Evening Star Newspaper, December 22, 1929, Page 89

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTO i bt N, D."C, DECEMBER 22, 9. RS S o SO Revolutionary compatriots and with the com- mittee was affectionate and impressive in the extreme. After many embraces weré exchanged the general: was transferred to the - elegant landau provided by the city for his use, drawn by four fine grays, in which he was accompanied by Maj. Gen. Brown and Commodore Tingey, member of the committee, and his son, George Washington Lafayette; his secretary and Mr. Custis of Arlington, whe ‘were placed in an- other carriage provided for the purpose. * * * “A national salute from the artillery of Capt. Burch’s company of artillery, posted on Mary- land avenue, announced the general's arrival at ‘the line of the city, which was followed by na- tional salutes from the navy yard and the mili- tary arsenal, the last of which was from field pieces captured during the Revolutionary War at Bennington, Saratoga and Yorktown. * * * On rising to the extensive plain which stretches eastward from the Capitol to the Anacostia River the general found himself in front of the most brilliant military spectacle which our city ever witnessed; being a body of 1,200 troops com- posed entirely of volunteer companies'of the city.” These figures were later changed to 1,500 troops. Of course there were the usual number of delegations on hand to extend invitations to the distinguished guest to visit their respective towns. Naturally, Alexandria and Georgetown ‘were represented, and replying to the invitation extended by the committee from the latter place he said that Georgetown was an old acquaint- ance of his, where he had found many valuable and esteemed friends, and said he would visit there with great delight. THE Franklin Hotel, then at the northeast 8 corner of Twenty-first and I streets at its Junction with Pennsylvania avenue, was selected by the citizens’ committee, on behalf of the <city, as the stopping place for the notable guest d@nd his son and secretary, and after the cere- monies at the Capitol, in which he was officially received by the mayor of the city, Roger C. Weightman, he called on the President at the ‘White House, where “liberal refreshments” were served, and he later repaired to his hotel, where & dinner was given in his honor toward evening and where he delivered one of his famous toasts: “The City of Washington: The central star of the constellation which enlightens the whole world.” At the Capitol had been placed a civic arch, and here it was that Miss Sarah M. Wat- terston, on behalf of the people of the District, delivered to Lafayette an address of welcome. At night there were fireworks and. many pri- vate buildings were illuminated, conspicuous among which was eld Columbian College, then in its infancy and located on the west side of Fourteenth street a few blocks north of Florida avenue. Indeed, the marquis put in a full day being entertained by the people of the District of Columbia. From the 9th of October, 1824, until early in December, 1825, Lafayette was in and out of Washington at various times. In the first few days he visited Tuder place, Arlington; Col. Cox, mayor of Geergetown; Georgetown College; the home of the Minister of Prance; Judge Duvall, the Secretary of State; the Caldwell House at 206 Pennsylvania avenue and the navy yard, where he dined at the quarters of Commodore ‘Tingey. He also called on Secretary Crawford “and breakfasted with him at his cottage resi- dence in the ceuntry,” which, strange as it may seem, was then on the northwest corner of Massachusetts avenue and Fourteenth street, which is teday in the heart of the city. LAPAY!'['I'B’S welcome in Alexandria—where he arrived on October 16—was a part of the entertainment accorded him by the District of Columbia, since this historic city was then a part of the 10-mile square, and here he was re- ceived “amidst the sheuts and welcome of thou- sands of voices™” as he was escorted through the town. The women, always as loyal and enthusi- astic as the men, filled the windows on the line - of march, being dressed in their best attire as they waved “their handkerchiéfs to the veteran @s he passed in token of their participation in the joy manifested by the multitude in the streets.” From here he went to Mount Vernon, where a most touching sceme was enacted, for, we are told: “After remaining a few minutes in the house the general proceeded to the vault, sup- by Mr. Lewis and the gentleman relatives judge and accompanied by G. W. Lafay- ette and G. W. Custis, the children of Mount having shared the paternal care of the great chief. Mr. Custis wore the ring=wus- pended from a Cincinnati ribbon. “When they arrived at the sepulcher Mr. to the doer of the vault, while tears filled the furrews in the veteran’s cheeks. The key was now applied to the lock—the door flew open and discovered the coffins, strewed with flowers and evergreens. The general descended the steps and kissed the leaden cells which con- tained the ashes of the great chief and his venerable consort and then retired in an excess of feeling which language is too poor to de- scribe.” After partaking of refreshments at the house and making a slight tour of the grounds the general returned to the shore, and “the pilgrim who new repairs to the tomb of the Father of His Country will find its laurels moistened by the tears of Lafayette.” NO doubt one of the most interesting of all the events occurring here during his stay was the dinner given him by Congress at Wil- The Tudor mansion, Georgetown Heights, where Gen. Lafayette visited when he came to Washington in 1824. liamson’s Mansion House—site of the New Wil- lard—on the evening of January 1, 1825. Of this the Intelligencer says: “According to previous arrangements the din- ner given by the members of both houses of Congress to Gen. Lafayette took place on Satur- day, the 1st of January. At 4 o'clock the whole range of front rooms at Williamson's extensive establishment (now occupied by private fam- ilies) was thrown open for the reception of the company, and at 6 o'clock the company, in number exceeding 200, sat down to a sumptuous and elegant dinner prepared in Mr. Williamson's bes: style. F “Mr. Gaillard, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and Mr. Clay, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, presided at the feast. “On the right of the President of the Senate sat our venerable Chief Magistrate, the Presi- dent of the United States, who graced by his presence as a guest the most memorable feast that has ever taken place in this country. On the left of the chair sat the Nation’s guest, sup- ported by several of his brethren of the Revolu- tion, among whom were recognized Gen. Samuel Smith, Gen. Jackson, Rufus King and Messrs. Chandler and D'Wolf of the Senate and Gen. Udree of the House. The Speaker was sup- ported on his right hy the Secretary of State and the Postmaster General and on his Jeft by the Secretary of War and Judge Thompson of the Supreme Court of the United States. Among the invited guests were also recognized Gen.