The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-09-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, is


4 refreshing GOODNESS IN the air; in
creased activity about the hotels and on
the streets; rearpearance of familiar
but long absent sfaces i'll churches and
in theatres are indications that the sea-
son at Saratoga, the White Sulphur and
Newport is over. and that the season at
Washington is about to begin.
When the capital of the United States
was village, and the government a
loose jointed federation, the season at
Washington was synchrOnous with the
congressional session. But now the
United States has risen to the place of
primacy among nations, not as mill
tary power, but in population and in
wealth. The capital has grown TO be a
great and beautiful city, and each year
the res gestae and res dictae at Wash
ington, whether social or political,
grows in importance and are read with
increased Interest by an increased pop
ulation, the most intelligent in the
world. What will the combined mere
ment, population, wealth, intelligence,
be in another hundred years? The
thought Is staggering like the fathom-
less and the infinite. One hundred
years ago we were an amorphous stir
ing OF weak sea coast colonies roughly
estimated at 100000 Now we have
60,OO0,C0O with wealth and resources
inca!cura5le, n great empire whose
eastern and western boundaries are
oceans. It is too much to predict that
in hundred years our northern and
southern boundaries will be the Arctic
ocean and the DeLesseps canal? or
shsll we say Terra del Fuego for the
southern boundary, with an electric
railway running from Hudson BAY to
@ h, To-
seem more extlayagant than the re
Prospect for the last hundred years is
wonderful.
There is to be centennial, cOnltitu-
tional and presidential celebration in
Washington in tewsyears and the es-
adjustment of permanent exposition
OF tie products and resources OF the
various states and territories. Other
cities, OF course, are contending tor the
honor, and insisting that their corpora
ton limits shall be the locus of the Ma
tiOnal Exposition. But it is not intend
ed 10 have any more Philadelphia pro-
vincjaliSm in our national celebration.
The capital OF the United States is
Washington. French national celebra-
tons are not held at Cherbourg, nor
British national eXpOsitiens at Bir-
minpham. We have no reason to be
ashamed OF the national capital, for
aside from its being the cleanest and
most beautiful city in the world, it is
especially adapted for pageantry and
entertainment. More people have sis
tcrs, cousins, aunts and other relatives
in Washington than in any other city
OF the union. They are here in public
service from every state and territory.
The visitor to the exposition will be in
AirqaE la oil
or friend who will entertain him or di-
rect him to place OF entertainment.
Half the houses OF Washington are
boarding houses and halt the popula-
ton have been boarding. house keepers.
In short, here Is 4 bureau of Informal
ton and a city of expAnsible boarding
houses ready to hand, Washington to-
day can and does entertain a larger
transient pOpul alton than Philadelphia.
Then there is much more that is histor-
ic and worth seeing in Washington
than in Philadelphia. Besides the
building in which the continental
congress was held and the lib
erty bell, l do not remem Der anything
that patriotic visitor would care to
see in Philadelphia. Here are monu-
ments and colossal statues commemora-
tive of the illustrious dead and of every
epoch ia orr eventful history. Here
are public buildings, museums, the
COrcoran art gallery, the white house
and the capitol; the national Botanical
gardens and the agricultural depart
ment, comprising, before dollar is eX-
pended, such an exposition as no other
city in this hemisphere could produce,
even at an expense OF 20,0O0,0O0. But
perhaps the strongest claim of WASH
ington is the fact that here, right in the
midst OF the city, in sight OF all these
commemorative and architectural mon
uments, and in easy walking distance,
is a great unOccupied plain of three
hundred acres for the temporary or
permanent buildings OF the information
al exposition, This plain is on the
banks of the Potomac, and no exposi-
ton in this history OF the world has
had.a site SO perfect and so ACCESSIBLE,