Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-22
FIFTY YEARS AGO
In THE STAR
Cost Of
Living.


washingtonians was quite
Cost Of as evident half a century
Living. ago as it Is today. In Tho
Star Of April 16, 1855, Ii
printed an editorial on this subject under
the suggestive caption Hit EN- Ag1n: They
Amt Got Any Friends" The Star said:
THE line of argument pursued by two or
three honorable members OF the House
upon the water works question naturally
gives rise to the impression that they re-
gard all citizens of Washington. engaged
in business. as set of sharpers bent on
cheating every person with whom they
have to deal: or that the honorable gem
tlemen themselves are much sharper con-
corning their own pennies than the great
mass OF the representatives Of the nation,
who make no such complaint. Now. the
cost of living is necessarily much greater
in this city than elsewhere. as provision
must be made here for the temporary en-
tertainment Of thousands of strangers.
Fluctuations Of demand always produce
demand is greatest. This law holds good
everywhere, as all experienced persons
know. Members Of Congress are not
charged higher prices in Washington than
they would pay at New York any other
city for similar accommodations or articles
under similar circumstances. There Is no
obligation on any gentleman from q dis
lance among us to buy more than the bare
necessarieS of life in Washington, and II
not satisfied with the prices charged by the
first person with whom he essays to deal,
here as elsewhere, he can find accommo-
dations at lower rates. Rooms may be
had at from So to $50 per week; though it
Is rather unreasonable to expect to obtain
suites of rooms at frst-class hotels In
Washington at less prices than are charged
in similar establishments of other cities.
we know many members who
here on their pay, because they strive to
do so. Others who essay no such thing Of
course. spend all theirs. 1t would be in
better taste. 1t strikes us, for gentlemen
who desire to live economically among us
to content themselves with moderate ac-
commodations and living than to indulge
in those which are more costly and then
hold the citizens of Washington responsible
for their failure to get out of them a thing
worth IS In the market for half that sum-"
*
1t has been a long time since the people
of Washington have used any of the old
coins once common here
Chincapin under the name of "chinca-
Mo,a1 pin money" In The Star Of
April II, 1885, is to be
found the following paragraph regarding
that form of exchange:
There is probably no other city in Uncle
Sans wide Gominions SO flooded with de-
peciated Spanish small coins-'fps' and
1evies,' worn down to the third nick'-as
Washington; no place where such miser-
able thin, bent, crossed, WORKOUT speci-
mems of silverdom would be offered or re-
ceived as currency, and it is consequently
with no small satisfaction we see the
movement lately made in Congress to do
away with this tinware and substitute the
American dimes and half dimes. The SEN
ate through its finance committee has
caused an investlga ton to be made of the
average value of such pieces now in ex-
tstence as a part of the circulating medium,
and has ascertained that the average 6h
cent piece Is worth a fraction over cents,
the 12a-cent piece about IL cents and the
25-cent piece between % and "a cents. A
bill has been introduced by which such
coins could be continued in circulation for
two years longer at the relative value of
5. 10 and 90 cents, after which they are to
be entirely excluded from circulation. This
measure If adopted will cut off the shaw
ing operation by which we are almost in
variably cheated out of the half cent in
making small purchases unless we happen
to have the exact change. Another advan-
tage Is that everybody from Maine to the
Rio Grande knows what a dime half
dime is, whereas the small Spanish coin
has so many aliases in different parts Of
the Union that it is perplexfng to the tray
eler to keep the run Of them. For instance
what Is 'ninep erf6e' in Boston Is a Shilling
| in New York, levy in Philadelphia,
| 'eIevenpence' in Virginia and bit in New
Orleans; in fact every locality has a sepa-
rate epithet for the smooth-faced little
| Joker
The question as to the jurisdiction over
| the streets and avenues of Washington
was less definitely settled
| Ownership half a century ago than it
NJ Streets is now. In The Star of
April 10, 1885, Is printed
| the substance of a report made to the Sem
ate by Mr.. Brown Of Mississippi from the
| District committee, in answer to instruc-
| tons from the Senate to inquire into this
subject. The Star says in its summary:
Various authorities are quoted from the
early history of Washington downward,
| from which the committee come to the con-
clusion that the jurisdiction over the streets
| In Washington city is solely in the United
| States. and that Congress has no power
| to ALLEVIATE that jurisdiction or cede it to
| another. Congress may convey privileges
! over the streets to individual companies
| or corporations; 1t might grant the temper
| airy exclusive use of street to an indi-
| vidual or company, but no grant can be
| made of jurisdiction. right or authority
| to any party which Congress may not at
| any moment set aside. The committee
| make no distinction between streets and
| avenues In regard to the question as
whether the avenues have been obstructed
| the committee find 1t too common prac-
| tice Of permitting assemblages of people to
attend auctions or the like exhibitions on
the footways and pavements of the princi-
| pal thorOughfareS or so near them to
| incommode the public. Another just ground
! Of complaint Is that persons DESTROYS of
| letting gaspipeS into their houses frequent
/ ly remove the paving stones laid down by
| the United States and replace them i'm
perfectly as to put the streets and avenues
| out of repair. In regard to the railroad
| track along Maryland avenue the COM
| mittee are Of the opinion that the object
| of laying down the track was a good and
| laudable one, and though they think 1t was
| done without law they recommend that au-
| thorlty be now given to lay the track across
| the avenue at such place and in such man
| uer as to make the most convenient con-
| nection between Washington and Alexan-
| dria and the Washington branch Of the
| Baltimore and Ohio railroad. The bill
which the committee reports to remove OBJ
! structions and prevent trespasses on the
| streets and avenues provides that steam
| shall not be used as a-propelling power
| on this track, and that the track shall be
| removed WITHOUT cost to the United States
! whenever Congress shall direct"