Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-11
THE PUBLIC PARKS.
The Popular Objections to Placing
Buildings on Them.

The proposal to locate the government
printing office in some public reservation
has called out expressions of disapproval
very generally from citizens. Mr.. B. F.
Atherton, writing to The Star, says: 1.-The
citizens of Washington certainly owe to
your paper an Unreasonable gratitude for
its strong editorial few days since against
any further occupancy of our beautiful
parks by public buildings. II Congress
were to consider the equities of the case 1t
is improbable that it would consent to be
the medium of perpetrating such base
discourtesy, not to say injustice, upon the
residents of our national capital by restrict
ing in any degree the benefits accruing from
reservations which have been set apart spe-
officially for its establishment.
'Short-sighted economy does not convey
anything like an adequate censure. 1t is
downright disrespect for our rights and
most shameful disregard of the ex-
pectations of the residents as to the city's
future dignity and attractiveness.
"Why not, then, resort to united protest?
VIII not that influential and representative
body the Washington Board of Trade. take
the matter under consideration and forward
to Congress appropriate resolutions, protest
ing against the selection of any of our pub
lie reservations as the site for the govern
ment printing office?
1T may be that in the multitude of duties
in the interest of their own districts Con-
gress does not fully apprehend the senu-
ment which exists against the course they
have already inaugurated.
Some Economical suggestions.
Another correspondent writes the follow
ing: 1.-The House of Representatives has de-
cided that the government cannot afford to
purchase a site for a new government print
ing office. and has ordered committee to
select site for the proposed new building.
1 beg to suggest Lafayette Square for the
purpose. 1t Is a convenient location, near
the residences of many of the Congressman.
annie
building and also furnish space enough Tor
stables for the use of the office: The ground
upon which the present office building
stands could be Sold and the old material
In the present building could be used in the
new one. To still further economize, and
for the purpose of raising revenue for the
support of the government, the agricultural.
monument and other suitable grounds might
be rented for truck gardens. The botanical
gardens to some enterprising florist. the
Geological Park to an experienced menag-
erial man Qimiting the admission fee to
% cents in the contracD; the flats leased to
railroad corporations or the sugar trust
for refinery; the woodland in the National
Park cut and sold for cordwood. and the
celebrated stone quarries and gold mines
therein worked by hiring convict labor from
some of the states which are in that bus
mess, for economy and reform. By thus
utilizing every source of revenue several
hundred dollars could be raised for the
support of the government"
Garfield Park as a Site.
Mr.. NJ. 1. Weller has written a letter to
Mr. Bankhead, chairman Of the House COM
mittee on public buildings and grounds. to
refute the objection to locating the govern
ment printing Office there because of ma
laria. Mr.. Weller says: while / am per-
sonally opposed to the use of our public
parks for building purposes. IL is neverthe-
less true that Garfield Park, or reservation
IL, was originally intended to be utilized as
the site for our city hall, 1t having been
designated on all the old maps as the Town
Hall Square," which building was to be
erected on that portion of the reservation
fronting on I'D street east and bounded by
South Carolina avenue and Virginia avenue
This location was selected for that purpose
by Maj. L'Enfant and approved by Presi-
dent George Washington. Another fact
wish to- emphasize. and that is in respect to
its elevation, which ranges from fifty-two
to sixty-two feet above high tide, whereas
the site of the present government printing
Office Is only from twenty-five to twenty
seven feet. SO its transfer to Garfield Park
would be an ideal one. judging IL from a
sanitary standpoint. AS far as the char
acter Of Its foundation is concerned. an ex-
cavation will prove that It is one vast gravel
bank"