Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-09
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

A movement was on foot fifty years
ago to provide q new home for tho
President Of the
4 Move for a New United States IT
White House. th.t Tho Exscn,,v.
Mansion was located in an unhealthy
position. A congressional inquiry was
begun into the subject. as noted in The
Star of July 2. 1866. as follows:
"on Saturday afternoon the commit
tee Of the two houses on public build
ings and grounds. charged with the
duty Of selecting a site for a park and
a new presidential mansion. made. with
north Of the city. The party. consist
ing of Senators Brown. Trumbull and
Hendricks and Messrs. Rice Of Maine
Patterson of New Hampshire, Window
of Minnesota, Hale and Morris of New
York. Longyear Of Michigan, Bingham
of Ohio. Dawes of Massachusetts,. Ray
mond Of New York. Glossbrenner OF
Pennsylvania, Green Clay Smith OF
Kentucky. Washburn Of Massachusetts,
Latham of West Virginia. Eldridge OF
mont. left the Capitol in carriages al
ha1f-past pm. and. escorted by Mayor
Wallach, visited lexington. the resi-
dence of Mrs. Gales: Hardwood, where
the proprietor. W. w. Corcoran. esq.
the Berry place. etc, etc. and after
an interesting drive through that pic
turesque neighborhood arrived at the
country residence Of the mayor. on the
7th street road, where they were hos
pitably entertained. They were Joined
at Mayor Wallach's by a number OF
gentlemen who had been unable to
take part in the trip of the afternoon
We understand that 1t Is the purpose
named to next visit the localities ives,
of It'll street-Meridian Hill, Rock
Creek, etc. Several of the party. who
had never before had an opportunity
to visit the district traversed on Sat.
urday. expressed themselves as sur.
prised by the extreme beauty Of the
rural surroundings of the city. which
surprise. we have no doubt. will be
added to when they extend their visit
to the picturesque region bordering
On the I'd of July, 1866, news arrived
by the steamer Bremen from Liverpool
and gave the first in
War Recine formation Of the declara-
ton of war between
III cufope. Prussia and Austria. The
Star of July 5-no paper being issued
on the 4th-said:
Now that active hostilities have COM
menced between the two great German
powers we propose to state briefly for
the information of such of our readers
as are not posted on the Schleswig-
Holstein question, a few facts. Invested
of the complications gathered around the
main points in dispute. as to the imme-
date cause of the war just begun. In
1864, Austria and Prussia. by the de-
feat of Denmark, became joint possessors
of the duchies of Schleswig- Holstein and
Lauenburg. In about a year afterward
Austria sold her rights in Lauenburg, and
agreed that Austria should take Holstein
and Prussia retain Schleswig. Prussia
however. expected to become master OF
both duchies and was eager to secure
because Of its nearness to her frontier,
besides. there is a good seaport, Kfel, OF
which Prussia was covetous. AS the
diplomacy of Prussia grew more and
more urgent. Austria. the LIST of June
last. handed over the question to the
Prussia denounced as a violation of the
convention of Gastein. Prussia, there
fore. declared that convention at an end
and insisted that as consequence her
right to the joint occupation Of Holstein
was revived. She marched troops into
Holstein. and at the last advices had
crossed the frontiers of Saxony and
seized Dresden. The supineness of the
Austrians in allowing Prussia to obtain
this great advantage in position was a
matter of surprise to military strate-
gists. South of Dresden lies the ground
on which many of the decisive battles
of the great Frederick were fought The
position occupied by the Prussians is said
to be almost impregnable, and they can
at ALL"
July 4, 1855, Portland, Me-, was sweep,
by conf1agration which DESTROYED ar
trraYr