The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-12-06
WASHINGTON.


1 IBy A. N. Mcclure in the Nashville American.
A recent visit to our nationa
capital, now the most beautiful
city of the world, impressively re
calls the stride of magnificent i'm
provement that has lifted Wash
ington out Of its disjointed ans
generally repulsive condition q
forty years ago. Its grand thor
oughfares of to-day were then Of
ten almost impossible during I'M
| favorable seasons, and the capita
was mob of soldiers, contractors
and adventurers. / have seen army
mule teams stalled in the mud o.
Pennsylvania avenue, then, as now
its finest thorougfare. 1t ther
had here and there stately hotels
and business houses, sandwiched
in between rag-tag and bob tail
styles of structure which would
now disgrace a Washington alley.
The White House, the Treasury
building, the Capitol and the In
terror building were then the only
imposing official editices of the
nation. Seward began his great
work as Secretary of State in a
tumble down brick building at
tached to one end of the Treasury,
and Cameron and Wells began the
huge task of constructing an army
and navy in battered and shat
tered brick building that has since
been replaced by magnificent
structure for the same depart
ments and the Secretary of State.
The city was a vast mass of strag-
glings, with little architectural
display and few signs Of permanent
business activity and wealth. The
Capitol then stood in its pres
ent colossal and beautiful proper
tions with the exception of the
dome that was not completed un-
til the war was nearly or quite
ended. The Washington monu-
ment, not half finished, stood dur
ing the war in painful solitude that
told the story of the nations fail
nre, throughout nearly q century,
to complete its tribute 10 the Fa-
ther of the Republic. Street rail
ways are unknown, and the seeth-
ing mob was the chief feature Of
the citadel of the power Of the re-
public.
With the restoration of peace
and the reunion of the States came
the first great impetus for the I'M.
provement of our national capital.
The colossal Goddess of Liberty
that was mounted on the dome OF
our beautiful Capitol structure
came Just in time to proclaim the
complete reunion of the States SC
long drenehed in fraternal conflict.
The District Of Columbia was dig
nifed by the creation Of com
plete local government, embracing
| a Governor and local Legislature,
and the Republican Congress, tt
be consistent with its policy, gave
universal suffrage to the residents
of the district, by WHICH the col
ored population, largely iIlilerate
became the controlling politica
power. Gov. Cook inaqguratet
the new government with impos
i ing ceremonies, but soon f0nns
that his task was a most ungra
cious one because of the reckles
Legislative authority. Gov. Shep
ard accepted the succession, AM
he did in Washington what Caesa
did for Rome, who found the Cit,
of Seven Hills in brick and left !
in marble.
Shepard was in advance Of hi
time in his grand conceptions 0
what our national capital shoul,
be, and must be in time. That b
had to deal with corrupt authorit,
is not doubted, but he made th
best use of his power that wa
possible, and he literally create
the present beautiful city of Wash
ington, with its wide and well
paved streets, its magnificent IN
! giles, its green shades and il
grand monuments. He arouse
] fearful antagonism. was Violentl
assailed as q cofrnptionist and /
nally literally driven from bis nt
thoritY and home, and popuIa