Evening star., 1919-12-21
FIFTY YEARS AGO IN THE STAR

Fifty years ago the War Depart
ment was in great need of more room,
even though a
Site Named for New material reduc-
War Building. n,.o. n ,b.
force following tho close of the civil
war. A movement for a new building
was under way. In The Star of De-
cember 13. 1869. is the following ref
erence to the matter, pointing to a site
that was not ultimately selected:
"A conference between Gen. Grant,
Gen. Sherman and Gen. Michler in re-
gard to site for the proposed new
War Department building has result
ed in the unanimous choice of Judici-
ary Square. where there is ample ca
pacity for a building such as they
propose. to be large enough to accom-
modate not only the War Department
proper. but also the Quartermaster
and commissary offices. and it is I'M
derstood that proper steps will be at
once taken toward securing the site
for the purpose. The question of dis
posing of the present War Depart
ment building came up. but no posi-
tive views were advanced thereupon,
as between the present distant loca-
tion of the State Department and the
oft expressed desire Of the President
for an executive office Independent of
his private residence. it could be, upon
its vacation, at once put to uses which
would prove not only a convenience
to the public, but at the same time
economize public expenditures"
Complaints against the purveyors
Of food in the District OF Columbia
were heard half century
Butchers ago even as now. on the
p...... score of alleged excessive
charges. In The Star of
December 1s, 1869, is printed a let
ter signed "A Butcher" giving the
other side of the question:
Els it not remarkable that every
close -fisted housekeeper who writes
or says one word about the high
price of living in Washington should
pitch into the butchers the first thing
and accuse them of being the great
est extortioners of all traders? Your
Consumer says the government COM
missary supplies beef at cost and l
suppose expects the butchers to do
the same-in other words, to work for
nothing and find themselves. The peo-
pie really expect butchers to build
slaughter and ice houses, keep jour-
neymen, horses and wagons, to send
their baskets home with twenty or
thirty pounds of vegetables and per-
haps one or one and half pounds
of steak, and then sell it at cost. Do they
expect the same of the grocer. the dry
goods merchant or jeweler? Do they
expect you. sir. to run your paper at
the net cost Of stock? am aware that
the contractor and commissary sold
(not beef at the prices he names,
when the market people were charg-
ing Is to 80 cents for the same cuts.
was paying from 31s to Az cents per
pound gross for bulls. stays and seal
awags, the refuse of the drove yard
when the butchers were paying from
I to SA cents per pound gross for
neat retailing beef; .sa!s as Vas Tasts gone on
"By a comparison OF the gross
prices you will see that the butchers
were selling as near cost as the COM
missary and certainly lar superior
article Can Consumer point out
butcher that in the last six years has
made as much money as our commits
saries and contractors? Sir. L am
butcher Cor Bohemian as you may
choose to call me). 1 charged from
20 cents to 30 cents per pound for my
beef at the time the commissary was
charging from IL cents to Is cents. l
don't profess to sell my beef at cost,
if they do. 1 follow the business for
a living and something besides, and
whenever it ceases to pay me more
than a living 1 will quit it. which. 1
presume, are the principles upon
which all men do their legitimate
business. Consumer speaks of some
one in the northern part OF the city
selling his meats at II cents per
pound, but was stopped by some mu-
nicipal law. Now. il he will take the
pains to inquire Of this mans cattle
dealer he will get more satisfac-
tory answer than in any OF the laws
of the corporation.
Beef retails today in Washington
at the same price that it does in Bal
timore, and less than in Philadelphia
or New York by 20 per cent. A gen.
tleman who has recently opened a
hotel here complained OF having to
pay IL cents a pound for mutton, stat
ing that he could have 1t expressed
here from Boston for about IL cents.
1 advise him to have it done, and, at
the same time, to have his patrons ex
nreSSed from the same place. and not