Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-22
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Committee COMPILATION
Public Faith Pledged When Land
Was Taken for the Capital.
STATUS DETERMINED IN 1878
Obligation Of the Federal Govern
ment to Maintain the
Half-and-Half
Principle.

| 3r1Qc1ple.
, Explaining the organic act Of 1878,
under which the federal government
bears half the burden Of the expense
OF the District Of Columbia. a COM
prehensive report compiled by a spe-
cial committee of the Chamber Of Com
merce is to be printed for use as am
munition in any fight which may be
made on the half-and-half principle of
appropriating for the District of Co.
lumbia. Authority for printing $500
copies of the report in pamphlet form
has been given by the executive COM
mittee
The report explains it's purpose in the
following languages:
In view of the changes made from
time to time In the personnel Of both
houses Of Congress. the Chamber of
Commerce has compiled the foregoing
facts and arguments, in order that
matters arising in Congress may be
understood and passed upon without
an examination of many official records
and extended discussions. covering a
long period Of time
The special committee appointed to
prepare historical statistical data upon
the relations Of the National Capital to
the federal government consists Of
Henry B. F. Macfarland, chairman;
Charles ]. Bell, William T. Galliher,
Benjamin w. Guy, w. S. Hoge, D. ].
Kaufman, B. F. Saul. A. Leftwich
Sinclair. Brainard H. Warner and George
Y. Worthington.
The compilation was prepared by a
subcommittee Of the special committee,
consisting Of A. Leftwich Sinclair, chair
man; D. ]. Kaufman and B. H. Warner.
Exclusive Control Given to Congress-
The report, in part, reads as follows:
1.-THE Constitution of the United States
provides that Congress shall exercise
exclusive legislation in all cases what
soever over such district (not exceed
ing ten miles square) as may. by ces-
sion of particular states and the ac-
/ ceptance Of Congress. become the seat
Of the government of the United States.
| "As is well known, this power was
conferred upon Congress for its own
protection. and in order that the legis-
iative and executive functions of the
government might be carried on without
molestation.
During the revolution Congress was
repeatedly compelled to change it's place
ish troops. In June, 1888. 1t was Obliged
to leave Philadelphia by a demonstration
Of a body Of dissatisfied soldiers of the
revolution, and as the city and state au-
thorities acknowledged their inability to
afford the necessary protection the franz
ers of the Constitution saw the necessity
for giving to Congress absolute control
of the future capital. wherever it might
be located.
ct is not necessary to go into a de-
tailed statement as to how the National
| Capital came to be located where 1t is
| It is sufficient to say that, after a con-
consideration of no less than twenty-five
sites in several different states, and the
passage by one House of bill for
dual capital, with a provision that Con-
gress should meet alternately at the two
places, it was finally, by a compromise,
| located here by an act passed July Is,
| 1880.
The act authorized President Wash
ington to appoint three commissioners to
| lay out and define the boundaries OF the
District and to lay out the city on such
a plan as he might see fit.
Dividing the Land.
I'm order to carry out this act Wash
| ington, in March, 1871, made bargain
with the nineteen owners Of the land
(mostly covered with forest trees, and
with but few residents) by which they
decided their lands In trust to two trus-
tees, with an agreement that he should
select so much as he saw ft-should lay
it out as he chose; that all lands taken
for streets, avenues and alleys should be
a. free gift to the United States govern
ment; that the land selected for public
reservations for public buildings, parks,
etc. should be paid for at the rate of
$66 66 per acre; that the balance should
be laid out into squares and lots, to be
divided equally between the original pro-
prietors and the government.
1.-THE land was divided thus:
Total number of acres taken for the city 6,110.94
Dona ted to the United States for
avenues. streets and alleys 1905
Donated to. the United States,
10, 1885 building lots ....-....... 9S2
Bought by the United States for
public buildings and reserva-
lions 54l
Total number of acres taken by
the United States. OLD
1915 lots given back to former ~
owners 9Sl94
and reservations We're required to be paid
for out of the first proceeds of the sale
Of the lots donated to the government it
will be seen that of the Gill acres OLD,
or five-sixths Of the whole, were gift to
the government Thus the United States
without cost not only secured the streets,
avenues and alleys and the sites and
grounds for the Capitol and other public
amount of money from the net proceeds
of the sales of the building lots Apo
toned to 1t.
.'This gift to the nation by the people
of the District of Columbia was pro-
nounced by Thomas Jefferson really
noble
Exemption From Tax.
'In consideration of this gift it was
understood by all parties that the proper
ty of the citizens was not to be taxed,
and It was so advertised not only at
home but abroad. as shown by Winter
bothani's History Of the United States.
published in London in 1896. which, in
speaking of this gift to the government. |
says:
This grant will produce about 5000 |
lots, and will be sufficient not only to |
erect the public buildings, but to dig the |
canal, conduct water through the city and |
to pave and light the streets, which will |
save a heavy tax that arises in other |
cities, and consequently render the lots |
considerably more valuable
'It was also clearly understood by all |
that the government was to open the |
streets and make all the improvements |