Evening star., 1929-04-21
Enlarging the Federal District
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

After 139 years of service as the seat
Of the National Government, the Dis
trict Of Columbia Is showing such def
mite signs Of being inadequate in size
that movement to restore the Vir-
ginia part of the District to Federal
control has been revived. The original
District OF Columbia lay on both sides
OF the Potomac River. Having no ap-
parent use for the part which was
given by Virginia, Congress gave 1t
back, and IL became Arlington County,
Va. Now the City Of Washington is
pouring over the edges of the District
Of Columbia at q dozen places, and the
citizens Of Arlington County are talking
about getting their area back into the
District Of Columbia.
A great part of Arlington County,
Va, is used by the United States Gov
ernment as 1t Is. Arlington National
Cemetery occupies o big section Of it,
and the Department Of Agriculture
takes another section with its expert
mental farm. Fort Myer, the Army post
Of the National Capital, is also in the
Virginia county. Now Washington
wants a big, f1rst-class airport, and has
cast desirous eyes on a big tract in
Arlington County. along the river front.
There are only 80 square miles of
land to Arlington County, and II the
Government takes much more of IL
there will be very little left in private
hands which the county can levy taxes
upon. There are two or three good
sized suburban towns In the county,
most OF whose Inhabitants work in
Washington. There are a lot of paved
roads coming into Washington through
Arlington County, which Washington
uses and the county keeps in repair.
The little county on the Virginia hills
mas numerous reasons for wishing that
the Federal Government would take 1t
pay its bills.
The original District of Columbia, as
located by President Washington "be-
tween Georgetown and the Eastern
Branch" included the present so square
miles OF Maryland soil, the 80 square
miles OF Virginia. and 10 square miles
OF water In the Potomac River and the
Eastern Branch, now called the Anacos-
TIA River. This 100 square miles, exact
ly 10 miles square, was the maximum
size for the Federal District as provided
for by Congress in the act Of 1870,
which created the District.
Only the insistence of George WASH
ington kept for the Government the full
100 square miles In the first place. JET
ferson thought the Federal city would
need only part Of 1t, and other officials
believed about quarter Of 1t would be
more than enough for all future needs.
They pointed out that the great city Of
Philadelphia, then the seat Of govern
ment and a metropolis of trade, occu-
pied q site 2 miles by 8. How
could any city ever cover 10 miles by 10?
Washington stood pat for the whole
area allowed by Congress. Later on
the one-third given by Virginia was
given back, and right now, the wisdom
and foresight Of the first President is
evident In the movement to get that
Virginia third back into the District of
Columbia.
Original Locating Of District.
When Washington located the Fed
eral District, as it was first called. he
was limited both as to size and in other
ways. The city must be on the Mary
land shore Of the Potomac, and 1t must
be located somewhere between the
mouth OF the Conococheague and that
OF the Eastern Branch, or Anacostia
River. The Conococheague empties into
the Potomac at Williamsport, Md, Z
miles southwest Of Hagerstown. Wash
ington travelled carefully over the 81
miles Of river between the limits fixed
by Congress before he officially desig-
mated the site for the District. Towns
people and settlers all along the river
made ardent proposals to get the Capital
near their localities. The correspond
ence of Washington and of the Com.
missioners whom he named to survey
the site and buy up the land indicates
that he had the site between George
town and the Eastern Branch pretty
well In mind from the start. It was
the only place within the limits set by
Congress where deep-water shipping
could reach, as the Little Falls and then
the Great Falls of the Potomac are Just
above Georgetown.
President Washington was q shrewd