Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-30
Madison Us. Samson.
or of The Evening Star:

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
There is an error in your Tuesdays report
of the hearing before the subcommittee Of
the District committee of the House on the
proposed change of Madison street to Sam
son street, that even in so small a matter
you will perhaps be willing to correct Mr.
Samson did not pretend that anybody who
lived on either Madison or Samson street or
who owned property there, desired the change
On the contrary he admitted, if / am not
greatly mistaken, when questioned by a
member of the subcommittee. that he had
no resident of the streets or property own
er there on his petition. With a piety that
does him credit he, nonresident was
striving to impose his grandfather's name
on a neighborhood, every resident of which
men, women and children. was up in arms
against what they deemed and deem an
indisnity. There Were a number of maps
exhibited to the committee, but maps
OF record upset the common understanding,
as shown by the lamp posts, that Madison
street extends from 18th to 18th streets:
that Samson, or Sampson. street extends
from 18th TO 18th. 1t is a tradition in the
Samson quarter that it took its name from
a negro bully, who internationally cleaned
out the neighborhood and fought the police
with such herculean valor that he was
nicknamed Samson and his bailiwjck
Samson alley" When Madison was
opened, approaching Dupont Circle as it
did, the owners sought naturally to divest
the street of all malodorous associations,
and they tried to leave Samson, with its
many associations of this kind behind Mr..
Samson contended the Madison street peo-
pie had not succeeded, for among other
things, they had a colored school house at
the corner of 18th and Madison. The resi-
dents of Madison and the congregations of
the Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church
and st. Thomas Episcopal Church failed
to see in this fact any reason why they
should be immersed In the old Samson al
ley. In protesting against the change
they intended no d!Srespect to Mr.. Sam
sons revered grandfather They could
not be oblivious. however, to the associa-
lions the name of Samson had collected in
the course of years. They thought, IL uni
formity was the object sought In the no
mencla ture of streets, that Madison should
be extended by name to 18th street and
retained as Madison because IL is the best
known street so called in Washington. III
this could not be. and change had to he
made, they begged, as favor, on senti-
mental and financial grounds. that the COM
mittee spare them the infiiction of Sam
SON. They did not regard this in itself as
a pretty name, and in particular they
feared, as has been intimated that no
amount of worth and distinction in its orig
inal bearer DIR. George Whtefield Samson.
could efface the memories that now cluster
thick about it, 1t may be added that the
residents of Madison street knew nothing
of the proposed change until the bill had
passed the Senate. This contains renewed
assurance of the fidelity with which DIR.
Samson's memory had been served. Even
Cardinal Gibbons in Baltimore had been
successfully approached on the subject of a
street change here but the residents were
left in the dark until their friends began to
deride and jeer at them as inhabitants OF
Samson street" This argues were
sometimes asleep, so far as congressional
proceedings are concerned. and we were.
We are now awake.
/ may add that nothing is here intended
by way of reflection on the many excellent
colored people, who now live on Madison
and Sampson, or Samson, streets. These
for aught that L know, or that appears,
would be as glad as their whlte nelghpcFs
70 gel clean away from Samson" and all
its associations THOMAS III. CLARK.
1764 Madison street.