The Coolidge examiner., 1932-12-02


present magnificent structure which
houses the legislative part of our government
with the new settlement of Washington and
the uncompleted structure which was the be-
ginning oi our National Capitol.
1t will be remembered that the first Capital
OF the new nation, which came into being as
the result of the Revolution, was New York city
There ii was on April 16 1889, that the first
congress convened and the two houses after
completing their organization by eectIng John
Langdon OF New Hampshire as temporary pres
ident of the senate and Frederick A. Mullen
berg of Pennsylvania as speaker of the house.
met in joint session to count the electoral votes
cast in the several states a few weeks before
and to proclaim officially the election of George
Washington as President and John Adams as
Vice President
On July Q. $780, congress passed an act for
establishing a permanent seat of the federal
government and this act provided for the selec
tion by the President of "a district of territory"
ten miles square. somewhere the Potomac
river in the region beginning at the mouth of
the eastern branch or Anacostia river and ex-
tending many miles to the northwest. The Pres
ident was authorized to appoint three commits
sloners to survey define and limit the dis
trict selected and, prior to December, 1900. they
were required to provide in this district suit
able buildings for the accommodation of con-
gress and of the President and for the public
Offices of the government of the United States"
For the purpose of defrayng the expenses Of
the purchase of the land and the erection of the
buildings, the President authorized and
requested to accept grants of money" 1t was
further provided that on the first Monday of
December 1870. the seat of government should
be removed from New York to Philadelphia.
where ii TO remain until December. 1900,
when 1t was TO be transferred to the new Po-
tOmac district
In accordance with this act President Wash
ingtOn in 1871 chose one county in Maryland
and one in Virginia. with the Potomac river
flowing between for the site of the new Ma
tional Capital which was to be known as the
District of Columbia. At first this district was
ten miles square or hundred square miles
and contained 64OO0 acroes of land. which was
ceded to the federal government by the two
states of Virginia and Maryland. But in 1916
all the land on the western side of the Potomac
was ceded back to Virginia and result the
District of Columbia since that time contains
only ca square miles.
AS commissioners to Survey, define and linn
it, the district and to erect the suitable build
ings," Washington named Gen. Thomas John
son. who had been his intimate friend during
the Revolution DR.. David Stuart of Virginia
and Daniel Carroll, member of that illustrous
that the federal city should be named the "City
of Washington in honor of the first President
and the plan of the city to be made by
Mai. Pierre Charles LEnfant, the young French
engineer and architect who had reconstructed
the buildings in New York and Philadelphia
used by congress.
In March. 1892. the commissioners advertised
in the newspapers of Philadelphia. Boston and
New York that they would give a lot in the
city of Washington and $500 TO the person who
should produce to them the most approved
plan for a capitol to be erected in the city of
Washington" Sixteen plans submitted
In response to these advertisements but all were
rejected because they did not meet the require
ments. Then Stephen Hallate, a French archi-
tect of New York, submitted a plan which met
with great favor and it seemed that he was
about TO be awarded the work.
But in the meantime William Thornton, tai
ented Englishman living in New York, who
had a powerful friend in the person of Thomas
Jefferson, then secretary of state, drew up an
elaborate plan for the Capitol and submitted it
to Jefferson who, laid it before Washington