The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-24
SUIT IS URGED
TOObTAIN Land
President Wilson Asked to
Test Constitutionality Of
Retrocession Act.
VIRCTNIk IL INVOLVED
VIRGINIA Is INVOLVED
Chief Executive Hears Argument Why
District Lines Should Be
Extended.

President Wilson was urged strongly
yesterday to instruct Attorney General
McReynolds to bring suit TO test the con-
stitutionality of the retrocession act OF
1886, by which that part CT the original
District OF Columbia which lay in Virginia
was returned to the jurisdiction of tina,
State Headed by Hannis Taylor, repre-
senting LOO property owners in Alexan.
dria County, the section involved, and
John Joy Edison, representing local civic
interests, a good-sized delegation called
upon Mr.. Wilson and was received in the
East Room at 2:S0 o'clock yesterday aft
ernoon.
while Mr.. Taylor, following an oral argu-
ment, presented brief. Mr.. Taylor said
in part:
"An the world knows that the fixing of
the Federal city on the banks Of the Po-
tomac was in peculiar sense the work
Of President Washington, who clearly I'M
derstood that every great city situated
upon a river must occupy site on both
sides of that river. Familiar illustrations
are to be found in London, Paris, Rome,
ST. Petersburg, and Madrid.
TT is about as unpracticable to try TO
dam up a great city on one side of a
river as il would be to try to dam up the
river itself.
= 1T is not, therefore, strange that Pres
ident Lincoln should have said in his
first annual message that the present in
surrection shows, l think, that the eX-
tension of this District across the Poto-
mac river at the time OF establishing the
capital here was eminently wise, and
consequently that the REIMBURSEMENT of
that portion of it which lies within the
State of Virginia was unwise and dan
gerous.
President Taft's Attitude.
'On January Is President Taft gave a
patient hearing to committee repre-
senting LOO petitioners, who own about
50 per cent of the property within the
limits of the so-caled county of AleXan-
dria, outside of the city of Alexandria.
AT the close of the hearing before
President Taft the matter was referred
TO the Attorney General, who, after a
very hasty and confessedly imperfect ex-
animation, said in his report to the
President that it appears to me that the
matter is one which should be left to the
next administration; that it would SAVIOR
of great improperly if such a suit should
be inaugurated, as this administration is
passing out and the new one coming in
Upon that ground President Taft de-
clined to take any action whatever in
the matter, preferring to transfer it to
you for such action as you may deem
it your duty, after proper hearing.
to take in the premises.
Under a special provision Of the Con-
stitution, article /, section S, the Dis
trict of Columbia was created as an
area ten miles square; in December,
1871, the Federal government entered
into possession of the same with a per-
feet title, and under the mandate of the
Constitution governed the same for
period of fifty-ive years.
Then il was that the District was
dismembered by a conveyance to Vir-
ginia of nearly one-half of the entire
area, for no pecuniary or property con-
sideration whatever, and since July 9,
1876, that dismembered fragment has
been governed in lieu of the original
area created under the mandate of the
Constitution
Senator Miller then made the obvious
contention that if Congress had the pow
or to cede away any part of the District
they had the power to cede the whole,
and thereby entirely defeat the intention
of the constitutional provision in regard
10 the seat of government From that
day to this the weight of opinion has
been decidedly against the constitution
ality of the act of 1916.
"The rapid expansion of the Capital,
especially its growth into the domain ly-
ing Cyithin the limits of the retrocession,
is making the settlement, one way or the
other, of the question presented by these
petitioners matter of grave moment,
not only to themselves, but to the ma
ton"