Evening star., 1939-07-16

"oAAA NCNONAC VIC BICdICSI COIIlIIlcT- .
cial emporium Of the country"
Was this extensive capital area to
be uninhabited except by temporary
Government employees, by those
catering to their needs, and by other
transients? No. In 1895 Washing
ton said prophetically of the popula-
ton Of the Capital that q century
hence If the country kept united, the
Capital would be though not as
large as London, yet Of a magnitude
inferior to few others (citiesJ in
Europe"
Was this great population peopling
an extensive and magnificently
planned city, with its broad streets
and avenues, its parks and its nu-
merous and imposing public build
lngs, to be un-American in status
and politically alien? Who believes
1t? Who by any stretch of the imag-
nation can conceive 1t?
Washington's idea was that the
Capital should be Federal city, de-
veloped by the Nation and subject
to its control. but it was not his idea
that it should be without people or
that its people should be politically
defective and delinquent Americans.
Its grand framework indicates the
expectation of a large population.
Washington's imagination covered
the fair fields and wooded hills of his
namesake city with the homes of a
numerous, busy, and happy people,
a people not aliens politically and
less than aliens judicially but
clothed with all American rights not
absolutely inconsistent with the fos-
tering control by the Nation of the
Nations Capital.
If Not They, Who?
3. Concerning the people of Wash
ington, the Adrian Telegram says
that the inhabitants of Washington
did not build it (the CapitaD up
with their labor money and thought,
as is the case with every other CITY,"
The Nation as a whole has made it
what it is and that 'its population
consists chiefly of an army of more
than 10000 well paid Federal Off
cials and employees"
Under an agreement between
President Washington and the pro-
prietors of the land which COM
prised the original City of Washing
ton, "the proprietors donated to
the United States all of the lands
for the streets and one-half of the
city lots throughout the entire city
Sites reserved by the United States
for the public buildings, parks. and
other public purposes were paid for
by the United States in Maryland
money the equivalent to $6666 per
acre. Such payment, amounting to
$36, ,099. was made out of the pro-
ceeds from the sale of some of the
lots which these proprietors had do
mated to the United States. This
was the only purchase price paid by
the United States for any part of
the entire acquisition of 5,128 acres
for the purpose of building the Capt.
tai City.
The land within the original city
OF Washington comprised a total of
Gill acres and was divided to the
United States 4,147 acres-3,6O6
acres for streets and SAL acres for
public purposes. The remaining
1854 acres were divided into squares
and the squares into lots. The whole
number Of lots was 20,272-10,136 to
the United States and the same
number to the proprietors.
Thomas Jefferson. then Secretary
Of State, declared the Iberality Of
the proprietors was noble" (See
District Of Columbia, Origin and
Form of Government" Congress
sional Directory, page 415D
BY Far Largest Contributors.
Washingtonians are now generally
recognized as by far the largest con-
tributors to the upbuilding of the
Capital. They gave of their own
property that the Nation might
practically own and exclusively con-
troll National City. They donated
to the Nation five-sevenths of the
area of the Federal City as originally
planned. They gave the land from
the proceeds of the sale of which the
original public buildings were COM
pleted. Nearly all the work of street
improvement and Capital-making
which was done for three -fourths of
century was done by them
Through disregard by the Nation of
its financial obligations to the Capt.
tai the Washingtonians were in 1885
forced into bankruptcy in the public
spirited attempt to bear alone the
Nations burden. In the same spirit
they endured in the seventies the
travail of the birth of the new
Washington.
AS the Senate District Committee
(Southard, chairman) said in its
report of 1885:
The plan of the city was formed
by the public authorities. The di-
mensions of the streets determined
without interference by the inhabi-
tants or regard to their particular
interest or convenience. It is a plan