Evening star., 1937-08-22
By John Claggn Proctor.

T T WOULD be hard to say whether
the trainers of the Constitution
OF the United States cid or Gid
Il not foresee what the Capital OF
the Republic would become, or would
look like $50 years hence. However,
whatever might have been 'r their
minds, they did designate place
large enough for its Capital for many
years to come, as we find by reading
that part of section Of Article I,
which provides that Congress shall
have power ito exercise exclusive
legislation in all cases whatsoever
over such District (not exceeding 10
miles square, as may. by cession Of
particular States, and the acceptance
of Congress, become the seat Of gov
ernnent of the United States" And,
as is well known, the maximum ter
ritory mentioned for this purpose
was ceded by the States Of Maryland
and Virginia and accepted by the Fed
eral Government, though Virginia s
portion was retroceded many years
later.
OF course, at the time the Con-
stitution was in the process of forma-
ton, and when it was signed, that
part of Washington east of Rock
Greek was not in existence, and only
that section known as Georgetown,
then in Maryland could have taken
any particular part in the various
phases and stages leading up to its
final adoption. But, after The Gov
ernment took up its residence in
Washington in 1900. and the Con-
gress convened here for the first time
on November II OF that year, i.
brought with it a number Of men
who had played a part in planning
or signing this great American docu-
ment, and some did both.
4 FTER the First Congress convened
here William Pinckney of South
Carolina continued to serve in the
Senate until December, 1901, and in
the House of Representatives from
1919 to 1921; John Langdon, New
Hampshire. in the Senate to March 8.
1901, Richard Dobbs Spaight, North
Carolina, in the House Of Repre-
senta tives to March 3. 1901, Abraham
Baldwin, Georgia, in the Senate to
1907; Pierce Butler, South Carolina,
in the Senate, 1903 to 1904; Jonathan
Dayton, New Jersey. in Senate to
1905; Nicholas Gilman, New Hanp-
shire, in Senate. 1905 10 1914, and
Rufus King, Massachusetts,. in Senate,
1913 to 1926.
James Madison, with hlS capti-
waiting wife Dolly made his hcne
here from the time he came into
Jefferson's cabinet in 1901 until he
left the White House in 1917, and
was here at other times Alexander
Hamilton made visits to the city, and
Elbridge Gerry was here at ieas.
during the period he was Vice F-esi-
dent, 1918 to 1914. Daniel Carroll
was not living at the time the Fedora.
Government moved to Washington,
having died few years before this
date, but of the signers of the Con-
stitution his home was nearest to
what is now the Capital, his burial
place is in the church yard of st.
Johns Catholic Church, Forest Glen,
Md. and his home was evidently
nearby.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, like many
OF our successful business men,
had the faculty of knowing the value
of men and whom to select for the
important work at hand. and Moth
ing appealed to him, after the sue
cessful ending of the difficulty with
Great Britain. as being of more i'm
portance than the locating of the
Federal Capital in the 10-nile square
as provided for by Congress. The
men selected by him for this pur-
pose proved all the more his wisdom
and good judgment.
In looking around, therefore, for
the right men to make arrangements
with the original proprietors of land
now forming the City of Washington,
and who could best look after the in
terests of the Government in erecting
the public buildings, and in other
ways be helpful, he selected Thomas
johnson and Daniel Carroll of Mary
land and David Stuart of Virginia.
Daniel Carroll was a member of
distinguished Maryland family,
man who, in addition to signing the
Constitution, had served this State
in the Continental Congress from
1880 to 1884, signed the Articles of
Confederation and served in the first
Congress Of the United States, 1889
to 1871. He was wealthy, and, &C
cording to the census of 1870, besides
being an extensive land owner in the
vicinity of Forest Glen, Md, he also
owned SO slaves. His family at that
time, besides his wife, consisted Of two
sons over is years Of age and two
daughters. OF course, this does not
indicate that the children enumerated
we're all he had, but merely that they
were all who we're living at home at
the time the census was taken.
The Biographical Directory Of the
American Congress tells us that Mr..
Carroll was born in Upper Marlboro,
Prince Georges County, Md, July %.
1870, and this GATE fits in exactly
with the statement made that he
was 81 years old at the time he was
appointed one of the first commits
sioners to lay out the Capital City.
He served four years as commits
sioner and resigned in May, 1875, his
place being filled by the appointment
of Alexander White, who, as men,
ber of the House of Representatives
from Virginia, in the First Congress,
voted in favor of the funding bill
as compromise for securing the
seat of Government to this locality,
though, as Thomas Jefferson said, he
did so with a revulsion OF stomach
almost convulsive"
DANIEL CARROLL, who helped to
frame the Constitution and who
signed it, and who was subsequently
appointed by President Washington
one of the commissioners to lay out
the Federal Capital, as stated, was
~. cor, of no Mol Carroll of Marlhoro