Evening star., 1935-12-29

%HERE have been many public
Il receptions held at the White
House since it was first oc-
- cupied by John Adams in 1900,
and there have been many occasions
when the people attending these re-
ceptions have gone there with Joy and
happiness in their hearts, but the
chances are that the most supreme
happiness prevailed at Lincoln's last
New Year day reception, held on jan
uary 2, 1855, and, quite likely. there
are still few persons living who at
tended this memorable event.
The Civil War was a long drawn
out affair, and for nearly four years
the blood of the best manhood of
America had been shed that this
Nation under God'' might have a
new birth of freedom" Many thou
sands of soldiers had gone to their
long home, leaving many broken
hearted wives and mothers behind to
mourn their loss. But the sun at last
had begun to cause the silver lining
In the clouds to shine, for within a
few months the Capital had been
saved from destruction, the Weldon
Railroad had been seized, Atlanta
taken, the battle Of Cedar Creek sue
cessflllly fought, Fort McAlister cap
tured and word of the destruction of
Hoods army had just been received,
while the end of the cruel war could
be seen not far off, with the Union
emerging, VIGOROUSLY, with one Con-
stitution and one flag for all.
In addition to this, the political
campaign had just closed and Lin
coin had been reelected by plurality
of 407, ,342 popular votes and with all
the-electoral votes except 81. But the
war President was in suspense for
cutie while, and until the votes
we're counted he was not sure of his
reelection by any means and, indeed,
at one time was quite certain he would
not be, as many of the most con-
servative and astute politicians of the
Gay for a while could see nothing in
store for him but defeat.
Naturally, 1t was happy time for
Mr.. Lincoln, and he displayed in his
manner and his conversation his keen
satisfaction and qualification as he
and Mrs. Lincoln greeted the callers
who came to pay their respects and
to wish them happy new year.
IT IS said that the jam at the White
=. House upon this occasion was ter
riflc. and one wonders how the vast
crowd got there, for only the Wash
tngton & Georgetown Railroad Co.
was then in operation, the old Metro
politan Railroad Co. having only been
chartered July l, 1864. By this time
Washington had outgrown its fas-
cinating name-City of Magnificent
Distances-and could more appro-
priately have been called the City Of
Mud, for, during wet weather, it was
almost impossible to go anywhere with
out boots on, and it was common
thing for teams to be stuck in the mud.
B. B. French, then the commission
er of public buildings. in his report
published in The Star of December "a,
1864, had a convincing statement to
make as to the conditions of our thor
oughfares at that time. He says:
There is not perhaps in the Union
city, the streets and avenues Of
which are in so bad a condition as
those Of the. city of Washington. Dur
ing the wet weather Of the Winter
many Of the streets are more like
Quagmires than streets and it is next
70 impossible to pass along them with
Carriages, and in the dry weather
of Summer the holes left where the
water and mud stood in the Winter
are such as to render driving over
them at a faster pace than a walk
dangerous.
1.-The injury to the streets, thus
prominent is mainly caused by Army
wagons, which I have seen moving
aiong them in long trains heavily
laden, each wagon having one wheel
locked so as to drag through the mud
and along the pavements and doing
more injury in single hour than the
ordinary travel would do in years.
This is undoubtedly a necessity, but
1t, certainly presents a strong reason
Why the United States should do
something towards repairing these
dilapidated streets. The city has been
doing much at very great expense" !"
=
or COURSE, this is the same old
~ story, printed from time to time
since the laying out Of the District
eUncle Sam" continually lying down
on the job and leaving the work to be
done and paid for by the taxpayers OF
Washington. And to all you new
eofners to Washington, who may not
be any too familiar with the history
of the District of Columbia, may the
writer suggest that the next time you
srea In the vicinity Of Pennsylvania
avenue and Fourteenth street you
take of your hat to the statue Of
Alexander r. Shepherd, who. when
Governor of the District Of Columbia
back In 1873 and 1874, and when q
member Of the Board Of Public Works.