The Washington herald., 1909-05-04


lumbia accepts from the citizens Of the
National Capital this statue OF Gov Shep-
/ herd with fun appreciation. The wheel
! has gone the full circle round in less than
/ a generation.
The man who stands before Us as
though in life. rugged. capable. ready for
I a great task, and 10 90 It quickly. since
/ his day Of opportunity viii soon be gone,
! could not have imagined in the hour OF
his downfall that so soon the people. not
! the government. Of the District Of Co
lumbia would set up this memorial in
+ front Of the District Building Truly.
/ cities are not always ungrateful. and.
/ truly. the second thought Of a people is
/ almost always just
1T was not strange that Shepherds
/ work which was Ike the blasting OF
/ foundations out Of rock for the Capital
/ of the future. and which had been done
/ so quickly that its great cost, falling en-
( tirely upon the 10000 people here, the
national government furnishing nothing
/ but the authority. should have been mis-
/ understood by those tax payers who
could not see its significance for the fu-
ture because OF its heavy exactiOns in
the present. Most men take short views
| In public as in private affairs. and, natur-
! ally enough think first Of money. cost TO
/ themselves.
1T Is only strange that IN less than
ten years the tide Of public opinion began
/ 70 turn. and those leaders Of the com
mUnity who had faithfully supported
! Shepherd IN prosperity and adversely.
notably among them Crosby s. Noyes.
whose bust stands in the entrance 70 the
/ District Building. found that their friend
and his work were beginning 70 be right
" appraised That Shepherd lived to see
the gratitude Of his feIlow-citizens 20 re-
ceive the freedom Of the city he had
served, as well as 10 restore his personal
fortune, broken by his public service. was
as gratifying 10 his friends as 70 himself
and this day their joy must overflow.
what They Meant TO Him.
we Of the District government upon
whom the task of continuing the super
structure Of this Capitals greatness has
come. facing our entirely different prob
( lens. can yet enter into his difficulties
and appreciate better than private clti-
zens what they meant 10 him. Ours is a
task OF administration. OF well-defned
policies for periods OF years. of continu-
ing the work which he began. so that We
may hand it over with its improvements
90 our successors.
Tt does not call for heroic measures or
revolutionary activity. Shepherd had 10
spend IN about three years on the i'm
prOvement Of streets and avenues and
sewers and water mains what We have
spent in about twice the tine on the re-
cent extraordinary projects OF improve
merts.
"ffe knew bis time was short. and that
he must DO his work rapidly even II
roughly and extensively Shepherd had
little time for organizing municipal serv-
ices. and his service was long before the
day that social and economic municipal
legislation which 50 interests and absorbs I
cities IN our time Our annual budget
Of current expenditures. now running be-
tween 100000 and $1,000 0o0. would have
seemed very large IN his DAY. just as the
present prosperity OF the District which
did not begin until the permanent form
of government went into effect IN ISIS, far !
exceeds the promise Of that period. Il
is a striking fact that most OF Shepherds /
great task was done not as governor, but
as vice president Of the board Of public f.
works. consisting OF five persons. the first /
governor. Henry n Cook. being presi- /
fdent ex-of7cio.
shepherd was governor only from Sep /
tember. 1879. 10 June o. 1874. about nine I
months. Practically, therefore. he /
wrought through a commission form OF 4
government. such as Congress afterward I
gave the District. with similar powers 10 I
those Of the board OF public works That 4
board was even more like the Galveston 1
and other city commissions modelled on 4
-
bia- Shepherd is sometimes cited as an 4
example OF the value OF what IS called /
a single-head executive in a city. But Il I
was not the governor WAC began the ex- /
ecution Of George Washingtons plan for 4
the Federal City and carried it 50 far 4
forward. but the man and his associates +
on the board Of public works.
Undoubtedly. the efficiency Of the !
board Of public works was IN the minds 4
Of the trainers Of the permanent govern
ment act of 1875, which the United States /
Supreme Court called the constitution OF i
the District Of Columbia
Success Of the Law.
Thirty years success Of that law IN
volving the so-called compact Of 1873 be-
tween the United States and the District
for the payment OF the expenses. half and
half. together with the surrender OF the
suffrage, and thereby the elimination Of I
partisan politics from the municipal af-
fairs Of the District Of Columbia. is Wis
ible TO every seeing eye which contrasts
the conditions OF 1873 with the conditions
Of 1903
The District government building a
model OF its kind. beautiful without
and useful within. showing d fun dollars
value for every dollar spent, IS typical Of
the results Of that new form of municipal
government Because the work has spread
over thirty years. because it was neces-
s2rily quiet and in no way spectacular.
its Importance has not been apparent to
al eyes. Some must ae reminded for ex-
ample that in that time s215.000OO0. or
more than was expended in ali the Ere
Ceding seventy-eight years. except for the
Shepherd improvements, has been spent
here. This beautiful city did not hap
pen. TIE appropriations and the iegisla-
ton. the constructive and the admin
iStrative work necessary 10 make il and
its government what they are did not
come by accident All since IS7S is the
result OF intense toll on the part of the
successors Of the governors. supported by /
the citizens through their organizations
and the President
The fabric which has been building on
the Shepherd foundation has now reached
noble prOportions. thanks 70 the labors
- many men. into which we OF the
twentieth century have entered. We have
passed through crises and emergencies
which threatened the life Of the structure.
We can see Gle irly now that II viii stand
all storms. Tie future OF this Capital IS
certain TO be )ne OF steady progress. IL
creasing beatty. unfolding opportunity.
The populati n viii increase and yet viii
maintain its character as the most Amer
ican in the United States. Some of US