Evening star., 1901-05-17
Secure Through Its Position as Seat
of Government.
An IDEAL RESIDENCE CITY
Industrial Development Through
Private Enterprise Unnecessary.
STORY OF UPWARD STRUGGLE
Written for The Evening Star.

Some recent suggestions for establishing
| manufa cturing industries In the District of
| Columbia, in order to promote it's prosper
! ity, prompt me to submit some observations
| on the selection of this District as the seat
| of the government of the United States.
| which 1 trust may be found worthy of De
| rUsal.
This District ceded to the United
| States by Virginia and Maryland as the
| seat of the national government of the
American republic. and here are located the
legislative. executive and judicial depart
ments of the national government, where
all the laws of the United States are en-
acted. adjudicated and executed. When this
District was designated, in 1I90, as the fll-
ture seat of government of the United
States the American republic comprised but
nine states, with about 5000, 900 population.
Today it has forty-five sovereign states of
| Ib,hD,No people, several territories and nu-
merous sea island possessions and extends
from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. This
! remarkable expansion of the American
. public in little over a century, with its Won
! derful development of agricultural pro-
! ducts: its ineXhaustihle mineral resources,
| its vast manufacturing industries, its world
| wide commerce, its rapid increase of popu-
| latiOn and official relations with foreign
| governments. continuously increases the
| public business to be transacted at the seat
| of the government of the United States.
| Inc future Destiny OF the American e
| public is beyond human comprehension, but
| its national seat of government is SO closely
| identified with the body polite of the ma
| tion that its growth and grandeur are sure
| to expand with the prosperity of the repub-
| lie The continuous development of the
| boundless resources of the republic is a
| guarantee of the future prosperity of the
| District of Columbia such as is enjoyed by
| no other locality on the habitable globe.
| Unique Territory.
The seat of government of the American
republic is unique bit of territory At
| present it is considerably less than it's orig
| inal ten miles square, and it's destiny is
| held in trust by the national government
| for the people of the United States, who are
| entitled to enjoy it's beautiful domain in
| common with the residents of The District.
| Lhe people of the United States, through
| the general fund of the government pay
| Tor all national improvements made by the
| government in the District of Columbia
! and also one-half Of what are considered
/ the local improvements of the District. The
/ nation S seat of government, therefore, is
! the common heritage of the people of the
| United States, and no other community in
! the American republic has many mill
/ ions of Clientage interested in it's pros
| perity as the lucky residents of Washing
! ton. Congress continuously makes GFpro-
/ pTIdNOnS Tor improvements at the nations
/ seat OF government; sometimes for the
I erection of new departments or the enlarge
! ment of existing ones, and for new bureaus
/ of government. new commissions and in
+ Crease in the staff of public officials TO ac-
/ commodate the enlarged business of the
/ government.
No other community on the mundane
/ sphere has such omnipOtent resources to
/ boom its development and insure it's growth
and grandeur as are secured to the District
/ of Columbia in being the seat of the gov
I ernment Of the great American republic of
| the United States. 1t is the safest locality
/ in the republic to invest. in property as its
! future prosperity is guaranteed by the Gre
/ dtive power of the United States govern
ment Centered here for the transaction of
! its vast and increasing business. The Con-
stitution endows Congress with exclusive
| legislative authority in the government of
| the District of Columbia. and the members
| and senators of the forty-five states of the
J Union have a voice and vote in promoting
| the prosperity of their country's national
| seat of government
| How the District is Represented.
| The residents of the District of Column
| ba are represented in Congress by 30 SEN
| ators and 3JG members of the House. ag-
| gregatinS 44G from the 40 states of the
| Union. No other community on the face
| of the globe of 10000 people on six miles
| square of soil was ever so well represented
| in the halls of legislation. While each SOW
| ereign state of the Union has it's cert ain
| number of representatives, in the halls of
| the national legislature, Washington and
| the District of Columbia, the seat of the
| government of the United States are repre-
| sented by the full Congress While there
| is no suffrage in the District of Columbia,
| yet it is a government of the people, by
| the peOple-the people of the United States
| and is without doubt the best code of
| government on the face of the earth.
| In selecting the locality for the seat of
| the government of the United States it was
| held that such territory should be neutral
| ground and that the laws enacted by Con-
| gress for its government should be ad-
| ministered by commissioners. No local
| government by suffrage was contemplated
| by the founders of the seat of government
| H. the Districts centurys experience how
| ever. the ward of the nation has foun-
| dored through several political contortions,
| but has finally resumed its original status
| on d permanent basis.
Gov. Shepherd.
1t was the abolishment of local city gov
| crnments and the substitution of national
| authority over the seat of the government
| of the United States which so Won
| derfully transformed the condition of the
| District Of Columbia in the past quarter
| of a century. The territorial legislature
succeeded the city governments, and the
| board of public works. of which Gov Alex
| h Shepherd WAS the inspiring genius for
| mulated a comprehensive plan of public
/ improvements, and under Gov. Shepherd's
| most remarkable energy made such an up-
heavai of the old slough of despond of a
/ capital city that his plan continued
! into execution and extension by his sue
csssors in authority. Gov. Shepherds name
| should stand side by side by that of Len
| fant in the history of the capital for his
| hercHlean work in forcing the completion
| of the original plan of improvements of
the streets and avenues of the seat of the
| government of the United States
! 1he aDOil3nment OF the territorial gov
! ernment and restoring the original code of
administering its government by District
| commissioners marked out line of pros
| perlty for the nations capital while the
| act OF Congress of 1878 agreeing to pay
| one-haif the expenses of the District gov
| ernment and its local improvements in
| sured its growth and grandeur to an ex-
| tcnt worthy of the seat Of the government
| and the patriotic pride of its citizens
| Most Attractive Place for Residence
! The nations capital is the official resi-
dence of the United States government and
| ambassadors and ministers of foreign coun-
| tries, and in season, with Congress in ses-
! sion, is the social center of the republic.
| The seat of the government OF the United
| states. with its public buildings and pub-
lie interests, represents the greatness of
the American republic in miniature, and
| therefore is the most attractive place for