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Show WASHINGTON AS A FINANCIER. Hon. William U. Hensel of Pennsylvania delivered deliv-ered an address at Lehigh University on "Washington's "Washing-ton's Birthday. In the course of his address he said: "Washington inherited an estate, he acquired more by marriage, he accumulated some by . foresight, fore-sight, he increased it by speculation and by industry, and it was greatly enlarged by the adventitious rise of values. He died the richest citizen of the United States. He was never ashamed of it." It is true that old George looked to the main chance. One afternoon Congress passed a resolution that the seat of the Government of the United States should be at Annapolis. Then Congress adjourned for the day. Old George was busy that night The next morning Congress reconsidered the resolution, and fixed the capital on the banks of the Potomac, on land owned by George Washington. Then he sold land reasonably cheap down in the valley, he put such prices on the high lands that people could not afford to invest and that was why Washington was originally built in the swamp. But the estate made him very wealthy. He believed in the unearned increment in-crement when it was coming his way, and yet, in doing that he only did what he did when he was in command of the army of the United States and was in a close place; he made the best terms that he could out of the conditions around him. He picked up that half naked and desperate army on a cold night, fought the battle of Trenton next morning, made the Hessians howl "Murder," then he went on and fought Princeton, and changed the whole face of the war. And, for this and kindred services he earned the Tight to sell his land at the highest market price. If he had gotten ten times as much he never could have got even for' the services rendered his country, and he would still have stood "First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen. " |