Evening star., 1925-02-02
The Nations City.


In the course of his talk on the
District housing question in the House
the other day Representative Wood of
Indiana made some observations re-
specting the character and status OF
the Capital which call for attention
and some correction. He said:
There seems to be misconceptfon
about the City Of Washington. This city
Is not to be compared with any other
city in the United States This city is
the seat of the Federal Government,
and il the primary plan had been car
ried out there would have been no oc-
casion for proffteering in the City of
Washington The original design was
to make this city, as distinguished
from all other capitals of government
in the world, purely a seat of govern
ment, where the business of the Gov
ernment would be transacted, where
untrammeled, those who are necessary
for the transaction of the business of
the Government would live at the low
est possible expense.
II was provided that instead of hav-
ing a lot of ramshackIe buildings be-
tween the Capitol and the White House
there should be nothing but official
buildings. What picture that would
be IL it were fact today 1t never
was intended that there should be man.
ufacturing here. 1t never was intended
that there should be commercial houses
here, except those that were permitted
by the Government to supply the de-
mands of those who are engaged in per
forming the functions of this Govern
ment- In an evil hour somebody pro-
posed, for the purpose of raising rev.
enues, that they sell town lots in the
City of Washington. That is where our
troubles began.
The "evil hour" of which Repre-
sentative Wood complains came very
early in the history of Capital making.
The United States. taking by gift from
the owners of the city's site one-half
Of the building lots, put them on the
market for the purpose, as Mr.. Wood
says, of making revenue. They were
sold broadcast. They were even offered
for sale in Europe. The purpose was
advertised to be the provision of a fund
for not only the erection of public
buildings but for the equipment of the
city in all the essentials of municipal
life, particularly street improvements.
An implied bargain was made with
the purchasers of these lots that a
part of the proceeds of the sales would
thus be spent. The Government never
lected the community which it thus
created. and it thereby contributed to
the ramshackle character of which
now complaint is made and which can
not be attributed exclusively to the
negligence or the lack Of enterprise or
of public spirit or of Capital-making
conception by the unofficial residents
of Washington.
1t was. of course, impossible that a
city such as Representative Wood
describes should be evolved. a city
strictly and solely devoted to Govern
ment purposes, with all save Govern
ment workers admitted to residence on
suffrance and under rigid regulation,
combining their activities and limiting
their enterprise. Had the Govern
ment, however, maintained it's bar
gain and discharged its duty in this
self-imposed undertaking of Capital
creation, Washington would have been
spared much suffering, would have
been developed more speedily as
Capital City of high merit, worthy Of
the Nation whose Federal organiza-
tion centered here.
For over three-quarters Of century
the Nation neglected it's National
Capital obligation. In 1873 it half
way assumed that obligation, and then
the Capital began to develop as it
should have developed in the begin
ming, as city worthy of the Nation.
The evils and the uncapitaI-like condi-
tions that had accumulated during the
long lapse of Indifference and neglect
have been in part cured, but many re-
main. Washington itself has appealed
repeatedly for Government action to
correct them-as, for example, in the
matter of the development of Penn
sylvania avenue, the south side of
which is obviously suited for public
building sites, but which has been neg
lected under a veritable mortmain of
possible condemnation to the point of
decadence.
The misconception about the City
of Washington, of which complaint
has thus been voiced in the House
of Representatives, originated in the
Government itself and is in no wise
the fault of those who have made
this city their home and who have
in the course of years and decades
done much-indeed, have done the
most-to make it a city worthy of the
Nations pride.