The Tiber

The walk from The White House to the Capitol Building is today easy to make. There are quite a few streets to cross, but lights allow the pedestrian to do this safely. There are a few distractions along the way (The Old Post Office, and its tower); Political American (1331 PA Ave) - http://politicalamericana.com/; and the US District Court ("Monica Beach" as it was nicknamed as journalists settled in the plaza during the Lewinsky scandal of 1998).

It wasn't such an easy journey in the early years of the city. Goose Creek, renamed as "Tiber Creek" after the River Rome is built by, seperated the hill on which the Capitol stands and the ridge upon which the White House is built. James Sterling Young wrote that "Pennsylvania Avenue remained a desolate country road, where, 'every turn of your wagon wheel...is attended with danger.' Flash floods and spring tides made the avenue impassable altogether, necessitating either a long detour via highland roads or a trip by packet boat running between Georgetown, Greenleaf's Point (near the Navy Yard), and Alexandria to effect communication between the marooned communities at either end of the avenue." Although a bridge had been planned by L'Enfant - and preparatory work done on clearing the route, no bridge was built until 1832.

As far as I can make out, The route of the Tiber (see map at http://www.capitolhillhistory.org/library/04/Jenkins%20Hill.html) is as follows - a stream known as the "Reedy Branch" met the shorter "Goose Creek" near what is today the junction of New York Avenue and North Capitol Street, and then flows southwards in the vicincity of the rail tracks which run into Union Station. Just to the south-west of Union Station it met with another triutary, the Oden. It widened as it approached the site of the Capitol then turned westwards towards the Potomac. It was later canalised at this later stretch, into a canal which ran approximately along the route of Constitution Avenue. (Although an 1894 newspaper article suggests this was the course of the ancient James Creek, to the north of the Tiber - http://www.sewerhistory.org/articles/compon/1894_aen03/index.htm). The Tiber emptied into the Potomac close to the current position of the Washington Monument. Another tributary ran from F Street, between 9th and 10th Streets (under what is now the FBI Building and the Justice Department) joining the Tiber 20 yards south of Pennsylvania Avenue.

The drawing is described as "Tiber Creek. North East of the Capitol. Washington, D.C." Pen and black ink drawing by August Kollner, 1839. A train can be seen - so presumably this is that stretch of the river where it runs southwards.

Please let me know if you know of any sources which can throw further light on this forgotten river.

British Newspapers

There is an old story which seeks to explain the choice of newspapers by individual British readers. It actually has the ring of truth!

"The Daily Mirror is read by people who think they run the country. The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country. The Times is read by people who actually do run the country. The Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country. The Financial Times is read by people who own the country. The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country. The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is. The Independent is read by people who know the government runs the country, and The Sun is read by people who don't care who runs the country so long as they have big tits."

For a more authoritative account of this, watch the video

The Early Years - Washington DC

During these summer holidays I am reading and researching the the early years of some of the institutions relevant to my studies for a doctorate. These include the Labour Group in the House of Lords (see blog entry for 7th August); the leadership of the House of Representatives; and the establishment and growth of the US Congress.

As part of that, I've been reading some interesting books and articles over the last week. In particular - "The Washington Community 1800-1828" by James Sterling Young (New York & London: Columbia University Press, 1966) and "The Sacred Geometry of Washington DC" by Nicholas R Mann (Sutton Mallet, UK: Green Magic, 2006). Both are fascinating books. James Sterling Young looks at the members of the ruling group who moved to the newly built city (which in fact was an underpopulated series of small communities tied to the branches of government in which each community served) when Washington DC became the Federal Capital in 1800. Nicholas Mann looks at the plan of the city - and how its physical structure represented the political theories which underlay the constitutional structure. Both have a lot to say about how the site of the city was selected and developed.

In addition I've been reading material about the springs; streams; rivers and hills upon which Washington is built - many no longer visible. As a result over the rest of the holidays (along with other matters - there are fascinating elections going on in the USA and British politics is not exactly uninteresting at this time!) - I shall share with you what I find about my favourite city.

The Early Years - Labour in the House of Lords

When the Labour Representative Committee was created in 1900 its purpose was to ensure that representatives of the Labour movement were elected to Parliament. It concentrated wholly upon the House of Commons, the only elected part of the British Parliament. The House of Lords, which it described in its January 1910 manifesto as "an irresponsible body which represents nothing but its own class interests" had no Labour members.

With the collapse in the Liberal Party and the increase in the Labour vote (December 1910 - 7.1% to December 1918 22.2%, - helped by the extension of the franchise to all men over 21 and all women over 30) - Labour became one of the most important parties at Westminster. It was only in 1920 that the first "Labour Peer" was recognised. The 2nd Earl of Kimberley (John Wodehouse - son of a leading statesman in Gladstone's Governments) had entered the House of Lords in 1902, and like his father taken the Liberal Whip. In 1918 and 1920 he sent telegrams of support to the Labour parliamentary candidate in South Norfolk, and in 1922 was re-elected to Norfolk County Council, but this time after describing himself as the "Labour" candidate. For these activities he was nicknamed by the press as "the Labour Earl"

In February 1920 the Constitutional Year Book (cited in Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900-2000 by David and Gareth Butler) identifies the strength of the Labour Party in the House of Lords as One. But the Earl of Kimberley retained the Liberal Whip (despite his support for an opposing candidate in 1920). A seperate Labour Group only fomally existed after January 1924.

Other early members supporting Labour included the 2nd Earl Russell (elder brother of Bertrand Russell, who succeeded him as 3rd Earl) and Earl De La Warr - who was to become Labour Chief Whip (before joined the National Government, and subsequently the conservative Government of Winston Churchill).

It was the advent of the first Labour Government which caused the first formation of a proper Labour Group. Former Liberals such as Viscount Haldane; Lord Gorell; the 2nd Lord Acton (the first death in the group - June 1924); Lord Muir MacKenzie (the first Labour Chief Whip) joined the group and new Peers were created (Lord Olivier - uncle of the actor Laurence Olivier; Lord Thomson and Lord Arnold). Lord Parmoor - a former Tory MP who received a peerage in 1914 from the Liberals, and father of Stafford Cripps, also joined the group.

Top 5 Daily Show Ted Stevens Moments

The following has given my daughter Sarah and I an enjoyable half hour. We particularly liked the pieces where he explains the internet.

http://blog.indecision2008.com/2008/07/30/top-5-daily-show-ted-stevens-moments/