Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-14

FIFTY YEARS Ago
IN THE STAR
During the early months of the civil
war there were distressing signs here at
Washington of the devel-
Serious- opment of factional
spirit in Congress. leading,
01tudtIUA. according to some minds.
to departure from the basic doctrines
of the republic In The Star of Jam
ilary I, 1862. is an editorial summary OF
the immediate situation:
The rejecting portion of the COM
munity Scontersant with the history OF
nations will read the story of yester-
days legislation of the House of Rep
resentatives with equal alarm and re-
eret, as Enthusiastically illustrating the
fact that the tendency Of this action is,
surely. unless checked by some influence
as vet unknown, to re-enact here in our
day the role of the French national as
semlyiy at the close of the last century.
when, in. the name of the sacred cause
of human liberty that body. equally as
House Of Representatives taught the
world the terrible lesson Of the legiti-
mate results of unbridled demagogueisH,
which. though ringing in its ears up TO
this time seems now about to be utterly
ignored on this side of the Atlantic. The
action to which we refer is the deliberate
usurpation by the House of the functions
of the executive. in the matter of the
direction of the military arm of the gov
eminent.
..The pretense for this deliberate usur-
patton is that the House does not ac-
knowledge the right
Conflict With Of the commander
=. in-chief to decline
sress any information concerning mill.
tary affairs. the PRONUNCIATION of which
he may regard as being likely to prevent
the success of the arms of the United
States i'm the current war; We know
well that those of the body bent on the
Inauguration of a red republican revo-
luton in the loyal states endeavor to
conceal the fact for the time being by
stating the question in issue somewhat
differently. But, stripped OF such subter-
fuges, those loyal to the Constitution
comprehend it to be just as we ex-
planned it, That acting under such ora
torical appeals as that of Mr.. Lovejoy
yesterday, the House should deliberately
resolve that they are The State-that.
like the king, they can do no wrong
that there now exists no authority what
ever In the land but their unbridled will
tells with inexpressible force of the fact
that unless checked their course bids
fair to turn the arms of one-half of
those in battle array for the Union
against the other half. and to substitute
social war at the north for the civil war.
in which all true patriots are fighting
for the restoration of the Union"
The list of advertised letters held in
the Washington post Office grew to
great length when the call to
Letter arms had brought here
large number of people from
AiSs. all parts of the county. The
Star had the task of printing this list
as an advertisement. but it was found
to interfere so seriously with the pub
fishing of news and other adver-
tisements that it was finally aban-
doned, with the following explanation
printed in The Star of January s. 1862:
After having for many years printed
the lists Of letters remaining uncaIled
for in the post Office OF this city (under
the law authorizing their publication
in the newspaper having the largest
circulation within the usual delivery OF
the Office the proprietor or The star
has at length felt compelled to decline
their further insertion, because or the
great space they have come to occupy
and of the fact that for months past he
has been forced to lay over on each oc-
casion, when printing the lists. adver-
tisements the insertion OF which would
have paid at least double as much as
the law allowed him for the letter list.
In addition to this positive pecun1ary
loss by their insertion since those lists
have come to be as large as the New
York city letter lists they have entire
lyon day on which they were print
ed-defeated his purpose of making
The Star always newspaper. news
being it's well known speciality.
!.
Local dissatisfaction with the attitude
of Congress toward the District Of Co
lumbia is by no means
district in modern development. That
it existed fifty years ago is
congress. attested by the following
n.raerapb nrinted in The Star of Janu-
ary. 1862:
''IueS0ay the f1OuSc VI INCpACSShs1SA'S'
gave much time in committee OF the
whole to discussing and reducing the
(sundry civiD appropriation bill. Under
the leadership of Mr.. Conkling of New
York with whom economy is evidently
more a matter Of zeal than discretion,
petty reductions were made in severai
items pertaining to this city FOR m
stance in the face of the contract with
the gas company the usual APPROPRIATION
of $50 900 was cut down to $4,000. The
customary sum for repairs to the White
House was reduced One-hah. The COM
mittee proposed 5000 for planting and
renewing trees on the Avenue, boxing
them and embarrassing the boxes Inc
sum was reduced to 81 600. Ana SO al
most every appropriation relating to TINS
city and District was made fine by de-
grees and beautifully less.
1.-The ignorance displayed by the MEM
bers in their understanding. or misunder-
standing, of the relations between the
general government and the District was
highly discreditable. For instance, at the
mention of an appropriation for the re-
pair of Pennsylvania avenue certain gem
tlemen asked why Congress should give
attention to that matter, not knowing
apparently that the regulation OF all the
avenues in the city belongs to Congress
and to Congress only: and they seemed
quite as ignorant of the fact that the
present wear and tear of these avenues is
mainly from government use.
''It is q lamentable fact and dishearf-
ening to the residents of washington that
the representatives take SO little interest
in the Improvement OF the city, and,