Evening star., 1921-10-25

District included within the present
limits of the city Of Washington shall
continue to be known as the city Of
washington; and that portion OF said
District included within the limits of
the city Of Georgetown shall continue
20 De known as the city Of George
town." but also 1t is provided that "all
laws and ordinances of said cities. re-
spectfvely. not inconsistent
with this act, shall remain in full
force until modified or repealed by
Of said District" which was created
by the act. Too plainly for discussion
| this language specifically and indus
triously continued the city Of Wash
City Coterminus With District.
AS respects the second of the sup
posed reasons. namely, that the city
Of Washington and and the District
OF Columbia are practically CO.
| terminus, 1t ought to suffice to say
| tnat the same was relatively true at
the time Of the passage by Congress
OF the act Of February II. 1895; in
other words. that at the time Of the
passage OF that act the city Of wash
ington had grown far beyond its
| original territorial limits, as Con-
gress was fully aware, and the dis
tinctiye purpose of the act was not
! "o'oi tHe CITY OF washington,
but to coalesce with 1t the other por-
tions Of the District, in particular the
venerable city Of GEORGETOWN, which
until the passage Of the act was
proud. and justly 80, OF its Individual
jdesignation.
city Of Washington is distinctively a
repetition Of what happened to the
city Of London. AS Is we'll known,
the original city OF London comprises
but few acres more than one square
mile OF territory; indeed. the familiar
Is "the one square miie." and yet Lon
don today comprises 120 square miles
OF territory, all but the original one
square mile having been added from
time to time from tho surrounding
counties. notwithstanding which the
city OF London as now thus consti-
tuted is as distinctively known in the
old way as was the original zone
square mile" now appropriately
termed the nucleate city" in con-
tradistinctfon to the accretions and
isay that the city Of London has been
abolished as to say that the city
OF Washington has been.
No Warrant for Executive Phrase.
The practice Of certifying acts of
the President as Done in the Dis
trict Of Columbia" instead OF, as for
merly and properly. Done at the City
OF washington" should be abandoned.
That the impression to which the
practice Is due is wholly without
foundation in fact sufficiently appears
from what Is above set forth; and II
is against all precedent to certify
any executive or diplomatic act
otherwise than as done at the city,
indeed the immediate locality, and not
infrequently the specific building, in
which such act Is performed: AS. for
instance. in the case of the King ~
Great Britain, whose certification i.
as Done at our Palace of St lanes "
and in the case of treaties as Ozone
at Paris. Done at Versailles" Is
stats. L. 114l. Done in the Chancery
OF the Consulate General of the United
states IN the City Of Algiers" id.
z4e), AT the Palace Of Bordo, near
Tunis" I'D. 30o), etc.
Many similar instances might he
cited; and it Is greatly to be re-
gretted that President Wilson should
nave permitted himself to be misled
INTO giving his countenance to the
whoily erroneous and groundles,
contention In question. and to that
extent his approval of the indie
Isnsipie position that the 'city of
washington" which is it's legal name.
mas ever been abolished or under.
taken: so to be by Congress; and il is
equally to be hoped that President
Harding will put the supposed oues.
tion TO rest by resuming the prone,
form OF certification of his executive
aClS. HENRY Z. DAVIS