Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-03
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

Business in Washington fifty years ago
was brisk enough. to cause the local
| merchants to believe that
| Business they were on the eve of q
p, boom. 1t seemed certain
"eVi'aI. that the session of Congress
a brief dull season in midsummer and
| the following paragraph:
There was an appearance of activity
in the business localities Saturday that
gave hope of an increase Of the spring
trade. Although the dust was unfavor-
able to outdoor sales especially and bust
ness transactions generally, the porters
and carriers were actively engaged In de-
livering goods from the stores to all parts
of the city. and the sidewalks presented
the appearance of a parade day. with the
popular marts. Most of the auctioneers
were engaged in disposing OF goods Oh
various descriptions on the streets near
their warehouses and they were sur
rounded by eager bidders AT Green S. on
D and 18th streets, numerous company
were attending a furniture sale. NC
Dewitt on the Avenue near 9th street,
was also surrounded by bidders FOR emma
and glass wares; while on Z street near
9th a very large company was assembled
to witness the sale of a number of horses
of various grades which were there ex-
hibited. Altogether. the day was mucn
more lively in respect to sales than any
market day since the autumn OF 3D.
The following paragraph in The Star OF
March %, 1860, is indicative Of the steady
trend in Congress toward
Political the definition of the issue
between the sections re-
1Toposd1S. sulting in the outbreak OF
war twelve months later:
..Mondays are in these times nearly al
ways legislative days thrown away. Two
resolutions sought to be introduced INTO
the House yesterday illustrate the fact
forcibly-that of Mr.. Mcqueen. amount
ing to a proposition to have the general
government NEEDLE between the employ
ers and the employed of the north' on 'ue
ground of the duty of the government 10
sustain the latter as against the former
and that of Mr. Blake of Ohio proposing
to abolish negro slavery In the ohi'eu
States by act of Congress, setting every
slave in their limits free, which actually
received the votes of sixty republican
party members, much to the qualification
of the democrats, of course. VINO deslTe
nothing more than that the republican
organization shall be made, by the lnten-
sitv of it's abolitionism, as od1Ous as pos
sible to the few conservatives OF the
north who have not yet become ldentiheo
with the democratic organization.
month ago we stated that nothing except
President making would be zone IN Con-
gress until after the close of the Chicago
convention, the truth of which we pre-
sumo all now realize.
The process Of securing local legis-
ton from Congress was as slow and
difficult half a century
Avenue ago as in some respects
it is today The Dill
railroad. granting a charter to the
proposed company to operate the street
railway line on Pennsylvania avenue was
held up in the Senate for long period
In The Star of March %, 1860. is a
paragraph as follows:
From all we can learn the bill not long
since reported from the SenateS DISTRICT
of Columbia committee Is very likely 10
become q law ere the close of the present
session. The only opposition to II worth
mentioning comes from lot or specu-
Iators. most of whom are neither resi-
dents Of Washington city nor in any
manner identified with Its analrs or inter
ests who are laboring to feather thelr
own nests evidently under the plea of
getting a charter for a Pennsylvania
avenue railroad for the benent or the
METROPOLITAN Railroad Company. con-
Germ that never had any vitality ana
long since forfeited it's charter. Our
desire the construction of the proposed
passenger (horse) railroad, and as Tar as
we can perceive nine-tenths OF them are
in favor of granting the right to make ~
to the citizens named IN the senate plli
all citizens of the District, among Wnom
are found many of our most substantial
energetic, enterprising and useful cltl-
ems, whose heavy interest In the general
prospect of the District OF Columbia IN
wolves the best possible guarantee that In
thew hands the enterprise will be best
conducted for the convenience, economy
and interest of Washington and George
town-the points Congress should aim to
achieve in legislating on the subject.
So much trouble was caused during the
first session of the Thirty-sixth Congress
in the selection of a pub
Public lie printer that senti-
ment was evoked In IA
11iA1An6' vor Of the formal estab-
lishment of a printing office by the gov
eminent for its own uses. In The Star OF
March 20, 1860. is paragraph as follows:
mfr. Nicholson Tin the Senate) pre-
scented a memorial from Cornelius Wen
dell asking Congress to establish a gov
eminent printing office. The memorialist
sets forth that the public printing and
binding has been bone OF contention for
wears and source of wasteful eXtrava
gance to the treasury; that to reform 1t
altogether the only true remedy is the
establishment of a national printing Of
fee. which would effectually remove all
causes of complaint: that from his long
and extensive experience in the business
he is satisfied that a saving of over one
half the large amount annually paid
$500, OOO would accrue to the govern
ment.
THE military board which was charged
with drafting a plan for the reorganiza-
ton OF the District mill