Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-08-30
SITE FOR THE FAIR.

View from Washington Monument.]
For my part | cannot see that the presence
of the federal power in itself adds anything
TO the attractions of Washington. If incl
dentally it be desired to show visitors from
abroad something of our political system, our
popular self government, this is poor place
to which to invite them. Politically Wash
ington is the most un-American city in the
United States. It is not American at all, for
it is not a free city. Its citizens are merely
counted in the census returns and enumerated
in the tax rolls. They have no votes, are no
sovereigns. They are vassals, and vassalage
is not what Europeans, Asiatics, Australia
SLAMS, Africans and South Americans will
come to the United States to see Probably
one-half the foreigners who should come here
to a worlds fair would 60 home struggling
their shoulders and calculating: "a govern
nent of the people, indeed! Why, the cities
of America are ruled by congress, and con-
gress is elected by the agriculturists and
backwoodsrnen." The Worlds fair would be
miserable failure as an educator if. it were
to lead many visitors from abroad into the
error Of thinking Washington a typical
American city in political sense
Perhaps too much Importance is az ched
To the duty we owe to the visitor rom
abroad. We like to be hospitable, of course,
and all that, but the visitor from abroad will
drop about fifty cents into the box office of
the Worlds fair while the visitor from home
is dropping two or three hundred dollars.
Still, us long as some visitors are to come
from across the borders and the waters, we
should, if possible, contrive to show them the
things they really want to see. 'One of these
things, take it, perhaps the chiefest of them,
is the American sovereign in his great act of
ruling the country. The visitor will come
here yearning for an introduction to Mr..
Popular Self Government. A ward election
will interest him. A national campaign,
with it's fireworks, umbrellas, red lanterns,
speeches, ETC., will delight him. Without a
glimpse at one of our campaigns and one of
our presidential elections, the guest from
abroad will think himself cheated.
Washington has better claims upon the fair
than her federal yassalage. Chief of her ad-
vantages is an admirable site New York
would have to ask her visitors to travel
across Harlem river into Westchester county,
eight or ten miles from the center of the city.
Chicago has pretty lake front park, within
easy walking distance of all hotels and rail-
way stations. but this probably is much too
small. Where st. Louis would put the fair,
should it chance to get it, nobody seems to
know But here in Washington thanks to
the genius which designed the city-is one of
the prettiest sites imaginable for an interna-
tinllal exhibition. 1t is known as the Mall, a
park which stretches from the shores of the
Potomac at the Washington monument to
the gates Of the Capitol.
The illustrations given herewith afford
some idea OF the nature of this ground,
which has been beautified in the best Style
of the landscape art. In area this park COM
prises some 800 acres. If more room were
needed it could be had hard by. The part of
Fairmount park, Philadelphia, inclosed for
the purposes of the centennial exhibition
comprised 226 acres, and it will thus be seen
that the mall has space enough, though per-
haps no more than enough.
The mall is already beautiful 1t lies in
the heart Of the city. That great national
thoroughfare, Pennsy ylvania avenue, stretches
along one side of it. Street cars intersect,
skirt and surround it. The Pennsylvania
railway has its tracks and station within the
grounds. The hotels. business establishments,
public buildings and the other railway sta
ton are within walking distance.