Evening star., 1921-10-25
WASHINGTON IS
FEDERAL CAPITAL
Law Does Not Regard the
District as the Seat of
Government.

To the Editor Of The Star:
=. Every now and then some ill-in-
formed person writes to one. of the
New York papers respecting the sup
posed question whether or not Wash
ington is the capital Of the United
States. As every Washingtonian
knows. there Is really no such Ques-
tion. but the persistency with which
tagitation Of the matter continues is
astonishing.
Some years ago President Wilson.
being misled by wholly unfounded
suggestion that something in the ac-
tion Of Congress had abolished the
city. abandoned the time-honored and
ecutive- acts as Done at the City of
Washington and substituted therefor
the barbarian Done. In the District
Of Columbia" and 1t is to this unfor-
tunate fact that there are some who
think that" in the language Of the
street, the city OF Washington is no
longer on the map.
As long ago as September IL. 1917,
the New York Sun published q letter
ifrom me going into the subject in full.
and again. on January 16. 1919. the
same paper published another similar
the New York Herald, the Suns sue
Icessor. Of the 18th inst, there appeared
a letter from correspondent con-
ceived in the view that the city no
longer exists. and in the issue of the
New York Times Of Sunday. the 18th
may be we'll, therefore, hero at home
to clear the matter up in time for the
President to certify his forthcoming
proclamation Of the peace treaties re-
lcently ratified by the Senate, and moro
particularly the Thanksgiving procla-
nation due next month. in the old ap-
proved and only proper way. as Done
At the City Of Washington"
The matter. is wholly free from diff
,ficulty.
"Washi1Eton" Established in 1902.
Prior to the establishment by proc
|lamation of President Washington of
March 80. 1891 of the boundaries of
the District Of Columbia, there ex-
listed within the boundaries thus de-
town. created by act of Maryland Of
Christmas day. 1889. The city of
Washington. originally called the
Federal City. was definitely located
and fully established by May 8. 1902.
Ion which day Congress- incorporated
the city with q full municipal or
lganization. .--
The ctty's charter. amended from
timesto time, was on May II. ls4S. by
act OF Congress put into the form in
which 1t remained down to February
whole Of the District Of Columbia,
jtncfpdtpg the cities Of Washington
and Georgetown and the county of
Washington outside the limits of
those cities, into government by
the. name Of the District Of Column
i:bia:% territorial in form; but this act
lion OF said District included within
the present limits of the city of
Washington shall continue to be
known as the. city Of Washington.
jcluded within the limits Of the city of
Georgetown shall continue to be
inown as the city of Georgetown"
Made the 'Federal Capital,
By act Of. June 20. 1874. Congress
abolished the territorial form of gov
lernment. Of the District and created
the present commission form Of gov
ernment, and.this act, which was tenn
iporary-in character, was on June IL.
gress of that date. Neither of these
! acts, Of 1874 And 1878 in any wise or
to any extent affected tho continu-
ance Of the cities of Washington and
Georgetown respectively: to the con-
February IL, 1895 (2s Stats. L.. s5ol.
| Congress in terms enacted that 'tall
| that part of the District of. Colum-
bia embraced within the bounds now
constituting the city Of Georgetown
twenty-nrst. eighteen hundred and
sevsnty-one. and June twentieth,
eighteen hundred and seventy-four,
she'll no longer be known by the
name and title in law Of the city of
Georgetown. but the same shall be
Of the city Of washington. the Fed
eral Capital"
This designation Of Washington has
! neither been changed nor in any par
ticular qualified by Congress-; a DEM
onstration that, 50 far from abolish
ing the city. Congress has recognized
! ita continuance and existence and has
\ given 1t the distinctive name Of the
| federal capital. In contradistinction
to tho District. OF Columbia, describ-
lment Of the United States Or s. U. s.
Sec. 1850.
| Cause Of the Confusion.
the notion that. notwfthstanding this
very clear and explicit act Of Con-
gress, the city Of Washington as such
has either been abolished or ceased
to be the capital of tho country, ap-
lpear to be led to their conclusions by
the fact that the charter Of Wash
ington as a city was abolished by the
aot Of February 21, 1871, or by the
Il tother fact that the city Of Washing
! ton as It now exists IL not confined
/ to its original limits, but in practical
effect embraces the entire District of
i Columbia
AZ respects the first Of these sup
posed reasons for considering tho city
i itself abolished. one has only to read
tho act Of February 81, 1871, where
by. as above quoted, not only il It
1 provided that that portion Of said