Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-02-24
SETTLING THE WARRINGTON
ESTATE.

SETTLING THE WARRINGTON
ESTATE.
While the American people were hon
oring the memory of Washington on the
| anniversary of his birthday little idea had
they that his ettate remains unsettled,
and through the action of government
officials Themselves his heirs were de-
prived of property he had acquired BY
purchase and specifically 5tqueathed In
his will.
Yet such Is the case When the revo.
luton Was over Virginia gave each officer
and soldier pay In t,e shspe OF warrants
for lands in her wes tsrp tsrr, t,ry. Msj r
generals received some twenty -.hree
thousand acres each, colopes ega'
Thousand, and 30 on down the line. OF
ell the troops 10 the Virginia line WASH
ipgtou was the only officer who re'u,ed
ty accept pay for bis services. he W uld
not 4. the land, because be said t,st
he felt that be had t, I'D ample cumpeu.
sstion in serving his ecu airy, and had
nouyh to provide competence for those
to Shom he owed it.
When be made thst statemert he had
amoog his POSSESSIONS little over three
thousand acres OF land In Ohio, all OF
which had teen acquired by the pur-
chase OF regularly issu. d land warfauts.
Oae OF these warrant, called for three
thousand acres of land, and had been
issued to John Roetes, by the English
governor, Du u1more. Ait,rRard, Wheb
the colonies had schived tseir indepen.
deuce, Virginia rt fed these warrants
issued under tle su:hority OF the British
Cro#n. Later Washington bought an
other waErsr t from John Dope, revo-
la,ionary soldier, calling for a hundred
aces of land. Under these two warrant
Wa -hinLt1n loca:ed his lsuds in
Olsremont equity and Hamilton county,
Oaio.
In the years that followed he paid
taxes on these latd,, and, upon one oc-
casiop, having heard that others were
about to get possession OF them through
selocstIons, wrote the federal authorities
icquiripg about it. They replied that
hs lands would be protected, and II sDy
St enpt we're made upon them BY
squa,t ers be wta'd ba advised.
When Vlrgin:d ceded the t:riitory
which DOW const,ues the state of Ohio
to the federal government, one of the
prime ct pulatious OF the act of cessiou
wss that all her land warrants should
be sst SIZED. Those OF Washington we're
among t g list of warrants 1included 10
this stipulation.
L. ter, when Washington wrote his
will be bequ a!hed these lands to certain
OF his heirs, and advised them to hold
be property as an investment, predict
ing rapid enhancement in their
value.
In the meantime others had made
second locations upon the lands, aud
though the Washington es!tt, did what
was possible to prlt.cs it'elf from this
squa!ter sovereignty, to this day these
lands have been handed down under
these second locstions. Even the field
ootes of the Washington tu,Veys we're
used in making these second locs
tions.
Thus, through the car slessness o
government officers, the lands with
Washington regarded So valuable
part of the es'ste, passed from 1t with
out 8 dollar of compensation. For a
hundred years this injustice has teen
permitted to continue.
In order that 1t may be settled,
Robert E. Lee, jr., grandson of the
Confederate commander, aud direct de-
scendsnt OF Mattha Washington, bss
been appointed administrator dc bouis
nou of the Washington estate. The
heirs are simply asking that they be
paid ss much as the land would be
worth were 1t standing in timber toda-,
one hundred dollars sn acre. However
iust their claim 1t does net look now
80 If Congress- will consider 1t at this
session. Thus the heirs who might
have had twenty-five thousand acres OF
land by gift are denied tae benefit, of
three thousand acres which vas &C.
CURED by Washington by purchase.
In all the list OF claims that are pend
ing before the government there 10
probably net one 60 full of interest a2d
carrying so much regret to the people
that it is uusstisfied as the one OF the
estate ct the father of bis country.
Monuments without number have been
erected to his name bat the government {
has allowed nearly half Of his estate to
be taken from those to whom be be-
queathed it, beeau,e of i!s lack OF care
10 Pa.entipg second locstops.