Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-21

said to be a compact, seeing that COM
pact is synonymous with contract
FLETCHER VS.. Peck, Cranch., so. and
that at no time and in no manner has the
federal government been contracting with
the District: it has simply been providing
for it's government under the constitu-
tional requirement in that behalf.
Local Improvements.
Up to this time. as respects the upbuiid
ing and development of the 'seat of ma
tional business the city of Washington
as federal instrumentality in the form
OF a municipal corporation (for. as all
the authorities agree, municipal cor
poration is merely an agency of the state
10 discharge some of the functions OF
government a public fundamentally es-
tablished to aid in the administration OF
the affairs of the state). had. by SPECIFIC
authority of Congress under its granted
powers. gone in its own way making
such improvements as 1T thought neces-
sary for the good of the city and its in
habitants, while Congress, through Its
own representative. the commissioner of
public buildings. was providing, at the
national expense. for such improvements
adjacent to the public buildings and pub
lie spaces it deemed necessary.
Now, however. as already indicated,
Congress took it's initial step in the way
of direct cooperation with it's local agent,
the municipal corporation of the city OF
Washington. by providing by the fifteenth
section of the act of 1920 4; Stats L. a3D,
that the commissioner of public buildings.
or other person appointed to superintend
the United States disbursements in the
City of Washington, should reimburse the
corporation just proportion of any eX
pense thereafter incurred i'll improving in
anywise any of the streets avenues in
front of. adjacent to, or passing through
or between any of the public squares or
reservations. whenever the corporation
should. by law. direct such improvements
to be made by the proprietors of the lots
on the opposite side of any such street
or avenue or adjacent to any such square
or reservations: and also. should cause the
footways to be paved and the curbstones
set in front OF any lots belonging to the
United States when the like improvements
should be ordered by the corporation in
front of the lots adjoining squares adj
jacent thereto.
United States and Public Spaces.
BY a supplementary act of May 20 1926
a Stats. l.. 1860 Congress provided that
this section 10 of the act OF May H. 1920
should be SO construed as to extend it's
provisions as well to public open spaces
to public squares or reservations: and
AS lately as May ). 1864 as Stats. L.. CD,
Congress made similar provision, the
cost to the Cnited States in each instance
Ito be ascertained in the same manner as
the same, is apportioned among the indi-
vidual proprietors of the property i'm
proved"
It is well to dwell for a moment upon
these provisions. They clearly show that
Congress recognized the local municipal
corporation as its agent in developing
the National Capital and it's own obliga
lions accordingly. And by it's last general
act in relation to the corporation of
Washington. before the tablishment of
the territorial form of government, name
ly. the act Of May IL, 1913 g Stats. L..
223). Congress again certified it's recog-
milton of the relations between the city
and the nation by specifically preserving
in sections II and IL of the act the pro-
visions of the earlier act of 1920.
Federal Establishment.
While Congress was thus. in what must
appear to all purely tentative way
providing for the government of the in
habitants Of the city through the medium
of municipal corporation. il was at
the same time needing the national side
of the question by esta bhshing at it's
own expense. courts and judicial officers
and providing general laws of jurisdiction
and authority extending throughout the
District which at that time comprised
not only the city of Washington but also
the city of Georgetown and the county
And by act of August 9, 1851 a. Stats. L..
800, Congress in the stress of the civil
war, whose lurid light revealed to all
the true relation of the District to the
nation, took the first comprehensiye stem