National Republican., 1886-10-26
ILLOGICAL AND UNTRUE.
The Reasons for Opposing the Extei

The Reasons for Opposing the Exten-
sion of Massachusetts, Avenue.
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN: 1t is un.
questionable that the action Of the commits
sioners in regard to the proposed extension
Of Massachusetts avenue has not met with
much favor, so far as the Washington press
may be considered as a fair exponent OF
public sentiment, and the sole reason as.
signed, so far as | can observe, is that the
improvement would be of enormous benefit
to large tract of private property.
This reasoning Is emintntly Illogical, as
1t would seem the obvious duty of the com
missioners to expend the funds at their dis.
posal for the extension Of streets aud aven-
ues in such way us to yield the quickest
and largest returns In the way Uf increase
assessments for taxation. Large sums Of
money raised by taxation have been eN.
| pended IN extending and paving Seventh
| aid Fourteenth streets with the result of
| greatly increasing the values OF property on
| the line Of those thoroughGares aud bring.
| ing increased revenues to the District treas
| ury. Other shorter streets have been
| opened and built from the public funds
| with the like result of the Improvement
| Of abuttiug property aud the swelling of
| public revenue. II has been said, however,
| that the proposed extension leads to no.
where. This is both illogical aud untrue.
| Where does the Fourteenth street road lead
| to? or the Seventh street road or any
| other improved thoroughfare out of Wash
ington? But these improvements are all
| on the east side Of Rock creek To all that
beautiful tract of suburban country lying
| Immediately north OF Georgetown there is
no approach from Washington save through
the narrow aud ill-paved streets of east
Georgetown. BY examining Topographic
cal map of the District 1t will be
seen that Massachusetts avenue eX-
tended as proposed will open up mag
niiieent drive directly by the new national
observatory, connecting by short cut the
most beautiful and fashionable corner of
Washington with the TcnallvtOwn road
(the one great public road leading into
Georgetown), through suburbs more pic
turesque aud beautiful than are to be found
elsewhere in the whole District.
In answer to all this we have the true
g.inthe.manger snarl that spectators
have bought up property in that neighbor.
hood for the nefarious purpose OF prohting
by its rapid increase in value, and that con-
sequently they ought to pay for the in-
prOvtment. Did any other property.hold-
ers ever pay for such improvement other
wise than Ivy increased taSutiJnY | think
not. If the commissioners should desire TO
use the money at their disposal in extend
ing avenues which would meet the re-
quirements of sore-headed grumblers
by not improving adjacent private
property, let them extend Virginia
avenue or Maryland avenue into the swamps
of the Eastern branch and their end would
be attained; but Washington people look
with illfavor on all moneys spent west Of
Rock creek, where we have neither parks,
reservations, public buildings, statues, ol
fountains, and though we have been
promised this improvement for years,
and it was, indeed, one of the
works contemplated by the original par
of the board of public works. we have
waited till hope deferred made the hear
sick. No sooner do the commissioners TAX,
a step looking to the Initiation Of the pla,
, than a cry is raised that somebody is goin,
to make money by increase of values. b.