Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-13


ish In the course of the debate at that
time upon the expediency of removing
the seat of government Representative
Lewis of Virginia complained that for
me last ten or twelve years similar at
tempts had been made. the effect of
which was to create alarm and par
aiyze Improvement, to the great injury
of the public. He pointed out that
hundreds and thousands of individuals
had been induced from perfect conf
dence In the permanency of the seat Of
government to expend their all in it's
Improvement who would be reduced to
beggary and want by a removal A
committee to whom the subject was re-
ferred reported resolution. That 1t is
inexpedient to remove the seat of gov
eminent at this time from Washington
CITY A motion to strike out .inex-
pedient" and insert "expedfent." after
tie vote of IS to es, was decided in
the affirmative by the Speaker The re-
port. as amended. was referred to the
committee OF the whole House and was
passed after debate by vote of ~
to II: When the bill was reported to
the House. Philadelphia was inserted
as the future capital. and in the end
on the question of engrossing the bill
FOR a third reading; 1t was lost by
OF the alarming movements which
frightened the young capital out of
many a years growth may serve as a
suggestion Of those which followed, II
the stale allusion to the experience of
Damocles is ever justifiable. this is the
| occasion, for the city. in very truth.
lived and grew with threatening
sword suspended over its head The
latest assault of vigor by capital NOV
ers was that made in 1869 in favor of
st. Louis. by L. U. Reavis and others
outside of Congress, and by some west
ern senators and representatives within
Congress. In reply to the question.
When will the removal be effected?"
Reavis says in his book: 'I unhesitat-
ingly answer that the change will be
made within five years from January
/. 1869, and before 1875 the
President of the United States will de-
liver his message at the new seat of
government in the Mississippi valley"
The capital has not been moved, and
suit of some extraordinary political
CONFUSION; but this conviction Is the
growth Of recent years. and the mis-
chief done by the constant agitation
of the subject in the past can hardly be
estimated.
Indifference and Neglect.
Though the first of washington's
grievances is the animosity Of many
among those who should have been the
city's protectors the indifference of
others not actively hostile has been an
| evil of hardly less magnitude. Under
the Constitution Congress has power
| of exclusive legislation over the Dis
| trict of Columbia. 1t is q tract of
national territory to be governed by the
representatives of the whole people.
| Its interests are entitled to the thought
| full consideration of every one of Its
constitutionally appointed legislators.
Unfortunately they have not received,
| and do not receive, this consideration.
| In the House discussion of 1871 upon
| a
| Of government for the District, one of
| the members of the District committee
| said that within two years parts of
| only nine afternoons had been spent in
legislation for the capital. The i'm
| provement in this respect since that
| date has not been startling. The an
| nouncement that a short time is to be
| devoted by Congress to District affairs
/ is looked upon by many legislators as
an invitation to be absent. Others re-
main long enough to show that they
| view their presence and attention as d
personal favor to citizens of the Dis
| trict, and not as a part of their con-
gresSlonal duty. Those congressman who
consider that the main purpose of their
| terms is to arm themselves for re-
| election are, of course, bored or disgust
| ed with petty and embarrassing District
| affairs. Discussion concerning such af-
| fairs furnishes nothing to be quoted in
| the home papers for their constituents
benefit and their own glory Even of
| those who interest themselves in the
| District considerable proportion en-
| deavor to utilize II as a held of expert
! ment for their political or other hob
| bles, the practical applica ton of which
| they would not, in many instances,
| dare to attempt at home. where there
| are voters to make their resentment
felt in case the experiment should prove
| hurtful. But the District is the apothe-
| carys cat. to be dosed experimentally
| with each dubious compound before 1t
can safely be offered to the public
| The capital could hardly have autici-
pated such discouraging treatment. The
early standard of duty set for Congress
| in the matter of its management of the
| District was not low one. In 1873
Representative Bacon made formidable
estimate of the expense and loss of time
| to the nation. increasing with the growth
of the District. which would be involved
| in the assumption by Congress of the
power of exclusive legislation. Should
justice" he said, '.be done to the eXer-
else of THIS power. it was likely that as
| much time would be spent in legislating
for this District as for the whole United
States" 1t Is hardly necessary to say
| that increasing population has not Sc
cured proportionate increase in the
congressional time devoted to District
| affairs. and, in view of the facts. the
very suggestion that the capitals legis-
| lature should give one-half its thoughts
| to the capitals interests seems ridiculous
| An unfitness for the performance of the
duties assigned it has often been urged as
part either of the accusation or confession
| of congressional indifference in respect to
Washington. In 1903 Representative
| Randolph remarked i'll the course of de-
| bate that Congress was incompetent to
| legislate for the District. adding: 1T was
| well known that the Incidence of other
members than the District commfttee)
or their Indifference, inseparable from the
| situation i'll which they were placed
would prevent Congress from legislating
with full understanding of the objects
i before them Congress for a long time
| not only accepted the idea of its inca
| pacity to govern the people of the Dis
| trict, but apparently forgot that it had
any responsibilities whatever in respect
! to the Capital city. The excuse of unit
ness for failure to furnish the general
| legislation necessary for the welfare of
| the residents of the District does not
have even a tendency to relieve Con-
| gresS from the blame which attaches to
| its neglect to carry out the original plan
and implied agreement to build UP
| magnificent capital on the Potomac. 1t
could. at least. have appropriated the
money required to meet its obligations.
| even if. in truth. it found itself incompetent
| to pass the proper laws But even when
most liberal in the disbursement of the
! peoples money 1t had not cent to
expend in rendering the peoples city
attractive. The blaze of glory which
| the mere presence of our national legis-
| lators casts upon their place of meeting
| was thought, perhaps. by members of
| Congress to hide all defects In the APP
pearance of the capital and to amount
| to a satisfaction in full of their consti-
| tutional obligations toward the District.
For years the national legislature permit
| ted the capital intrusted to it's keeping TO
| be an object of derision and contempt to
| foreigner and citizen More than that. it
contributed by it's own neglect to make
cd b.at