous papers and books in man.
uscript and in print, which relate to the
affairs of the cities of Washington and
Georgetown during the period of their mu-
nfcipal existence, and to the affairs of the
late Levy Court of the county of Washing
ton, and were turned over to the District
authorities when these bodies were abol-
ished in the year 1871, and a territorial
form of government for the entire District
was provided, with a governor and lesisla-
ture, and passed into the custody of the
Commissioners in 1874, when the present
form of government by a commission was
established
The examination of the committee has
been confined to such of the records in
question as have relation to the former
corporation of the city of Washington. In
80 far as these records do not consist Of
bound volumes of manuscript, we have
arranged them in bundles in chronological
order. They consist of two classes viz:
Papers connected with the business Of the
mayors office and of subordinate offices
of the executive branch of the city gov
ernment, and papers connected with the
business Of the various city councils,
From the year 1902, when the first
council met under the charter, until the
year 1871, when the city ceased to have a
separate existence. there were in all sixty
eight councils. They were composed Of
two bodies, which were originally known
as the first and second chambers and later
the board of aldermen and the board of
common council.
Missing Journals.
THE committee regrets to say that the
journals of number of the boards
missing; Of the proceedings of the first
sixty councils, the journals Of twenty-five
of them only are complete; as to twenty
seven of them, the journal of one board
only can be found. but in one of these In
stances, and perhaps In others, the missing
journal can be supplied from the files Of
the National Intelligencer; as to five OF
the councils the journals of both boards
are nearly complete, and to three Of
them, namely, the first, second and third,
the journals of both boards are lacking
AS the original act for the Incorporation Of
the city required the keeping by the coun-
ellis OF journals Of their proceedings, it Is
evident that such journals of the first,
second and third councils must have had
an existence.
THE journals Of both boards of the last
eight councils were printed and need not
be considered. The imprinted records ex-
tend over considerable period of time and
cover great variety Of matters. Owing to
the fact that they are very voluminous, we
have been unable to digest them in detail
Unpublished Records.
'In them is contained matter showing the
origin and Illustrating the development Of
the present police, fire and health depart
ments and of the present public school
system Of the District, and having bear
ing upon a variety Of topics otherwise
which engaged the attention of the city
government and affected the welfare of the
city or were considered to be matters Of
public concern. Among them may be
mentioned the enterprise projected by the
first Commissioners of the city, called the
Washington canal, which formerly extend
ed through the city from the mouth of
TibeF creek, on the Potomac, at the foot
of 18th street to the Anacostia; the Ches-
apeake and Ohio Canal Company and it's
proposed canal, to the stock of which COM
pany the subscriptions of the cities of the
District. Washington, Georgetown and
Alexandria and of the United States were
so large as to give them at one time
controlling interest; the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Company: the Long bridge
and other bridges; taxation; public mar
kets; the water supply; the Improvement
of the channels Of the Potomac and Ana
costa rivers; the construction Of the City
Hall, now used by the local courts, the
register of Wills, the recorder of deeds and
the surveyor of the District; the visit of
Lafayette; the part taken by the city in
presidential inaugurations; action taken by
1t on the deaths Of Presidents and on other
like occasions; the National Era, the
Northern Liberties Market and other riots
&c.
These records constitute each a single
memorial Of it's kind and for obvious rea-
sons the next best thing to an original pa
per Is true copy Of the same. In their
present condition they are liable to destruc-
ton from lapse of time merely, by fire or
other causes, and the printing Of them, in
addition to supplying copies, would bring to
light and make matter of general knowl-
edge, and perhaps rescue from utter OBJ
Hvion many Of the most important and in
teresting facts in the history of our COM
munity
Demonstrated by investigation.
1.-The Investigations OF the committee
demonstrate that in the perpetuation in
print of Its municipal annals the city Of
Washington has been far behind other
cities of its population and relatively of
less Importance from other standpoints, and
tha