DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 191 



The difference between requiring a continent, with an im- 

 mense population, to submit to be taxed by a Government 

 having no common interest with it, separated from it by a vast 

 ocean, restrained by no principle of appointment and associated 

 with it by no common feelings and permitting the representatives 

 of the American people, under the restrictions of our Constitu- 

 tion, to tax a part of the society, which is either in a state of 

 infancy advancing to manhood, looking forward to complete 

 equality so soon as that state of manhood shall be attained, as is 

 the case with the Territories ; or which has voluntarily relin- 

 quished the right of representation and has adopted the whole 

 body of Congress for its legitimate government, as is the case 

 with the District, is too obvious not to present itself to the minds of 

 all. Although in theory it might be more congenial to the spirit of 

 our institutions to admit a representative from the District, it may 

 be doubted whether, in fact, its interests would be rendered 

 thereby the more secure ; and certainly the Constitution does 

 not consider its want of a representative in Congress as ex- 

 empting it from equal taxation. 



It is thus seen that the American people have not allowed their 

 capital to become what it is in ignorance of what was happening ; 

 and it is my pleasant task to review today the steps by which 

 the result which you see about you came to be. 



As is well known, the establishment of the District as a polit- 

 cal entity came about through events which, for want of a more 

 philosophical expression, or rather, in the absence of reflection, 

 we denominate fortuitous, but which, in their analysis and re- 

 sults are entitled to be deemed truly Providential. Superficially 

 speaking, and judged by the act at the time, by way of compos- 

 ing certain controversies, which now interest us historically 

 only, the territory contributed originally by Maryland and Vir- 

 ginia was chosen as the site of the Federal Capital ; and by way 

 of avoiding the possibility of disturbances such as beset the 

 national authorities when domiciled in Philadelphia, there was 

 written into the 8th article of the Federal Constitution that 

 supremely wise provision that "the Congress shall have power 

 * * to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over 

 such District (not exceeding ten miles square), as may, by ces- 

 sion of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, be- 

 come the Seat of the Government of the United States." 



