The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-22
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDER1o j. HAsKN. Director.
washiagtOn, y. Cs
THE CAPITAL OF TINT WORLD.

ing the beginning or a new ana pet
teT-epoch in human progress pros n;s - &C :
world center, and not only the young
| est, but really the most important
/ capftal CITY in the world. Rome, Lon
don. PRris. Toxic. Edinburgh, Vienna
Berlin. and other great capitals OF the
world have their origin in a remote
past, their beginnings almost lost IN
j the darkness of antiquity.
4 ssThe creation of the capital OF the
limited States was the first instance IN
history of a nation founding a seat
lof government on new ground by legls-
In tive act" said the late AinsWorth h
Stafford. librarian of congress for
many years. ''And the city was
| manned on a scale OF amplitude and
with a. marvellous foresight which does
| immortal honor TO its CHIEF projectors,
! Washington, Jefferson LEnraht' anu
From 1874 to 1878. the Continental
congress and its successor, the congress
of the Confederation, from 1lfS 70
| 17S9. assembled successfully at elgh'
places, in four different states mia ma
! deiphia, Baltimore, Lancaster orh,
| Princeton, Annapolis, Trenton ana
Capital 1872 Years Old.
In Nav. 1900, the city of Washing
ton became the capital Of the country.
! congress in 1880 had passed an act
nrovidfns for its removal from Phlla-
| delphia in ten years. THIS act Tor eS-
tablishing the temporary and perma-
| nent seat of the government OF the
ITnjtsd states was approved by Presi-
dent Washington July Is, 1851 Mary
/ land and virginia had agreed to COM
| tribute a hundred square miles or ter
ritory and the act gave the presloent
| the sole power to select any ste on
| the Potomac river between the mouth
/ nR1r and the mouth
of the Conococheague, or about seven
| miles from HagerstoNn, Md, which Is
/ over 100 miles, following the Winnings
| of the river. from the present capltai
/ 1t was in the power OF washington 70
have founded the national capital al
Harper's Ferry. fifty miles west OF
Baltimore, instead of at the site Sc
lected, forty miles southwest of it.
on March 20, 1871, Washington met
| the chief landowners, who agreed &c
! convey to the government al tnell
rights in fee simple for $66.67 per acre
| for land taken for public buildings or
\ improvements. At the same time
Mai Pierre Charles L Enfant, a
French engineer who had served with
credit in the Revolutionary war, was
| chosen by washington ana fhomas
Jefferson to aid in the extensive WORK
| of laying out the city. He adopted
the plan of Versailles and drew up a
map which was submitted to congress
| by the president. Washington did not
live to see the actual removal OF the
government from Philadelphia.
On May %, 1900, in pursuance OF
| the act of congress of ten years pre-
vious, the moving of the federal gov
| eminent began! The books, papers
furniture and other paraphernalia
| were brought from Philadelphia to
went around by the Delaware and
| Chesapeake bays and the Potomac
river
Official records show that it cost
the government only $4,000 foE re-
movaI Of its offices and archives
This sum included the expenseSAof the
! clerks of the various departments.
| The size of the government force then
indicates clearly that uors was indeed
an infant republic. The new govern
ment began in washington with 126
clerks, and the total sum paid in sal
/ aries for the year 1900 was $125,SS1.
The population of the city was esti-
mated to be about 5000, and the
streets or roads were deep in mud
being at times impossible. There
were 1o9 bricksa 25S frame houses
in the city. The treasury department
was the only executive agency which
had it's own building.
The White House had been built,
that is the middle part, the wings
being added later, and part of the
4 DullQlnR ndu DSen SIGCL0O.
Gouverneur Morris at that time
wrote: 1t is the best city in the world
for future residence. We want moth
ing but houses cellars, kitchen, well
informed men, amiable women, and
| other little trifles of this kind to make
our city perfect"
President Adams Arrives.
President Adams himself left Phila-
delphia May 81, 1900, travelling by
| UaU Of Lancaster and Fraderiek Md
He reached Georgetown, now a part
| of Washington, on June 8. The Gen.
tinel of Liberty, or Georgetown and
| Washington Advertiser" of June g.
1900. had this brief paragraph an
nouncing the arrival of the chief ex-
ecutive:
1.-The president of the United States
arrived in this place Tuesday last. AT
the boundary of the District of Column
bia he was met by a large crowd OF
respectable citizens on horseback and
escorted into town, where he was re-
ceiYed with pleasure and veneration
The military of the city of Washing
ton and the marines stationed there
manifested their respect by 16 dis
charges of musketry and artillery
There were at that tine but 6
states in the Union.
! Charles Lee, attorney general, ar
| rived in Washington May %, 1900;
| Oliver Wescott, secretary of the
treasury, July 2; Samuel Dexter, sec
| rotary of war, Juno ~; Benjamin
| Stoddert, secretary of the navy, June
IL; Abraham Bradley, Jr., acting for
Postmaster General Habersham, May
"a; John Marshall, secretary of state,
| June 6, 1900.
Congress assembled in the capitol
building, the north wing only being
completed then, on November II
1900, and on November 21 President
| Adams addressed that body.
The supreme court of the United
States held its first session in Wash
| ington on February 2, 1901.
Il Dinner Stories |