Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-04-04

cinity of Philadelphia.
The last named location was agreed
upon at the close of the first session of
the Constitutional Congress. The House
had passed bill for the location on the
Susquehanna. The Senate amended the
bill by substituting a location IN the
counties of Philadelphia, Chester and
Bucks, state of Pennsylvania, including
within IL the town of Germantown and
such parts of the Northern Liberties Of
the City of Philadelphia as are not ex-
cepted by the act of cession passed by
the legislature of the said state"
This amendment was accepted by the
House with an amendment providing for
the continuation
Further Attempt of the force of
to Gain Agreement. sy,vania within
the district to be accepted until Congress
should legislate. \ similar provision was
afterward passed for the District of Co
lumbia, and there was nothing in the
amendment which would interfere with
an agreement ON the location. The amend
ed amendment was sent back to the Sen
ate September IS, and September % the
taken on the bill.
Under the practice of Congress prior to
1S4S the agreement on the location at
Germantown not having been acted upon
before the end of a session, the subject
matter had to be brought up anew at the
next session. and it was not revived until
Nav of 1890. In June. after a compare
lively short contest, an agreement was
reached in favor Of the location on the
Potomac. The sudden cessation of the
contest for the location tends to substan-
tiate the statement that a deal was ar
ranged having the following circun-
stances:
The most important question before the
Congress was to determine what char
acter the national debt of the United
States should assume. This debt grew out
of the expenses of the revolutionary war
and a large portion of it was due to for
eign creditors. There was. OF course, no
question but that the federal government
must assume the foreign Indebtedness and
pay it in full. Another portion of the
debt consisted of scrip and other paper
which had chiefly been issued to the SOL
diers. and in exchange for supplies. These
evidences of Indebtedness had been pur-
chased by spectators at reduced rates
and there was much opposition to a pay
ment in full This portion of THE debt was
largely held in the northern states, and
the interest of the northern members
was in favor of funding ii at par, While
the doubt of the justice and necessity OF
paying this Indebtedness at its face was
strongly presented by southern members
There was another class OF indebted
ness which was the subject of still great
er discussion. Several of the states had
become indebted in large sums for the
expenses of the war and the proposition
to relieve the states of this burden ana
.i.i doh nf
the United States was very strongly OPP
posed The southern states We're not a
unit in opposing this plan. and the differ
ent shades of disSenSion Wers Suflclent
to create three minorities and Il dead
lock on the permanent location PROPOSE
ton which was held TO involve an indlca-
ton of success or defeat on the refunding
legislation.
The story which accounts for the com
promise liz June. 1890. is that Thomas
jefferson. having recently returned from
Europe. was in a neutral position as to
the factions and could treat with an
sides Alexander Hamilton. who had the
complete funding plan very much at
heart laid the situation before Jefferson
and sought his assistance. Jefferson
gave a dinner to a number of influential
members at which tn. situation was
talked over, and it is said that the deal
was then made that southern members
should concede to the northern repre-
sentativeS the full measure of funding
operation proposed by Hamilton and that,
as a palliative, the northern members
we're 10 agree to the location of the
capitaI on the Potomac. Jefferson in
fuence with the southern members was
sufficient to secure their consent to the
funding measure and Hamilton under
took to secure sufficient northern votes
for the Potomac location to make It
effective