Evening star., 1936-12-27
Housing and Moui',g Problem
As Old As City of Washington
of Earliest Residents Return,
as Each Congress COnuenes With
Its Nem Members.

lished on Pennsylvania avenue Be.
tween Twenty-first and Twenty-sec.
ond streets and the Navy Department
in this same location, With the total
force Of its employees not in excess Of
Is. Benjamin Stoddert. the first Sec
retary Of the Navy after the Nation
established itself in It's present loca.
ton. at the corner Of Thirty-fourth
and Prospect streets. Georgetown, at
Halycon House, from whose south.
ern dormer windows 1t is said that
he could see his sailing ships making
port with those of his friends, Col.
Forrest and Col. Murdock.
Estimated reports Of the cost Of this
Government moving very from SIC, 900
to $4,000. Then, as now. expense ac-
counts Of the Governments employees
came in for scrutiny and condemna-
tion as to their Justification. The
Treasury portfolio appears to have
been the largest Of the Government
departments. with SO persons on its
rolls. In the ONCE of the Register of
the Treasury there is. I am informed,
still preserved bill rendered by John
Little. a clerk in that ONCE, incident
to the removal OF himself and his
nine children with their necessary
board" from their home in Philadel-
phia to the Nations new capital. The
total amount OF $445 indicates the
time consumed to have been six days
by private carriage. instead Of the
usual two by coach.
William Simmons. an accountant in
the War Department, proved an even
more expensive employe to transfer to
his duties at the Washington head
quarters, for his family totaled IL
children in addition to himself and
his wife with An aggregate bill Of
SIT.
Apparently the first Of the executive
Offices to be opened in the new seat
Of government was the Post Once.
Nearby Georgetown. from the time
Of Benjamin Franklin. founder Of our
American postal system. had been able
to boast Of its service and receipts
as busy maritime port, but opposi.
ton was now to be forthcoming In
the infant neighboring city-Wash-
ington. Abraham Bradley. Assistant
Postmaster General. at this time wrote
his family in Philadelphia Of his
pleasure in securing q large three
story house suitable As a combined
residence for himself and ONCE for
Mr. Habersham. the Postmaster Gen.
eral. 1t is thought that this loca-
tion was at Ninth and Z streets.
Housed "AIl In Pairs"
The housing problems of those upon
whom developed the problems of our
young Nation just after 1t had entered
its first permanent home are suggest
ed in the comment of John Cotton
Smith, member Of Congress from
Connecticut. He wrote friends to this
effect. The Connecticut ofiicials are
lodged with q Mr.. Peacock on New
Jersey avenue in company with Sem
ators Chapman and Paine Of Vermont,
all in pairs. except Speaker Sedge-
wick, whose ONCE set apart for him
room for himself"
Oliver Wolcott. Secretary Of the
Treasury, also wrote home about con-
ditions as he found them in the new
Capital To his wife he confided
that he had been obliged ito take
lodging more than half . mile from
my ONCE" but philosophically summed
up the situation with, "at that I find
myself better OF than most Of my
associates" In q subsequent letter
he comments: General Marshall has
been gone . fortnight. The law char
acter tmeaning Attorney General Lee)
has gone to Norfolk with his lady,
and Mr.. Stoddert, Mr.. Dexter and
myself govern this great Nation. but
how wisely I cannot determine"
Billy O'Neale. father Of the CLAM
orous Peggy. whose home was on the
north side Of street between Twen-
tieth and Twenty-first streets, adver-
tised in the National Intelligencer Of
December 3. 1900. that his hostelry
was prepared to care for those who
may desire to secure lodgings"
To many the Colonial city of
Georgetown. stlll Q great-granodame
proudly crowned with wealth and the
refinements Of the era, offered q con-
genial place Of residence. despite the
3 miles of bad road which had to
be traversed in the mud Of Winter
in the Royal George. This was
long, low-bodied four-horse stage
coach. the only means Of public con-
veyance along what Is now Pennsyl-
vania avenue from the Capitol to
Georgetown.
The Royal George was well pa
tronized. There lurched along to-
gether in it, side by side and more
or less companionably. Government
officials in high hats, and woodsmen
and trappers in coon-skin caps. It
was quite usual. too. for passengers
of high and low degree alike to have
to descend together, to help the
Poval GAoroa's dvfvnr avtrirAta the