A manual on the origin and development of Washington

by H. Paul Caemmerer

A Territorial form of government, consisting of a governor, a board of public works, and a legislative assembly, was provided for by an act of Congress of February 21, 1871. The legislative assembly consisted of 11 members, called a council, and 22 other members, called a house of delegates. The District also had a Delegate in the House of Representatives of the United States. The governor and the board of public works were appointed by the President of the United States, and the legislative assembly was elected by the people. This form of government lasted three years, until June 20, 1874, when Congress provided that the District should be governed by three commissioners, appointed by the President. This was known as the temporary form of government and lasted until June 30, 1878.

Thereupon the Congress, by an act approved June 11, 1878, created the present form of government of the District of Columbia, to become effective July 1, 1878. By this act the District was created a municipal corporation with right to sue and be sued.

The act provided for the appointment of three commissioners, two of them to be selected by the President from persons residing in the District of Columbia for a period of three years preceding their appointment. The third member was to be an officer of the Engineer Corps, United States Army, detailed by the President, and to be known as the engineer commissioner. The appointments of the civilian commissioners are for a period of three years, or until their successors are appointed. The detail of the engineer commissioner is at the pleasure of the President. This detail is usually about four years.

While the District has a municipal form of government, Congress, by various statutory enactments, has treated it as a branch of the United States Government by including it in legislation applying to the executive departments, such as the budget and accounting act, the act classifying the salaries of Federal employees, and the act providing for retirement of Federal employees.

In the act of June 11, 1878, it was provided that the expenses of the government of the District should be borne 50 per cent by the United States Government and 50 per cent from the revenues of the District of Columbia, raised by taxation. This method of financing remained in force from 1878 until 1920. In that year the proportionate expense was changed by Congress so that 60 per cent of the expenditures was raised by taxation and 40 per cent was contributed by the Federal Government. This provision continued in force until the year 1925, when Congress determined on a lump-sum contribution of $9,000,000 annually, the balance of the expenses to be raised by taxation; the amounts of money appropriated have varied since then.

The heads of the various departments make recommendations to the commissioner in charge of their respective departments, and each commissioner brings these recommendations to meetings of the board of commissioners, which are held on Tuesday and Friday of each week. The secretary to the board of commissioners records the action on these recommendations and acts as executive officer of the board by issuing orders and carrying on correspondence.

Not all of the municipal duties are, however, vested in the board of commissioners. The management of the public schools is vested in a school board of nine members appointed by the justices of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. The Public Library, with its branches, is managed by a board of trustees appointed by the board of commissioners. The penal, charitable, and correctional institutions are managed by a board of public welfare appointed by the commissioners. The public utilities are under a public-utilities commission, consisting of two civilians, appointed by the President, and the engineer commissioner, who is a member ex officio. The public parks are under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, which is also in charge of public buildings and grounds. The water supply is under an Army engineer officer, designated the district engineer, but the distribution of the water is under the jurisdiction of the commissioners. The zoning of private property as to height of building, use of building, area of ground to be built upon, is handled by a zoning commission, of which the three commissioners are members and, in addition thereto, the Architect of the Capitol and the Director of the National Park Service.

The justices of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia and the judges of the police, municipal, and juvenile courts are appointed by the President, as is also the recorder of deeds.

The National Capital Park and Planning Commission has been created by Congress to advise the commissioners as to the planning of the city in laying out new and changing old highways. This commission purchases all land for parks and playgrounds. The land so purchased for parks is placed under the Department of the Interior and the land for playgrounds under the commissioners.

All expenditures for municipal purposes, including the schools, parks, water supply, land purchases, etc., are appropriated by Congress annually, and are based upon estimates submitted by the heads of the District government and the other officials hereinbefore named.