Evening star., 1934-06-03
JEFFERSON DAVIS
IS HONORED TODAY
Controversy Over Name. on
Cabin John Bridge
Stirred Capital.
BY P. LINCOLN WHITE.

Florida. Georgia, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI
pi. South Carolina. Tennessee and
Texas June 3 is a legal holiday. 1t
is a day set aside to pay homage TO
a man who. as colonel in the United
States Army. was cited for bravery
in the war with Mexico, who served
as Secretary of War in the admins
tration of Franklin Pierce, who rep
resented the State of Mississippi In
the United States Senate and who
was later elected President of the
Confederate States of America. To-
day throughout the South places as
sociated with the name of Jefferson
Davis are visited by thousands VINO
come to pay tribute on this, the l2btp
anniversary of his birth.
June is no legal holiday in the
District of Columbia; time and new
generations have effaced the bitter
hatreds that once existed between the
North and the South, but within the
boundaries of the District is a spot
associated with the name of Jeffer-
son Davis that was the cause OF
controversy that ragged for over seven
years and which is fresh in the mem
ory of some of Washingtons older
residents.
Congress. on April 81, 1852, appro-
priated SIS 900 for surveys toward sup
plying Washington and Georgetown
with good water Subsequently yearly
appropriations. ranging from 100000
in 1853 to 81 900 900 in 1857, resulted
In the erection of the aqueduct on
Reservoir road in Northwest Wash
ington.
Name Inscribed on Keystone.
First work on the bridge proper
(known as Cabin John Bridge be-
gan in 1857. AS the work was done
under the supervision of the War De-
partment the name Jefferson Davis
tthen Secretary of War; was inscribed
on the keystone of the bridge.
When Mississippi seeded from the
Union. jefferson Davis resigned from
the Senate and returned to his plan
tation in that State Shortly after
ward he was elected to the presidency
OF the Confederate States.
Owing to pressure of war construc-
ton of the Washington AqueduCt was
taken from the War Department June
18. 1862. and placed under the su-
pervision of the Department of the
interior. Feeling against the South,
and jefferson Davis in particular,
whom many considered a traitor, y
was at its peak in Washington in 1862
and the name of Jefferson Davis dis
appeared from the tablet on the
bridge.
Gen. M c. Meigs original chief en-
gineer of the bridge, died in 1892. q
years after the war Following Meigs'
death rumor had it in Washington
that he had originally ordered the
blotting out of Davis name from the
tablet. On September 8, 1892, a card
was published in a Washington news
paper By William r. Hutton. chief
engineer of the bridge in 1862 when
construction was under the Depart
ment of the Interior. stating that
when construction was transferred
from the War Department to the De-
partment of the Interior, he Hutton)
received an order from Secretary oi
the Interior Caleb B. Smith instruct
ing him to erase the name of Jeffer-
son Davis.
Contractor Removes Name.
Hutton was quoted as saying: mot
taking seriously the Secretary'S re-
marks I did nothing in the matter
Hutton stated further that a week
later Robert Mcintyre, the construct
ing contractor, arrived to resume work
on the bridge Secretary Smith ther
gave the order direct to Mcintyre and
according to Hutton's statement, his
first work was to remove Mr.. Davis
name"
In 1867, at the conclusion of the war
supervision of the aqueduct was trans
ferred back to the War Department
Southern patriotic organizations hac
for years pleaded with Congress anC
various administrations to have tht
name of Jefferson Davis restored tC
the bridge, but in June, 1907, Mrs
William J. Beham, president Of the
Confederate Southern Memorial AS
sociation, addressing that body at it!
annual convention in Richmond, start
ed a concerted drive in this direction
when she said:
Ladies, as you are aware there is
in Washington. D. c.. or just outside
of the city, the Washington aqueduct
known as Cabin John Bridge 1t i:
wonderful piece of engineering skill
and was constructed under the su.
pervision of Mr.. Jefferson Davis while
he was Secretary of War-1853-1857-
and his name was inscribed on the
keystone of the bridge. In 1862 hi!
name was ordered cut of by Hon
Caleb B. Smith. Secretary Of the In.
terror under the administration Of
Abraham Lincoln. President of the
United States. The people of the
South look upon this as an act o.
great injustice to Mr.. Davis and think
the name should be restored.
1T seems to me that this is the
time for US to take some action or
this matter"