The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-10

Square site is now not near far enough vest
or far enough north to be The territorial
centre of the Philadelphia of to-day, but it
much more nearly to the centre
than Washington Square, while it bids fair to
become, few years hence che centre of
population, and to continue for many gene
rations the grand centre of local travel.
Since the voters of Philadelphia
are to determine the site of the public build
ipgs at the ballot-box tomorrow, nothing
will rebound more to their credit than de-
cision in favor of the locality which is 80
strongly commended by the appropriateness
indicated in the original plan of Philadel-
phis, inspired by a dispassionate study of
the wants of the present and clearly evident
to all who consider for a moment the probable
wants of the future.
Another consideration-that of architectu-
raj effect-should be carefully weighed by the
taxpayers, upon whom the burden of the cost
of constructing the proposed new buildings
must fall. We want edidces that will not
only be we'll adapted to their purposes but
that will be an ornament to Philadelphia. 1t
is folly to erect splendid structures where
they will rarely greet the eyes of strangers,
and where their whole effect will be lost by
the multiplicity of adjacent buildings. Broad
street has by common consent been chosen
for the display of the ornamental architecture
of the city, and every Philadelphian looks
forward to the time when it will become the
most splendid avenue in the world. The
whole body of taxpayers should insist that
their money must be incidentally devoted to
the work of decorating this grand thorough
fare. If any thousand or ten thousand of
them, residing in various quarters of the city,
united together to build fine hall, temple,
church, or academy, they would not think for
one moment of squandering their me ms in
such a locality as Seventh and Walnut streets.
nor hesitate an instant about adopting Broad
street as their site if they could procure an
appropriate lot; and the whole immunity,
acting in mass, should, for the common good.
be governed by the same course of reasoning
and arrive at the same conclusion.
By selecting Penn Square the legal diff ,ul-
ties, disputes, and postponements which are
inevitable in case majority of voters decide
in favor of Washington Square will be
avoided. There will be no necessity for dig
giDg up the bones of thousands of Revolution
ary soldiers, for violating the graves of mum
berless strangers, for setting at nsught the
injunctions of William Penn, for. outraging
the sense of justice which peryades the minds
of unprejudiced and uninterested men, and
for infictipg permanent wrong upon pos
terity for the temporary enrichment of few
property owners of the present day.
On Penn Square there will be plenty of
room, plenty of light, plenty of air, and com
modious surroundings. The wide streets
will diminish the danger Of sitting judges
and juries, and the necessity for lighting gas
in some of the offices at all hours of the day.
The Building Commission has officially an
nounced that no definite plan for the pro-
posed edifices has yet been adopted, bu! the
character of the gentlemen composing it
furnishes sure guarantee that if the Penn
Square site is selected its great natural ad-
vantages will be effectively utilized, and
that no pains will be spared to render the
new buildings in every respect creditable and
satisfactory to the citizens of Philadelphia.