The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-01-23

and Daniel Carroll of Maryland to-
gether with a representative from
Virginia to lay off the "Territory of
Columbia" 1t was the climax of years
of wrangling.
After the Revolution, the Congress
shifted around from place to place.
New York, Philadelphia, York, Lam
caster, Baltimore and Annapolis had
all provided hospitality for Congress
sional deliberations. From the very
beginning there was agitation for a
permanent national capital. The diff
Guilty of deciding lay partly in local
pride and partly in the fact that in
those days every mile Of travel meant
serious hardship and every Represen-
tative, from New Hampshire to Geor-
gia, wanted the seat of government to
be as close to his home as possible.
Baltimore insisted that the center
of population lay in Baltimore county
and that therefore Baltimore city was
the logical place An enthusiastic
campaign was staged and the mer-
chants of the city pledged thousands
of dollars toward the erection of pub
lie buildings in Baltimore. No Cham
Der of Commerce could have done a
better job of advertising the harbor
the post road, the food and other adj
! Vantages.
New York, Philadelphia and Tren-
ton made bids for the prize on the
basis of their elegant and convenient
accommodations. Elbridge Gerry of
Massachusetts introduced a resolution
narrowing the selection Of sites to
locations either on the Delaware or
the Potomac A later resolution
choosing the Delaware actually passed
in Congress and then into oblivion.
Two subsequent resolutions naming a
location on the Potomac, another for
a position on the Susquehanna in
Pennsylvania and another for Ger
mantown came up for consideration
but Congress still couldn't make up
its mind.
Maryland and Virginia were losing
no time while all this was going on.
They joined forces "along the Poto-
mac" and started playing politics."
On December %, 1888, the Mary
land Legislature tried to precipitate
matters by passing can act to cede to
congress a district ten miles square,
in this state, for the seat of govern
ment of the United States" This sue
ceeded only in precipitating more
Congressional arguments.
Maryland then passed another reso-
luton, "That this house " s. & will
advance to the President of the
United States, for the purposes men
toned in the said resolution, the sum
of seventy-two thousand dollars, pay
able to his order, in three equal yearly
payments = :;
To accomplish this, the State sold
the lands west of Fort Cumberland
which had been destined for Maryland
veterans of the Revolution, also 100
acres of land at Fort Frederick and
the Choptank Indian lands in Dor
chester county. The cession of land
and the loan of cash were good per-
suaders but "clincher" was needed.
And Thomas Jefferson put it over by
"log-rolling"
Alexander Hamilton was then Sec
retary of the Treasury and he con-
trolled many northern votes. 1t so
happened that he was interested in a
scheme for assuming State debts. He
and jefferson agreed to trade south
ern votes on assumption for northern
votes on a Potomac River site Both
projects We're put into the Assumption
Bill, the famous Residence Act"
There still remained final decision
between. two locations on the banks
Of the Potomac One alternative
would have placed the national cap
ital at Conococheague Cor Conoge-
cheague or Conogocheque) which is
now called Williamsport after General
Ohio Holland Williams, its planner
The other aimed to establish it on the
opposite side of the river from Alex
andria up near Georgetown with the
two towns included in the ten mile
square Territory of Columbia" Con-
gress left this decision up to the
President.
On Friday, October %, 1870, the
MARYLAND Journal and Baltimore Adj