Evening star., 1902-02-11

Tue eit5 VI w aShHhf eoHt SnaH REIMBURSE TO
the said corporatioiaa jusf proportion of any
| expense which max hereafter be incurred
| in laying open. paving or otherwise improv-
| of or adjoining tie sou, which may pass
| through or between any of the public
| squares or reservations, which proportion
shall be determinedahx Rcomparison Of tne
squares or resertioSg of the q, the nise iasd
| States or any suc5f stre4t or avenue wl..l
| the whole extent of the two sides thereof;
and he shall cause the curb stones to pe
| or sides Of any such3street or avenue when
| ever the said corporation shall by law di-
| rect such fmproverFeHtstto be made by the
proprietors of the lots op the opposite side
to any such square or fsseryation: f 10 aieha and he
| shall cause the fo8twayS to be paved and
the curb stones t0ffbe set In front of any
lot or lots belongihgato the United States
| when the like improvements shall be order
| ed by the corporation in front of the lots
| adjoining or squares adjacent thereto; and
he shall defray the expenses directed by
thus section out OF any moneys arising from
| the sale OF lots In the city OF WASHINGTON
belonging to the United States and from
| no other fund.-.
! 1t Is well to dwell for moment upon this
provision. 1t clearly shows that Congress
recognized the nations obligation to bear
| those expenses incident to the city's i'm
provement which appertained to the public
| buildings and spaces-in a word, the ma
items holdings of property In the city. And
lation to the corporation of WASHINGTON
| be fore the establishment of the territorial
government. namely. the act of May H.
| 1S4S. Congress again certified its recogni-
and the nation by the following provisions
of sections IL and 13 Of the act:
THAT the commissioner of public build
| ings or other officer having charge and au-
fhnrifv 10 nd
United States lying within the city of
Washington shall from time to time cause
| to be opened and improved such avenues
and streets or parts or portions thereof as
the President of the United States. upon
application Of the corporation of said city.
| shall deem necessary for the public con-
venfence, and direct to be done; and he
shall defray the expenses thereof out OF
any money arising or which shall have
arisen from the sale of lots in the CITY of
washington belonging Or which may have
belonged to the United States, and from no
other fund. And 1t shall be the duty of the
said commissioner or other United States
officer as aforesaid. upon the application of
the mayor, to repair and keep In repair
the pavements, water cutters. waterways
and flag footways which have been made
Or shall be made opposite or along the pub
lie squares. reservations or other property
belonging to the United States; as also on
like application to repair and keep in re-
pair such streets and avenues or parts
thereof as may have been or shall here
after be opened and improved by the United
States. the expense Of all such repairs to
be paid out of the fund before mentioned
THAT the commissioner of public build
ings be. and he is hereby. required to per-
form the duties required of the city com
missioner by the fourteenth section of the
act of the twenty-sixth Of May. eighteen
hundred and twenty-four, supplementary to
the act of the fifteenth Of May, eighteen
hrfndred and twenty, incorporating the in
habitants of the city Of Washington. And it
shall be the duty of the commissioner of
public buildings, within ninety days after
the sale of any lots or squares belonging
to the United States in the city of Washing
ton, to report the fact to the corporation
of Washington. giving the date Of sale, the
number Of lot and square, the name of the
purchaser or purchasers, and the said lots
or squares shall be liable to taxation by the
said corporation from the date of such sale.
And no open space. public reservation or
other public ground In the said city shall
be occupied by any private person, or for
any private purposes whatever"
Unifying tbs District.
While Congress was thus. in what must
appear to all as ai'pufely tentative way,
| providing for the,govenment Of the in
habitants Of the city thrbhgh the medium Of
] a municipal corporation,lit was at the same
| time needing the national side of the qAes-
| ton of government by establishing courts
and judicial officers and providing general
laws of jurisdfction>and authority extending
| throughout the District, (which at that time
! comprised not only the city Of Washington,
! but also the citys.pf' Georgetown and the
] county;tand by act of August 6, 1851, Con-
/ gress took the first comprehensive step in
| the way Of unity Of theT District by consti-
tuting the entire District into ''the metro
politan police district Of the District of Co
| lumbla, with an appropriate police force.
under the management and control CT q
| board Of police, consisting of five commits
| SionPrS annQintQd President
| mayors Of the cities of Washington ard
| Georgetown. The point Of prime Importance
| in connection with this act Is that Congress
| assumed and appropriated the entire ex-
pense Of carrying the act into effect.
Tho establishment of the metropolitan pO-
| lice district bore appropriate fruit in the
act Of February q. 1871, creating the whole
Of the District into government by the
| name Of the District Of Columbia. The
government of the District was vested in a
| governor. secretary and council Of
eleven. all to be appointed by the Presf-
| dent, and a house of delegates, twenty-five
| in number. to be elected by the people; and
| besides these general municipal officers the
! act provided board of health and board
of public works. the latter consisting of the
| governor and four residents Of the District
| to be appointed by the President, and the
District was given representation In Con-
greSs In the person of delegate to the
again note the highly important provision,
that all the officers appointed by the Pres
ident-that Is to say, the governor. secre-
tary members of the council, the board of
| health and the board of public works-were
provided to be paid by the United States,
in addition to which the expenses OF the
police force were still borne by the United
States; and, Of course. the United States
bore exclusively the cost of all works
which 1t committed to the board OF public
works
1t takes but a moments reflection to see
how much under this scheme Congress was
bearing In the way of expenses for public
works and improvements In the District,
and 1t is plain at a glance that In making
the so-called compact of 1879 Congress
drove an exceedingly good bargain for it
self In appearing to consent to bear one
half Of the expenses of the District. Con-
sidering this and the facts already noted,
namely, that the national government de-
liberately established for its own purposes
city where otherwise none would nave ex-
isted that the city thus established was
designed to be and is the nation 8 workshop
for governmental purposes. that such In
habitants Of the city as were drawn to 1t
and remain in 1t only because 1T is the ma
tion's capital and that the total number of
Inhabitants represent but very small
fraction Of the nations population, 1t Is
little less than absurd to contend that the
inhabitants of the city should bear one-half
OF the expenses of It's government, and its
proposed conversion into "the greatest capt.
tai Of the world" It would be as just to
say that the District should have borne