Evening star., 1925-04-05
BY OLIVER p. NEWMAN.

" CONOMT in the White House,
Il voluntarily advocated and
practiced by President Cool
IL idge. was a stern necessity a
hundred years and more ago.
Under Jefferson, Madison and Monroe
the Congress was SO economical in
its attitude that the Chief Executive
had hard time to skimp along. The
building was SO scantily furnishe d
that its interior presented a bare
barn-like appearance. All expense
of upkeep had to be borne by the
Presidents themselves. They retired
from office penniless.
In the matter of military protection
the economical policy brought disas-
trous and farcical results when the
British swooped down on the Little
Capital. tumbled Its defenders over as
IL they had been tenpins, chased Lit
tie Jim" Madison into Virginia, burned
the public buildings, terrorized the
they had come. AS Philip Freneau
expressed 1t:
A veteran host, by veterans led,
With Ross and Cockburn at their head,
They came. they saw. they burned and fed-
The intimate details of the capture
and burning Of Washington, on Au-
gust "a, 1914, furnish everything nee
essary for a comic opera of the rarest
order. Imagine the cabinet council,
with the harried and worried little
Madison at its head, debating the
news just received from Minister Gal
latin in London that large force
from Wellington's army, trained in
the war against Napoleon, had en-
barked for Chesapeake Bay, to join
Admiral Cock burns block aiding squad
ron for an aggressive campaign up
the peninsula to Washington or Bal
timore. In such crisis the President
turns to his Secretary of War, Gen.
John Armstrong, a famous Revolu
tionary soldier:
The British come herew Armstrong
cries, with scorn. What should they
come here for? They would never be
so mad as to make an attempt on
Washington. 1t Is, therefore, sir, to-
tally unnecessary to make any prep
arations for defense"
In spite Of Armstrong; advice few
precautions were taken. Gen. Will
liam H Winder was put in command
of the military district, with about 900
soldiers from the 36th and 3Sth Regu-
lar Infantry Regiments. One other
ilong-headed act was performed. Three
regiments of militia were drafted
from Virginia, Pennsylvania and
Maryland, with the stipulation that
they would not be called into active
service until the enemy appeared!
The enemy soon appeared. On
August 20 the SNUG complacency OF
the Capital City was rudely destroyed
A dusty rider dashed into town
galloped past the newly finished Cap
itol, raced through the swamp desig-
mated as Pennsylvania avenue, halted
before the famous Indian Queen
Hotel, threw his reins to black
slave that hurried out to meet him
and announced that a large British
force, under Admiral George Cock
burn and Gen. Robert Ross, had
landed at Benedict, 40 miles below
Washington, and was marching on the
city.
A hurried war council was held
with Armstrong still stoutly pooh
pooling the danger of attack anc
with President Madison, Secretary OF
the State James Monroe and Secre.
tary of the NaVy William Jones run
ming around in circles. The towr
was in a panic because the peninsuls
campaign Of the British had caused
these troops to be known as Cock
burns Savages." Commodore Barney's
fleet had been sealed up in the
Patuxent River and the panic.
stricken naval secretary now savec
Cockburn any further annoyance
from it by ordering its destruction
Accordingly, Commodore Barney re-
luctantly set fire to his ships and beat
a hurried retreat to Washington with
his men and guns.
X X
EORT Washington, designed by
L L'Enfant for the protection Of
the Capital, and situated on the Po-
tomac bluffs 15 miles below the city
was abandoned without shot al
sight of the English.
Armstrong continued to belittle the
danger. "They will strike some
| where" he said, when couriers
brought news that Cockburn was
steadily advancing, "but they will
not come here" He added: IF they
kdo, 1t will be a mere Cossack hur.
| rah, a rapid march and a hasty re-
treat, as they are wholly unprepareG
| for siege and investment"
When Gen. Winder appealed to his
| chief for istructions, in the event
that the British should, after all, at
| tack Washington, Secretary Arm.
strong gave the following sage ad.
vice:
II would assemble my force in tht
enerny's front, fall quietly back to thu
Capitol, giving only that degree q
resistance that invites pursuit. Wher