Evening star., 1909-05-04
duties to perform and rights to be main

tanned?
Since Shepherds day. and to some ex-
tent through the influence of his labors,
the scorned Washingt onians have, like
the once-despised Washington, come part
ly into their own They are now gener-
ally recognized as by far the largest con-
tributors to the upbuilding of the capital
They gave of their own property that
the nation might practically own and ex-
clusively control a national city. They
donated to the nation five-sevenths of the
area Of Washington. They gave the land
from the proceeds OF the sale of which
the original public buildings were erected.
Nearly all the work of street improve
ment and capital making which was
done for three-fourths of century was
done by them. Through disregard by
the nation of it's financial obligations to
the capital the Washingtonians were in
1885 forced into bankruptcy in the public
spirited attempt to bear alone the ma
tion's burden. In the same spirit they
endured In the 7O's the travail of the birth
of the new Washington. They have paid
direct and indirect. They pay more per
capita in city taxation, as the census re-
ports show, than the average taxpayer
In any of the ten American cities approx
mating Washington in size. They have
risked life and shed their blood in every
national war. AS border community
Washington sent many of her sons to the
south in the civil struggle; while to pre-
serve tnc Union the UTSI volunteers came
from the capital, and Washingtonians
| supplied more troops in excess of their
quota than any s.ate except one. In the
recent war with Spain they sent to the
front fine regiment. far exceeding their
quota in numbers. They have thus placed
both sacrifice Of treasure and blood-sac-
rifice upon the nations altar.
In modern times of peace the public
spirit of the Washingtonian Is equally in
evidence whenever sacrifices of time or OF
nf in he aSf w into roct
are required. No other American COM
munity responds more promptly or more
literally in proportion to its means TO
any call for aid for the distressed wheth-
or at home. Our business and profess
sional men. the educational, scientific,
literary and artistic elements Of our popu-
lation. our workingmen in public and pri-
vate employ, our department clerks and
other government employees, our winter
residents in process of conversion into
Washingtonians, combine to constitute
one of the strongest, most intelligent,
most public-sprited and most American
communities in the whole republic.
Embodies the National Spirit.
When the Americanism of the Wash
ingtonian is slurred he is able to reply
that, owing no allegiance to a state. he
is American and nothing else; American
in a peculiar and exclusive sense-the
most American and national of all Amer
leans. The nations city is the material
embodiment of the national spirit 1t
has fiourished and it has sickened in
proportion as that spirit has been strong
or weak. 1t has been and IS a vital, pa
triotic harmoniZing force in the republic S
history, bringing together III sympathetic
interest the people of the sections and
the states and binding them together in
the Grand Order of National Americans.
The people of the National capital, with
l -
service to the nation as good Americans
and through their city, as a unifying pa
triotic force, and with their peculiarly
high standard of Americanism, are clearly
entitled to fair treatment by the nation.
and surely deserve to be relieved from
!! humiliating slurs and from disabilities not
essential in the public interest which
place them in certain respects on lower
plane than other Americans.
What should be the objects OF new
Shepherd campaign in behalf of the
Washngtonian?
First, he needs continued and ungrudg-
ing recognition by the nation and by Con-
gress of his public c-spirited services as a
capital builder, as a contributor in land
and money. as taxpayer and otherwise
to the city's development: he needs faith
full fulfillment Of the nations own finan-
sal obisatens ct to nseas the ef
from ISLANDERS upon his public spirit and
from undeserved slurs as a mendicant
The Washingtonian is entitled to his
good name.
Second. he needs access for his sons
to local means Of self-support. that
they may not be exiled in order to live
The establishment of light and clean
manufactures like those of Paris and
Vienna. and the development of local
trade, wholesale and retail. must be en-
couraged. Then repeal or amend in the
interest of the District the apportion-
ment of offices law. so that the youth of
Washington, il the most meritorious of
all applicants, may have ready access
to the government departments and
workshops, which for Washington take