- Dearborn, our late Minister to Portugal; George Washington Lafayette and the general’s friend, La Vasseur, also Gens. Scott, Macomb, Bernard and Jessup of the Army and Commodores Bain- bridge, Tingey, Stewart and Morris of the Navy, with many other public officers, civil and mili- tary, of high rank in the various departments of our Government. “The hall was adorned with pictures and fla arranged with great elegance and taste.” r gy oy e IT was a great practice, especially in early days, to drink toasts, and it seemed to be some one’s especial business to see that a sufficient number were drunk to go round. At this func- tion there were provided 15 set toasts. No. 8 on the list—the one drunk to Lafayette—is espe- cially interesting, of course, as it relates to him, However, the one he offered in return is far more interesting and seems almost prophetic after what our troops accomplished for man- kind during the World War. The toast to Gen. Lafayette was: “Gen. Lafayette, the great apostle of national liberty; unawed by the frowns of tyranny, un- Influenced by the blandishments of wealth and unseduced by popular applause—the same in the Castle of Olmutz as in the active scenes of his labor and the height of his renown.” To this toast Gen. Lafayette replied: “Gentlemen of Both Houses: I want words to express the respectful and grateful sense I have of all the favors and kindnesses you are pleagsed to confér upon me, I hope you will do justice to the warm feelings of an American heart, and I beg leave to propose the following loast: “Perpetual union among the United States: it has saved us in our times of danger: it will save the world.” Just a few days before this dinner Congress passed a bill giving to Lafayette outright $200,000 and one township of land. When one ‘considered the great sacrifices made by this most useful man, his inestimable benefit to the cause of liberty, together with the fact that dur- ing his service in the Revolutionary War he had expended an amount equal to $140,000, one can see that the following bill as passed was only & just and proper one: AN ACT CONCERNING GEN. LAFAYETTE. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States Rossburg Inn, on the Baltimore-Washington Boulevard, near College Station, Where Gen. Lafayette stopped over night before entering Washington on October 9, 1824. 3 of America, in Congress assembled, that in consideration of the services and sacri- fices of Gen. Lafayette in the War of the Revolution the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is, hereby authorized to pay to him the sum of $200,000 out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appro- Section 2. And be it further enacted. that there be granted to the said Gen. - Lafayette and his heirs one township of land, to be laid out and located under the . authority of the President on any of the unappropriated lands of the United States. H. CLAY, A Speaker of the House of Representatives. JOHN GAILLARD, President of the Senate, Pro Tempore. . Washington: Approved December 28, 1824. JAMES MONROE. R. HAYNE of South Carolina, in speaking on the bill before its passage by the Senate, among other things said: “He raised, equipped and armed a regiment at his own proper charge and came here with a vessel freighted with arms, munitions and equipments for war which' he distributed gratuitously among your people. And ll;.'h a matter of record on the pages of your history that he put shoes on the feet of your barefoot and suffering soldiers. For these services he asked no recompense—he received none. He spent his fortune for you—he shed his blood for you, and without acquiring anything but a claim upon your gratitude he impoverished himself. And what, in recompense, has this Government done for him? It was not until the year 1794 that they gave to him the full pay, without in- terest, which he was entitled to have received 12 to 14 years before. Did they then attempt to remunerate him for the service, other than military, which the gallant general had ren- dered to the country? No, sir. But if an American citizen had put his hand inte his pocket, raised a regiment for the service of his country, clothed its nakedness and put shoes upon their bleeding feet—would. he not. have been .entitled to compensation for such expendi- ture? Sir, if we were to resort to a calculation of pounds, shillings and pence—if we were to draw up an account current with Gen. Lafayette the balance in his favor would far exceed the amount which by this bill it is proposed to ap- propriate.” TO show the true worth of the man, Mr. Hayne pointed out that in 1803 Congress made a grant of 11,520 acres of land to Gen. Lafayette and that later it granted to the corporation.of the City of New Orleans a space of 600 yards around the fortifications of that city, includ- ing a valuable portion of the very land which had been previously entered by the general—of an estimated value of $50,000. “And what was the conduct of Lafayette on being informed of these facts?” asked Mr. Hayne, and then answered his own question by saying: “He promptly and without hesitation communicated to his agent ‘that he would not consent even to inquire into the validity of his - title; that he could not think of entering into litigation with any public body in the United States; that the property had been gratuitously bestowed upon him by the United States and it was with them to say what had been given,’ and he accompanied these declarations by a posi- tive direction to his agent to relinquish his entry and to make a location elsewhere.” It was not until December 8, 1825, that Lafay- ette sailed down the Chesapeake in the U. S, frigate Brandywine, sad at heart in leaving be- hind his multitude of friends in the United States, but, on the other hand, longing to see his children, grandchildren and great-grand- child back on the Le Grange estate in his be-