Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-06-06
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.


This morning | thought / would
take birds-eye view Of Washington
in her summer dress, and, instead of
writing you a political news letter,
tell you something about how the Cap
ital of your country looks on the first
Of June after a week Of rain I am
writing from the top Of the Washing
ton Monument, at am elevation OF 500
feet. The city is spread out before
me like chess board in which the
church spires are bishops, the eques-
TRAN statues, knights, the huge depart
ment building, castles, and the palaces
OF millionaire senators-but ! have
stretched this poor simile far enough.
The prevailing color is green. Lafay-
cite Park, Franklin and Judiciary
squares, the extensive lawns of the
White House, the Smithsonian and
Agricultural grounds have a bright
emerald freshness. The many thous-
ands of trees that now reach the house
tops give the appearance of a city
planted in a young forest. From this
height one can get much better gen.
eral view of the improvements that
are in progress, than by driving over
the city. The visable public improve
ments are confined mainly to the Pc.
tomac flats the Pension Office, the new
State Department and the Capitol. 1t
has long been an objection to the Cap
itol that it was squatty or stumpy IN
its architecture, and that the dome was
entirely to high and imposing for such
a fiat pile of buildings as are the
House and Senate wings. To build
the Capitol over again when it had
already cost about $15,OoOO00 was too
extravagant an undertaking even for
this country. To build the Senate
and House wings higher was not de-
sirable, for taken by themselves they
are INTELLECTUALLY perfect both in
proportion and in detail. So, instead
of building the Capitol higher it has
been decided to increase its height by
building it lower The west front of
the Capitol is surrounded by a sodded
terrace This is to be removed and a
white marble lower story is to be
added to it. The work has been be-
gun and its effect may be judged now.
1t will add greatly to the height OF
the Capitol, and thus decrease the rel
alive heighth of the dome, taking away
the unpleasant appearance of dispro-
portion.
The vast new park that has been
made by dredging the bottom of the
Potomac and depositlng the mud on
the bordering swamps may be seen in
outline from the monument. Two or
three years will elapse before the work
can be completed, and it will add sev-
eral hundred acres to the public
grounds of the Capitol, which when
improved by the art of the landscape
tiveness of its envlrons.
The new pension building viii soon
be finished and occupied by Pension
Commissioner Gen. Black and his
army of Clerks 1t will be the most
commodious and most convenient of
the department buildings of Washing
ton. The ventilation will be perfect,
for every room will have windows on
opposite sides communicating with
the outside air.
Apropos OF the public buildings and
improvements of the national Capital,
it has been said that the Democratic
party was not favorable to them, and
that the wonderful progress of the
city would now come to stand still.
1t should be remembered however,
that nearly all the solid architectural
improvement of the city was begun
and accomplished under Democratic
auspices, and before the Republicans
came into power. The Capital, the
Post Office department, the Patent
Office, and the U. S. Treasury were
built before the Presidency of Abra-
ham Lincoln. The Republicans have,
with a great outlay of public funds,
made new streets and parks and cree
ted bronze equestrian statues to many
generals of the late war. But what
they have done will not compare in
usefulness, solidity, or endurance with
what the Democrats did before them.
Those who are most interested have
faith in Democratic patriotism and
national spirit. Real estate owners
are asking and getting more for their
grounds than at any previous time in
the history of the city.
Washington June ], 1885,