The Washington herald., 1909-03-28

FOreseeing the ultimate removal OF Cen
ter Market in the general scheme Of i'm
proving Washington, several plans have
been formed to supply the facilities there
concentrated into a great and valuabls
plant in other parts OF the city For
example, It has been proposed that the
market should be established upon one
OF two squares Of land between Massa-
chusetts avenue and X street. east Of
SeTenth street northwest, as being. al
things considered. the most available and
easily accessible point IN the city.
But possibly the most promising plan
is that evolved by Samuel II. Slaught.
who is the author OF several bills intro
duced in Congress since 1900. for the re-
moval Of the market 70 square 534 in
Southwest Washington. The plan for the
removal Of the market OF which Mr-
Slaught IS the protector is part Of a
much larger project for the Improvement
Of the land about the Mall, which has
+ furnished the basis for several bills intro
/ duced in Congress by Senator Hepburn
and others for the purchase Of the land
ment purposes.
Bills Contain Plan in Part.
/ IN the bills recently introduced IN Con
gress only q part Of the slaught plan IS
( Inciuded-nanely. that referring 10 the
I land on the north side OF the Mall. be
: tween IL and Pennsylvania avenue
+ Mr. SlaUght's original plan is for the
/ government 20 buy the land on both sides
z OF the Mall I'D 10 Pennsylvania avenue
I on the north side. and 10 Maryland ave
nue. on the south side, all 10 be used for
/ government purposes
[ Mr. Slaught's plan proposes the pur-
chase outright OF al this ground the
I issue OF bonds Tor It's payment, and for
the erection Of the buildings needed by
I the government there, including a center
( market and a big auditorium for hold
& ing conventions. concerts. congresses. and
the Ike. II is proposed also that the
4 payment OF the bonds shall be made BY
the District OF Columbia. benefited prop
1 eI1y holders. aid the United States con
jointly. in certain fair and relative p-o-
! portions, payment IN all cases being ex-
4 tended over a series OF years. SO thar the
burden shall be distributed and not come
al at once.
Would Hold 10 the Mall
The principle underlying the scheme is
that IN recent years the tide OF popuIa-
rioa, financial and patriotic interests have
been drifting away from the original plan
OF the city. ard Mr.. Slaught's idea IS for
4 Congress 20 take the initiative 20 force
The return OF the Development OF the city
to the originally intended lines about the
Mall TO this end he would have the
government buildings erected there. be
ginning with The three new departments.
10 be followed by others until about the
Mall shall be clustered the finest and
most imposing group of structures 70 be
found in the civilized world
II IS thought by Mr.. Ssaught and others
interested with him in the enterprise that
IL Is none TOO soon 10 be moving, 50 far
as the market problem is concerned The
near completion Of the new building for
/ the National Museum and its occupancy
| in the near future viii make imperative
the removal of the present wholesale
market Il IS maintained that the whole
! sale market and the retail market should
; be. as now, close togethe1
WouId Take Market south.
Consequently It IS proposed thar the new
market shall be erected on square So
bounded by Maryland avenue, 3. -Four
and-a-haIf and Third streets southwest
[ With the market buildings erected there.
and some slight changes in the car lines.
IL is claimed that the site would be as
I accessible es at present. L would also
be more accessible 10 the railroads and
the handling Of produce for the mer-
chants would be that much easier.
Believing thai the scheme is feasible.
I Mr.. SIaught and others have secured op-
tons upon the ground in square 534 and
adjacent squares. and the plan only waits
; action by Congress 10 become q reality.
Center Market and the adjacent whole
sale market has a long and eventfUl his
tory. Prior to ls-9 Washington Market
I consisted Of a series Of low sheds erected
I near the old canal, where the popula-
ti0n Of shat dav bought its provi-
sions For many years il was the only
the population q the city became more
scattered and the city extended its bound
aries. K Street Market. Rises Market.
Eastern and Western markets have been
added. and at times there has been a call
for others More recently. with the i'm
pr0vement OF the street railway service
interest and trade have been drifting
: back TO Center Market and il is to-day
probably the most freqUented place IN
I Washington.
Date Back 20 IsE0.
The present Center Market dates from
about 1s70. Eight years OF 50 prior 20 that
the question Of building such a market
was much agitated in Congress and IN
, the city generally. Senator Lot N. Nor
: rII. Of Vermont. took an active interest
in The enterprise. ana on May -. IS7a
the Washington Market Company was
: chartered. chiefly through the efforts Of
/ Mr.. Morrill,. then chairman OF the Senate
. District Committee. Twenty-six OF the
= chief business men and capitalists OF
Washington were named in the charter.
: After being chartered the enterprise
languished, and Il was not until about
I three years later thst Northern capital
, lists were interested in the project through
the late Alexander Shepherd, and the
Center Market was built
The first outlay was 5e00so-a large
/ sum for that time In 1S75 the property
was practically taken over by the COM
pany under a deed Of trust with certain
reservations by the government for a
municipal building and other purposes
The Washington Market Company met
: with many vieissitudes in after years.
{ Sometimes int$est was not paid. n
5 VestiGatiOns were as numerous as
; succeeding Congresses. Westinghouse
found much 10 complain OF in the man
= agement OF affairs. and when the people
7 OF the city were not complaining the
4 C0nffnued on Pare . CoFunsn 4