Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-03-05
Washington, D. c.? There is no Such
City.

Do you know there isn't such q
city as Washington d. c.? Well
whether you knew it or not, there
isn't It's strange, but true. In
1873 Congress, which clumsily and
painfully tries to act as town
council for Washington, abolished
the city of Washington, and the
county, and designated it all merely
the District of Columbia. BY that
name our seat of government is Of
fcially known, and the city f
Washington doesn't exist.
Prepare for more shocks. Walk
on the grass of the little parks and
you have to answer to the War De
partment Stranger still than this,
if you can beat the cop or tln sol
der to the property of foreign EN-
bassy, you can put your thumb to
your nose and twiddle your fingers
in the salute courteous to them all,
for YOU are on foreign soil and not
one of them can touch you. Only
yolumnous diplomatic correspon-
dence through the Secretary of State
will effect your arrest, and even then
you are safe unless the foreign gov
eminent is willing for you to be ta-
ken.
Practically, of course, il such a
thing occurred, most of the red
tape would be waived and some six
teenth under secretary, assisted by
the chauffeur and the official boun-
Ger of the embassy, would give you
the buns rush into the hands OF
the waiting cop, but that is the way
1t would have to be done officially.
Not only is property OF the foreign
government considered foreign soil,
but the persons of the embassy, clear
down through the list Of employees,
are scared, and no Washington po-
liceman can lay finger on them
wherever they may be or whatever
they may do. One of them may COM
NIT murder under the nose OF the
traffic cop on the corner and a po-I
lite note from the policeman to his
captain would be the only immediate
result The captain would then for
ward 1t to the commissioners, who
tary of State, who would write to-
the ambassador of the embassy in
question. In the course of time the.
culprit might be removed to his
own country for trial in local
court, but his immunity from disci-
pine by the American bureau OF
justice is absolute Washington is
wonderful city in more ways than
one, and the whole process by which
diplomatic dealings with the repre-
sentatives of foreign government is
handled is not the least of them.
Washington, as everyone knows,
was laid out by General Washington
and Major L'Enfant, a famous French
architect, and they were possessed
Of a determination quite genera
them That the time must never come
when the populace could rise up ana
overthrow the government. They
therefore designed city which
would be easy to defend First they
lai dout broad streets about one
hundred yards apart running north
and south and east and west. Then
they laid out even broader avenues
running diagonally from corner to
corner of each district. Where these
avenues, subsequently named for
states of the Union intersected each
other, circles or squares were laid
out. The little areas thus created
were turned over to the army Tor
military reasons, and so was the
system laid out that artillery in the
ten little parks thus made would
absolutely control the city. No up
rising could overthrow the govern
ment because the government con-
trolled practically all the ap-
proaches,
Long ago the military character
Of this control passed away, but the
War Department still administers
these parks and maintains a bureau
of parks to maintain and police
them. Pick a flower from their
gorgeous beds, and soldier viii
deal with you, not policeman, ana
you will have TO answer to the gov
eminent of the United States itself
for your offense. Mountain States