Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-12
National Responsibility in Cap
itaI Extension.
ORGANIC ACT A VITAL NEED
Summary of Deductions From
Analysis of the Districts Rela-
tions to the United States.
BY THEODORE w. MOVES.
FINAL lNSTALlMENT.
Part IV.-Concluded.


The unjust and Ubiquitous repeal Of
the act of 1878 would he ruinOus to the
local taxpayers; and Its serious viola
tion as by its repeal, direct or Indirect
in It's application to the portion of the
District outside of original Washington
would he propOrtiOnately disastrous.
The expense of the street system of
Washington is not to be endured unless
met by all the resources which combine
to make the National Capital worthy of
the nation. If Congress will violate the
obligations incurred at the founding of
the federal District upon which the act
OF 1878 was based. and will say in lesisla-
tion concerning the extension of single
streets separately and successfully that
the nation has no financial concern In the
modern capital save in the portion limited
by the imaginary line of Boundary street.
then the streets of the repudiated section
must he opened and improved on the basis
of cramped local resources. and not on
the national lines of the original city. But
II. on the other hand. Congress wisely de-
termines that the grand purpose of the
highway act shall be carried out and that
the greater Washington of the coming
century. for which we modernS will he
held responsible, shall not discredit the
nation when compared with the city plan
ned by the forefathers then the violation
of the organic act involved in the extern
sion propositions must be vigorously dis
countenanced.
Consider for one moment Washington's
original street plan Of which the use is
suggested exclusively at private expense
for the extension of the nations city.
IL represents theShard bargain driven
with the original proprietors of the soil.
John Law. a prominent citizen. who came
here at the city's BIRTH charged in 1870.
voicing a general complaint. that the city
Jod hoe na6n aCt nv hn n
merely to crafty their cupdity and tempt
as many farmholders as possible to give
Up half their property. Even more bitter
complaints were made concerning the area
appropriated for streets and avenues. not
merely one-half. but all of which was
taken by the government without compen-
sation. The property owners donated one
half of the lots and all of the streets and
avenues to the nation. and the national
representatives showed shrewd apprecia-
ton of the terms of the benefaction by
setting apart as streets more than one
half of the total area of the city. 1905
acres out of a total of Gill, a greater per-
centage of street surface than in any
other city in the world Its vastness has
been we'll pictured by imagining street
100 feet wide. extending from Washington
to New York. to be graded, asphalted and
supplied with cutters. curbStOneS, side
walks. drains, sewers. lamp posts and
shade trees. AS the Senate District COM
mittee said In its report of 1885:
The plan of the city was formed by the
public authorities; the dimensions of the
streets determined by them without inter-
ference by the inhabitants or regard to
their particular interest or convenience.
II is plan calculated for the magnificent
capital of a great nation, but oppressive
from its very dimensions and arrange
ments to the Inhabitants, il its execution
10 any considerable extent is to be thrown
upon them. No people who anticipated
the execution and subsequent support of 1t
mt Of hai wCIIld
dreamed of forming such plan. At that
period neither the government nor the
proprietors contemplated that the whole
or even a large proportion of the burden
should be thrown upon the inhabitants of
the city.
1.-The streets were not only oppressive
from their size and extent in their orig
inal formation, but they will from the
same cause continue to be amending
source of expense in their repair. They
must annually cost nearly double the
amount of streets Of the same length of
moderate dimensions. The government
ought not be very deaf to the complaints
of those upon whom such burden has
fallen
Extension of the Street Plan.
The proposition now is to preserve much
OF this magnificent street plan, the grand
est in the world, and to extend it to a
considerable degree over the Districs
outside of Washington under a method
of extension in some respects more I'M
Justly oppressive to the inhabitants of
the federal District than the arrange
ment of which the original property own
ers complained. The latter were required
TO give land for the streets, but they
were recompensed in part for their gifts
by the understanding. afterward violated.
that the donated streets should be open
ed and improved exclusively or largely
at the expense of the nation.
Had old Washington realized that the
nation would disregard its implied agree
ment and throw the expense of street
development almost entirely upon indi-
vidual citizens ii would never have con-
scented to dedicate for street purposes
more than half of the total area of the
city and the new Washington. beyond
Boundary street, may we'll shrink back
when invited TO develop the eXtravagant
and expensive but magnificent street
plan of great National Capital with
the feeble. unaided resources of scat
tered suburban population. which in its
natural development would never dream
Of dedicating TO the public and of main
tanning and improving at its own ex-
pense street area that would take out
Of the market and render not only I'M
productive but source of direct and
heavy outlay over One-thlrd or the en-
tire suburban city
The large owners of unsubdivided land
IN the District outside of Florida avenue
will doubtless readily donate to the pub
lie the necessary streets, just as their
predecessors did at the founding of the
city. They will not even exact the UNI
Outstanding had with the original pro-
prietors-that the cost Of improving these
streets shall fall exclusively or largely
on the nation. They will be content II,
being annexed TO Washington. the do
mated thoroughfares are treated in the
same way as all other Washington streets
and are developed under the act of 1878
on the half-and-half basis. But the own
ers Of lots In the belt of misfit subdi-
visions intervening between the original
city and the unsubdivided land and the
owners OF small plots in such unsubdi-
vided land, whose property, under extern
sion bills, will be either all taken In
streets or SO mutilated to be rem
dered practically valueless. occupy
different position. Why should they give
10 the public, they ask, that for which
they have paid cash with no resulting
benefits, even indirect. to themselves
from the transaction? Clearly they must
he compensated for their land taken for
public uses. and Just as clearly il the
land is to be thrown into Washington
grand plan of streets and made part
Of the capital the financial treatment APP
piled by law to the old must also be ap-
piled to the new streets of the nations
city.
Unjust to Taxpayers.
The system OF street opening and i'm
hx- hp