Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1885-06-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON June ]. lSSj.


take birds eve view Of Washington
in her summer dress, and, instead
Of writing you political news letter
tell you something about how the
Capital of your country looks on the
first of June after q week of rain.
am writing from the top Of the
Washington Monument, AZ au ele-
walton of 500 feet. The city is
spread out below me like d chess
hoard in which the church spires are
bishops, the equestrian statues,
knights, the huge department build
ings, castles, and the palaces of the
,nillionare senators-but 1 have
stretched this poor simile far enough
The prevailing color is green, La
fayette Park, Franklin and Judiciary
squares, the extensive Lawns of tbs
White House, the Smithsonian and
Agricultural grounds have a bright
emerald freshness. The many thou
sands Of trees that now reach the
house tops give the appearance of a
city planted ina young forest. From
this height one can get much bet
ter general view of the improvements
that are IN progress, than by driving
over the city. The visible public
improvements are confined mainly
to the Potomac flats, the Pension
Office, the new State Department and
the Capitol. 1t has long been an Oh
lection to the Capitol that it was
squatty or stumpy in its architecture,
and that the dome was entirely too
high and imposing for such flat
pile OF buildings as are the House
and Senate wings. To build the
Capitol over again when it had
already cost about $15,OOO,OOO was
too extravagant an undertaking even
fort this country. To build the SEN
ate and House wings higher was not
desirable, for taken by themselves
they are al chitscturally perfect both
10 proportion and in detail. So, in
stead Of building the Capitol higher
1t has been decided to increase its
highth by builling it lower. The
west front of the Capitol is surround
ed by sodded terrace. This is to
be removed and white marble low
er story is to be added to it. The
work has been begun and its effect
may be judged now. 1t will add
greatly to the highth of the Capitol,
and thus decrease the relative highth
of the dome, taking away the I'M
pleasant appearance of dispropor-
ton.
The vast new park that has been
made by dredging the bottom of the
Potomac and depositing 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, aud it will
add several hundred acres to the pub
lie grounds Of the Capitol, which
when improved by the art of the
landscape gardener will increase nc
little the attractiveness of its ell
virons.
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 con-
venient of the department buildings
of Washington. The ventilation
win be perfect, for every room vii
have windows on opposite sides
communicating with the outside air
Apropos of the public buildings
and improvements of the natiOna
Capitol, it has been said that the
Democratic party was not favorable
to them, and that the wonderful pro-
gress of the city would now come Il
a stand still. 1t should be remem'
bered however, that nearly all the
solid architectural improvement Of
the city was begun aud accomplishee
under Democratic auspices, aud Be-
fore the Republicans came into pow
er. The Capitol, the Post Office De
partment, the Patent Office, and thu
U. S. Treasury were built before thu
presidency OF Abraham Lincoln
The Republicans have, with a grea
outlay Vt public funds made new
streets aud parks and erected bronze