326 THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF 



matter. They answered, " The City of Washington, in the Ter- 

 ritory of Columbia." Thus the " Cit} r of Washington," as yet an 

 airy nothing, but with a local habitation in the " Territory of 

 Columbia," now received a name. This was in 1791. Yet it 

 took time to get the names into use. The imaginary city con- 

 tinued to be referred to chiefly as a jest under the old descrip- 

 tive phrase, Federal City. When in 1792 the boundary monu- 

 ments were set along the Maryland part of the District boundary 

 line the word Maryland was cut upon that side of each stone 

 which faced Maryland, but upon the side which faced what we 

 now call the District of Columbia the word Columbia does not 

 appear. Instead of it there appears in clear, large, and deep-cut 

 letters the words " Jurisdiction of the United States." Obviously 

 this fact, rather than a name, was uppermost in the minds of the 

 Commissioners in 1791. And this fact is still unique in the his- 

 tory of all capitals. Congress legislates for the District of Co- 

 lumbia absolutely, and thus we have for the national capital this 

 curious anomaly. It is legislated for, taxed, managed, controlled, 

 and governed by the united voices of all the voters of the United 

 States except its own. The citizens of Washington itself are the 

 only ones in the United States who are by law deprived of all 

 voice as to the management or control of Washington affairs. 

 And what seems stranger still, these strange Washingtonians are 

 Avell content with this hard fate, and would, it is believed, refuse 

 to change it even if they had the power. 



Washington, it must be remembered, differs from other cities 

 because it was intended to be different. Its site, when choice 

 was made, is described as a wilderness, and for more than half 

 a century did not cease to be ridiculed as such ; and the plan 

 of the city was completely drawn out on paper and marked out 

 on the ground before any buildings appeared — just as happens 

 with modern boom towns, but with this difference : In the boom 

 town the real estate speculation is the main motive ; in the found- 

 ing of the nation's capital it was only an incident, and an inci- 

 dent which Jefferson strove to minimize by letting out either 

 none or misleading information as to plans for public buildings 

 and " appropriations," as tracts reserved for the general govern- 

 ment were called. 



The plan for the city was drawn up by a French engineer, 

 Major Pierre Charles L' Enfant, and his plans were doubtless ex- 

 amined, criticised, and approved by Washington. His original 

 manuscript map, now faded and worn, is in the War Department 



