Evening star., 1940-09-29
By John CIaeen Proctor.

Dp JOHU CtU4eI TOCIOT.
There may be many days in the
coming year worthy of commemo-
rating and celebrating, but there
Is one day in particular that we
should not fail to observe. and this
is the day upon which the corner
stone of the District of Columbia
was placed at Jones Point, at the
mouth of Hunting Creek, Va, near
Alexandria, which took place on
April IS, 1891, and therefore April is
next will be particularly significant,
because it will mark the 150th ami
versary of the birth of the 10-mile
square wherein was placed the Fed
eral Capital.
The so-called Residence Act, passed
by Congress and approved by Presi-
dent Washington on July is, 1870,
while Congress was meeting in New
York City. confined the territory
to be selected for the Capital "on
the River Potomac at some place
between the mouths of Eastern
Branch and the Connogocheague," ;"
and it was not until after the
passage of the amendatory act of
March 3, 1891, that President Wash
ington was in position to include
Alexandria and what is now Airing
ton County, Va, in the District Of
Columbia, but which, however. was
retroceded to Virginia In 1846 by a
vote of the residents of 1853 to 222.
The act OF July 16, before men,
toned. passed the Senate by the
narrow margin of IA to II votes, and
in the House by only three votes
or 80 to 20. Indeed, the locating
of the Capital and the funding bill
we're two of the knottiest problems
before Congress, and the residence
bill. as finally passed, required the
greatest amount of strategy on the
part Of such men as Alexander
Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.
Difference in Views.
Just how wide the difference OF
views was on locating the Capital
may be seen by the vote on the four
amendments offered to the bill:
First, to substitute the Delaware
instead of the Potomac, ayes %,
noes 80: second, to locate it in
PENNSYLVANIA, including German
town, eyes %, noes &c., third, to
place it between the Susquehanna
and Potomac, ayes 25, noes SO; and,
fourth, to locate 1t in the State OF
Maryland, including Baltimore, ayes
26. noes "a.
Hamilton was one of the brainiest
men of the new Republic, and he
was also a brave and gallant soldier
and a man of rare financial ability
In this latter connection, like so
many Congressman today, he had
pet measure, and this embraced the
idea that the United States as a
whole should pay off the foreign
debt, amounting to something like
$4,000 900, and assume the state
debt, totaling s21 100000.
The Northern States were keen for
this legislation. Pennsylvania alone
possessed S4,00O,000 on which it
would draw interest, and in addi-
ton to this the citizens held SIS, 5,0OO,-
900 upon which they would secure
payment. However, Hamilton's mo-
tives were not prompted by this fact
at all, since he eloquently main
tanned that the public debt was "the
price of liberty
Wanted to Satisfy All.
The South was not in favor OF the
funding bill as proposed by Hamil-
ton, which had been defeated in
the House. Hamilton knew that
the South wanted the Capital City
located within it's midst; the North
did not. Hamilton'S bill meant more
toward the salvation OF the United
States than did the locating OF the
Federal Capital, fact the Secretary
of the Treasury was also well aware
of, and he proceeded in states
manlike way to satisfy both parties,
and, above all, to put the newly
formed country in good light
before the world. He was willing
to locate the Capital anywhere to
secure the passage Of his bill and
he 50 informed Morris and Jefier-
son.
OF this jefferson says:
LAS I was going to the Presi-
dents one day I met him (Hamil-
toni in the street. He walked me
backwards and forwards before the
Presidents door for half an hour
He painted pathetically the temper
into which the Legislature had
been wrought; the disgust of those
who were called the creditor States;
the danger of the secession of their
members and the separation of the
States. He observed that the men,
bers of the administration ought to
act in concert; that though this
question was not of any depart
ment, yet a common duty should
make it common concern; that the
President was the center on which
all administrative questions ulti-
mately rested, and that all of us
should rally around him and sup
port with joint efforts measures
approved by him.
II proposed to him, however, to
dine with me the next day and ]
would write another friend or two