Evening star., 1950-04-30

IDT pei sun 10 NHlk, III SutIlt
places. on account Of the mud,
bushes. thorns. briars. etc. and
more particularly on the south
side. where the clumps OF thorn
bushes in some places were so
thick that they were cut
down with ScytheS, so as to en-
able the workmen to make foot
way TO Fifteenth street"
Plontinos in 1903
At this time a great many Syca-
more trees were growing along
the Tiber. and from Eleventh and
c streets TO the bridge that
crossed Seventh street there was
a considerable swamp 'overgrown
with bushes. briars. thorns, etc. "
where the boys would frequently
catch the fish left in the puddles
by the receding tide.
The planting of the Jombardy
poplar trees on Pennsylvania ave-
nue. began in 1903 and continued
during the following year. 1t cost
Sll.7 .702 and was a project in which
MIR. jefferson showed more than
usual intereS, spending what
little time he could, watching the
workmen place the trees in the
ground in four rows. For this
purpose. the avenue was divided
into three sections. or. as Mr..
Bryan tells us: In the center
ran the principal road with rows
of Lombardy poplars on each side,
then two roadways, the outer
edges bordered by trees of the
same species. Beyond the second
row of trees came the cutters,
and then the footways extending
to the building line" Thus we
are told the Avenue remained for
nearly 80 years as jefferson
planned it, the surface of the road
being merely covered with gravel
When Mr.. Jefferson, in 1901,
was selected by the House of
Representatives to be President on
the 36th ballot and took the oath
of office on March of that year,
he did not. as so many people
persist in saying. ride up to the
Capitol, hitch his horse to the
pallng fence. take the oath of
office and, unaccompanied except
by his groom, find his way back
to the White House.
Jefferson was then residing at
Conrad and McMunn's boarding
house at the northwest corner of
c street and New Jersey avenue
Southeast, and from here he
walked to the Capitol accom-
panied by the Alexandria Com
pany of Rif1emen. the Washington
Artillery Company and attended
by a number of citizens and took
the oath of Office. The SUPPOSE
ton is that he returned to his
boarding house the same way, for
he remained there until March 10
before going to the White House.
Had on Escort in 1905
Before the second Inauguration
of President jefferson in 1905, the
Avenue, as shown, was in such q
condition as would permit of q
parade, but apparently Mr.. Jeffer-
son deemed otherwise, for upon
this occasion he did substantially
what some say he did four years
before-proceeded on horseback to
the Capitol, attended only by his
secretary and groom. On the re-
turn to the White House, however.
we are told he was attended "by
large assemblage of members Of
the Legislature, citizens and
strangers of distinction and q
procession was formed at the Navy
Yard composed of the several
mechanics engaged there. which
marched to military music, dis
playing with considerable taste
the various insignia of their pro-
feSsion."
The presidential election of 1900.
according to reports, must have
been a hotly contested affair. To
the people of the District Of Co
lumbia it is still regarded as an
interesting event, for the people
were actually allowed to vote for
the President on that occasion un-
der the laws of Maryland. Chris
tian Hines. a member of an early
District family, was present at
the polls in Georgetown at that
time and gives us the following
account in his Early Recollec-
tions of Washington City:
THE election between Mr.. JET
ferson and Mr.. Adams for the
presidency, which eventuated In
the choice of Mr.. Jefferson, was
held in Suter's Tavern in George
town in the year 1900. The house
was a one-story frame and stood
on High street, between Bridge
and Water streets, and a little
east of the Canal Bridge. George
Peter, who was then a lieutenant
in the Regular Army, had. I think.
his recruiting Office in a three
story brick house directly south
of the tavern. or pretty hear where