 As a solution, Shepherd and his allies began agitation for the abolition of the elected governments of Washington City and Georgetown, as well as the appointed justices of the peace for Washington County, to be replaced with a unified territorial government that would administer the entire District of Columbia.The Shepherd machine was easily able to sway popular support in favor of the notion.In the following year, 1871, Shepherd was able to convince Congress to pass a bill that established the territorial government he desired.