Evening star., 1924-06-29
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Fifty years ago the project of i'm
proving the Capitol grounds and
changing the
Improvement of the terrace setting
Capitol Grounds. aide M w was start.
ed The Star of June %. 1874, says:
THE plan for the improvement OF
the Capitol grounds, submitted by
Fred Law Olmstead of the Central
Park, New York, and for which pro.
vision is made in the sundry civil
appropriation bill to the extent Of
5000 900, is that on the east side the
trees shall be thinned out so as to
have open spaces or vistas. leaving
the two clumps OF trees that now
stand on either side Of the Capitol
as they are. The surface Of the
ground will scarcely need to be re-
duced, and If reduced at all the trees
can be left mainly as they are Mr..
Morrill, says then there Will De con,
siderable of an open space OF oval
farther or eastern portion of the
grounds the trees will have to be
removed, because the grade of the
ground will have to be reduced six
feet. Then. In the front, the idea OF
form of terrace is too narrow to sup
port the magnificent structure above
it, that 1t has too much the appear
ance of a cheap fortifcation and the
base is too thin for the large build
therefore, to extend the terrace about
twenty feet and to support It by =
granite wall, surmounted by some
slight decoration, and that In the end
A. 49, ~ e. Al Il
stAirways on the west side, something
in better proportion to the maEnifi-
cence of the building and equal to
those on the east side" "a.
The last territorial assembly OF
the District under the form OF gov
ernment abolished
'Feather Duster by the act OF 1874
r,, ,, became known in
AeSlsiasufe. local history as the
feather duster Legislature" In The
Star OF June %, in the course Of a
comment upon = protest adopted by
that body against the abolishfnent Of
the elective franchise and the sub
stitution OF 4 cornmissionership gov
ernment is the following, which ex-
plains the origin Of this designation:
ut Affords rather q SAD commentary
upon this eloquent appeal in behalf
OF representative government sent up
| to Congress by this body the only
! elective body under the late form Of
| sovernment), that in adjourning sine
die yesterday some of the members
| seemed to have carried away almost
| everything portable about the cham
ber-desks, chairs, clocks, water cool
| - lPcfS = ySAu hak k0 d~
| towels combs, brushes, soap. and
even the secondhand toothbrushes.
| One member, in his solicitude to pre-
| serve some memento Of this last rep
| people Of the District took away a
| large feather duster and. not to be
| ostentAtious about It, he concealed
| the Same upon his person with con-
| siderable ingenuity, by passing the
handle down q trouser leg And but
| toning the feather end snugly under
his vest"
| In The Star Of June -, 1874, is
| printed the sequel to this episode. as
| -... ..,--r follows:
Legislative Loot And so it seems
rr... the removal Of va.
| ~ nctulneo. rious articles Of
furniture from the hall Of delegates
| by members and others was all a
joke. But Gov. Shepherd and Maj
Richards, with an obtuseness that
| shows lack of appreciation Of the
seeing the point Of the aforesaid Joke
that they compelled the prompt re-
| turn Of the articles carried on in
| furniture wagons in this facetious
: way. and. according to our report.