Evening star., 1916-01-06

building and maintenance could be
commenced and continued without In
| terruprion by any lesser or local au-
thority.
In fixing the District Of Columbia ~
the National Capital and home Of the
government. the Congress did not pro-
coed by capture, condemnation or any
other arbitrary method. It acquired
political dominion by cession from the
states of Maryland and Virginia, and
ownership Of the land by private con-
tract. and when all of this had been
zone oy mutual understanding and def
mite written agreements and convey
ances from the proprietors of the land,
IT laid out National Capital and began
Property Owners Had Knowledge.
Every one who has purchased prop
erty within the District of Columbia
since has done so with the knowledge
and distinct understanding that the
| people OF the United States had made
the power of Congress over the terri
tory exclusive Every one who has
since adopted the city of Washington
| as his home has done so with notice
that it was beyond even the power of
Congress to escape the burden or evade
| the duty imposed by the Constitution.
and when he became a resident OF
Washing gton. or acquired property In
! the District of Columbia, he put him.
self voluntarily within the govern
| ment reservation and subject to such
control as the conveniences and neces-
stiles of Congress, in administering the
| national government and building the
National Capital might render neces-
sary.
Senator Southard of New Jersey. in a
committee as early as February 2. 1885.
said:
The design of the Constitution and
its founders was to create a residences
for the government where they should
have absolute and unlimited control,
which should be regulated and gov
erned by them without the interference
Of partial interests in the states, which
should be built up and sustained by
their authority and resources. not de-
pendent upon the will or resources of
any state or local interest"
This was the grand plan conceived
by the fathers Of the government, the
wisdom of which grows more and more
apparent with the coming and going
Of the years.
Maj. LEnfant. who first drew the
city's plan. said:
No nation, perhaps, had ever be-
lore the opportunity offered them. of
deliberately deciding on the spot where
their capital city should be fixed or
OF combining every necessary consid-
Grafton in the choice of situation. and
although the means now within the
power Of the country are not such as
10 pursue the design to any great ex-
tent. it will be obvious that the plan
should be drawn on such embellishment
which the increase Of the wealth of the
nation will permit it to pursue at any
period, however remote"
Washington's Growth.
The growth of the city in utility and
in beauty has kept pace with the grow
ing strength of the nation. It's be-
ginning was most naturally restricted
because of lack of funds, yet the wis
dom of the founders was such that the
clearest and broadest view prevailed as
plan for the city which was to be.
1t followed the development of other
cities except that the others had as
their bases industrial, manufacturing
and commercial enterprises wherewith
to build up the city, maintain their
public utilities and provide their peo-
pie with employment. while the city of
Washington has always been practical
little commerce, but was the place of
government of all the states.
1t has always retained its identity
as a national capital and has never
become, as other cities have, a mart of
trade or of commerce.
1t has always retained plan OF de-
velopment foreseen with the broadest
and clearest vision and safeguarded
through the years.
Patriotism Contribution Of Citizens.
A great contribution in patriotism
citizens of Washington who when the
city was extending its limits through
natural growth protested against the
of
land by private owners and caused to
be prepared plan extending to newly
developed territory within the District
of Columbia the same plan as that
made for the original city, which plan
was adopted, SO that now and for all
city of Washington are extended to
the outermost limits of the entire Dis
trict.
Let it not be imagined that the
of Washington was without travail,
for the early years Of eighteen hundred
saw it advancing slowly. slowly but
always surely and toward a definite
end.
At the time Of the change from that
of town to city Washington was not
the Washington of today. but is shown
to be as of about the year 1871 a city
without paving. without proper sani-
tary conveniences; without proper
~
ton facilities, lacking in civic conve-
niences and even necessities.
From 1871 to 1874 through the ap-
pointed agencies of the United States,
a spirited. even drastic. campaign of
improvement in Washington was in
augurated and continued which result
ed in the widening. broadening, grad
ing. filling and paving of many streets,
avenues and alleys the making of new
streets. avenues. parks and boulevards,
the building of both storm and sanitary
sewers. the planting of many trees, in
short, a radical renewal of the entire
city, but upon the same plan of civic
grandeur which presaged a beautiful
capital city.
Petitions Of Remonstrance.
This was attended with great expense
and assessment made against the Dis
trict of Columbia and against the
owners of property therein and so op-
pressive were these imposed taxes and
assessments that petitions of remon-
STRANGE against the then governing
boards were filed with Congress and
committees were appointed to investi-
gate and report upon charges of ex-
cessive and needless expenditure and
mismanagement of the city's affairs.
The controlling civic body under which
these expenditures were authorized
was the board of public works, this
being a part of the so-called territorial
government existing in Washington at
that time.
In June. 1874. by authority of Con-