Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-27
FIFTY YEARS ago
IN THE STAR

President-elect Buchanan arrived In
Washington on the morning of January q.
1857. according to a plan
oucnanan,s previously announced. The
Visit. Star Of that date contained
the following paragraph re-
garding that interesting event:
"Mr. Buchanan duly arrived in this city
at II am. today. Not being expected at
that time he managed to reach his hotel
without being escorted by throng. Imme-
diately on alighting from the cars he took
a hack and drove to the quarters at the
National which it's enterprising proprietors
some time since caused to be SO hand
somely prepared for him. He reached the
National without any escort whatever. we
hear. This was in keeping, indeed. with
the republican simplicity of our institu-
tons. We hear that he looks in as fine
health as his most ardent friends can wish.
Mr.. Buchanan left Lancaster In company
with Mr.. Robert .nagraw. and arrived in
Baltimore last night where he stopped at
Guys Monument House. This morning he
came to Washington and took lodgings at
the National His preparations and start
were made SO quietly that few persons were
aware of his intention then to leave for
Washington
Later in the week The Star printed the
following:
"Mr Buchanan. we hear dined with SEN
ator Thomson of New Jersey yesterday. He
the President-elecp continues to be the
object of great attention in this city just
now. A large number of public men have
called on him. AS a matter of course he
can hardly be SO fortunate as entirely to
escape the tender solicitude of ofice-seekerS
Of all descriptions. AS yet few of them
have annoyed him In this city. by their
pressing attentions-so few that these who
have done so have instantly become sub-
Of han f<Dvxy
The great snow storm which blocked the
roads and caused a serious congestion Of
travel had ceased and the
Travel blockaded cities were being
Resumed. exhumed. In The Star Of
January %, 1857. is this ac-
count Of conditions:
"A large number of passengers and .
heavy accumulation Of mails reached this
city yesterday from the south. Our ex-
changes received by this mail have much to
say about a great snow storm which seems
to have visited those parts and of the ex-
treme cold which accompanied 1t. On
Thursday night the temperature at Norfolk
was seven degrees above zero. or one de-
gree lower than ever experienced there be-
fore by the Oldest inhabitant. The ice in
the harbor at the same time was eight and
one-half inches. The Norfolk Herald says:
The greatest thickness Of the ice in
our harbor in former years has never ex-
ceeded two inches. and has always been
broken up and drifted out on the next
! flood tide. The comparison il startling.
therefore. and prepares us to anticipate as
hard time as that of the winter of 1880.
when wagons crossed the Chesapeake from
Hampton roads to Cherrystone. and the At
lantic shore was bordered with ice to the
width Of several miles.
Throngs of people passed and repassed
between the two towns. and a large number
of ladies were drawn out to behold the
novel spectacle. Numbers of wild ducks
and some geese, frozen and disabled by the
cold. the wind and the snow. were picked
up along the shore of the river. and among
other large birds found there was a bald
eagle. In Richmond there was general
freezing up of gas meters. so severe was
the cold"
Charitable. organizations were by no
means unknown half a century ago. but
there was only slight be-
Charity ginning in the way of or
Abused. ganized charity" in the
sense in which the term Is
used today to designate the associations of
citizens designed to systematic almsgiv-
ing and to prevent waste. In The Star
of January %, 1857. is the following ac-
count of case Of imposition which dis
of supplies to the poor:
Yesterday morning one of the county
constables came upon a family which,. by
imposition, had obtained no less than
eight loads OF wood from the committee ap-
pointed to distribute 1t to the poor. A load
had been obtained in the maiden name Of
the wife. another in the name of the hus-
band. and one in the name of each of the
children. Such instances as these show the
necessity for some ch-plan Of action by
the relief committees that recommended
by a correspondent of the Intelligencer. He
suggests, first, that every district of the
city should be personally surveyed by the
disbursng committee Or by some other
trustworthy persons employed by them to
prevent imposition. If the sections are too
large for this. let them be subdivided and
more committees created: let each commit
tee take census of the cases Of real want
and see the suffering persons in their own
houses; let the visitors also be provided
with cards OF simple form, to be given to
shown by them on their application to the
committee for relief; let each committee
obtain orders from the treasurers of the
funds. and open an account with each per-
son relieved; let the orders be always in
dorsed by all members of the committee,
and let no orders be given but those so in
dorsed. This will prevent confusion and
show precisely what each committee has
done in its respective section, how much
money has been expended, for what and to
whom.
THE committee of the section bounded by
New Jersey avenue, New York avenue and
North Capitol street have pursued this
plan, and find 1t to work admirably. They
have found cases Of great distress and pre-
vented several cases Of imposition. They
know the needy now by looking them in
the face, and can detect from their register
Of names, taken by actual visitation and
survey. any attempt to deceive them"
This was the local start in the direction of
systematic relief work. the germ Of the idea
which has in late years developed the citi-
funds and the Associated Charities which
supervises the distribution of supplies on
the basis Of an accurate knowledge Of the
individual cases Of necessity.