Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1890-02-04
MOUNT VERNON AVENUE.
The Birth Right Going for Mess of
POttage

Pottage
To The Editor Of The Alexandria Gazette:
was glad to sec in your last issue an ez-
preston of your opinion ngaias. the contem
plated change in The charter OF the Mt. Yer
non avenue, by which the line Of that road
may be laid mile or more west of tae city
nalead Of through Washington stTest. L
doubt not the sentiment of nine.tsn5hs OF
the Uhabtents OF your city if it could be
known @ould be found in accordance with
your own view of ths matter.
Oaly few OF the many of them With
whom have talked or the subject have
expressed en adverse opinion. One o. these
| few urged as reason in favCr OF the change
.! the iine-"that removing it so far awsy
| you'd niuse new life into the old town aud
that it would grow rapidly cut to meet the
avenue. AS we'll, think, might it be urged,
that the removal OF the Potomac, if possible,
| ? mio eastward Of The present dock liae
would give o great boom to city improve
| ;cens IN that direction Mr.. Fisher, ID the
common council, struck the key nole Of the
real issue of the controversy when be said
hat the avenue if run 50 far west Of the
town would furnish fine road to Washing
| ton and take of the trade which now comes
| here in wagons to the extent of 100000
year"
Il was my privilege to be present with
and 10 share in the spontaneous enthusiasm
of the large sssemblage of the citizsns of Al
exandria, and its vicinity, in the Opera
House al the Inauguration Of the Washing
ton and Mount Vernon avenue projecf.
| That was over two years ago, and it did
saen then, judging from the earnestness
manifested by ell persons present, that
tie beginning, at least, of the construc.
ION of the road would be one of the
realities Of very near future. But the OBJ
stacles in the way of the enterprise have
| oeen many and 81 times amcst utterly dis
| c0uIaging to lis true friends.
TIE death of The first president Of the las
s1ciationn was g calamity which has seri-
ously affected ita aims and prospects through
ths long time VIC have all bean waiting for
the dawning of success. In his plain COM
mon sense, his excellent business capabi-
ties Gs we'll ae his integrity against the in-
fuences OF merely speculative interests, our
people had confdence, and [ believe II ne
nGd lived eli would have gone we'll under
| his wise direction and that Huhstential and
! satisfactory progress would have been made
| IN the enterprise.
! OF one thing, feel quite sure, from many
| iaterviewsI had with him on the subject, that
| ne never would nave consented TO
such On unwarranted petveTson of one Of
! the most prominent ideas set forth aud
unsDimoualy endorsed 81 he first meeting,
as has been for some time contemplated and
is now in process Of aCcOmp pliShme9t. Need
| / say that I allude to tha design OF aban-
| duuing Washington street as section OF
| the avenue? With John B. Smoct, SO with
the entire assemblGga al The fret meeting,
| Judging from the drift OF sentiment publicly
and privately expressed there, that direction
Of the prospective route was evidently
| forepoue conclusion and g sine qua non OF
The whole business under consideration.
Apd when the charter vas prepared it was
SO recognized, named and specified in that
| Instrument and for long time nobody
@bo was working in good faith for the
measure over contemplated DythiDg differ
eni. But how is it now? A new charter
has been prepared, in many particulars
ignoring the clauses of the original granted
by the Legislature and particularly that
clause making Washington street section
of the road-bed, and granting authority also
TO change the entire line to at least a mile
beyond the city limits, thus ignoring the
claims of the old town aud leaving it out IN
the cold altogether.
The reason OF this unw;se and Gnwar.
ranted change in the programme 10 SO ap'.
parent to every thinking man that no one
ought to wonder if Congress, wnen the bill
comes up before it asking for the necessary
appropriations for construction, halts and
makes long delay, until all the merits of
the important case are fully canvassed and
considered before con- mittiog Itself to so
large en- expenditure as is required for the
work. It was not SO difficult matter 10
secure an appropriation Of ten thousand
dollars for preliminary survey, but when
swo hundred times that amount SHALL be
asked for, mem bsrs will be cautious. Nat
urally they will want TO know all ebout the
intervening lay Of the land, the directions
Of the line OF the road, and all The deternin'
Ing circumstances Of the enterprise. And
particularly will they want TO know, how
neatly il will conform TO the origine ard
all important idea of Being an exclusively
memorial project. and certainly they will in-
nuire if sOeculators are interested il it or if
it in voves any Doodle The time has gone
bv for echemes Involving the abstraction of
milions of the peoples money 10 be rushed
through Congress in hurry.
There are now TOO many objeotoTs Of the
Holman type to make objections and effect
sufficient delay for full consideration
/ of the proptiety OF an appropriation !;
and before ever there shall be vote
taken, doubtless committee OF mem
bers will be appointed to leisurels
go over the entire grounds and to see for
themselves not only all the natural possioil
ities for construction, but also to inquire into
all the determining questions of Local fitness
in q memorial point of view. And this lat
ter consideration constrains me to say thst
Alexandria was emphatically Gsn. Wash
lpgton's town. He had ever an abiding in.
teress in its growth and prosperity and it
contains many objects which are intimately
associated with and which remind us OF his
honoring presence and perpetuate fosc re-,
membranes of him. Here be attended
uorsh;n in the fine old colonial church. still