Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1908-07-30

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y! - q sN<ysgSnlfsM how George Wash
ington, with far
seeing genius, founded the city bear
ing his name, between 1890 and 1900
with the idea that the United states
would grow to be a great nation and
that it ought to have an independent
and adequate capital. This policy re-
suited in the creation of federal dis
trict. containing the federal city,
which congress named for him, and
which was planned on a great scale
and with peculiar natural beauty.
Nov that the plans of President
Washington are being carried out"
said Commissioner Macfarland, they
illustrate the great advantage of pre-
pairing for a city before it is born.
They justify also the much more diff
cult task of regenerating an old city"
Adyerting to the method of admins
tering the municipal government of
the federal district and of the city
of Washington, Commissioner Macfar-
land said:
For Is years congress left the
maintenance of the municipal govern
ment practically to the residents Of
Washington, who elected their mayors
and other officers and met all the ex-
pense of the municipal services, al.
though the national government, from
the first, owned more than half the
real estate by gift from the original
proprietors.
cat first, the national government
was penniless. 1t could not have built
the presidents house, the congress
house and the other federal buildings
the original proprietors. Then the
winning of the west by the hosts
which poured over the Alleghanies
after Jefferson acquired the Louisiana
purchase, started the movement for
the removal of the capital to the Mis-
sissippi valley, where the center of
population, then at Washington, was
soon to be established, and this move
ment was only checked by the quicker
communication which the adoption of
railroads and telegraph gave. But it
was not until the civil war made
Washington the symbol of sovereignty
after a million men had died and bill
lions of treasure had been spent in at
lacking and defending it that it be-
came ridiculous to talk of removing
the capital.
During the first three-quarters of
a century several kinds of government
were tried, including four years of a
governor, legislature, and delegate
to congress. In 1878, after several
years of careful consideration, the in
telligent taxpayers in general and con-
gress came to an agreement upon the
present, described in the act of con-
gress as the permanent form of gov
eminent Congress assumed the neg
lected obligations by promising to pay
one-half of the municipal expenses.
The citizens gave up the elective
franchise generally without regret, in
view of the past experience, and rea-
lizing that the national government
could not be taxed nor it's money ap-
propriated by their vote.
Congress created as it's agent for
the district municipal corporation
headed by three commissioners, to be
appointed by the president of the Uni
ted States, two of them to be residents
of the district and the third an army
engineer officer of high rank. In prac-
tice the civil commissioners MAORI
ty of the board, including always it's
president, have represented their fell
low-citizens as we'll as congress. Con-
gress remained the legislature, as pro-
vided by the constitution, delegating,
however, to the commissioners power
to make municipal ordinances, such as
police, health, building and other reg
ulations."
The form of government, the speak
err held, was largely responsible for
the progress which has been made
since 1878, because it is a real govern
ment directed by public opinion. The
citizenship of the national capital he
said, is especially intelligent, drawn
from the best of every state in the
union, every province of Canada and
from the countries beyond the seas;
that it is highly organized for activity
in public affairs and develops and en-
plOys public opinion with the aid of an
entirely Independent public press in
an unusual degree.