Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-03
The Keyboard of the Nation.

There Is nothing particularly surprising
in the proposition that the Knights Templar
or the country establish headquarters for
that great organization at this city. The
wonder is that this very appropriate action
was not taken long ago. 1t Is one part Of
a great movement that has been in progress
with more and more force during the past
few seasons, having for its ultimate point
the making OF Washington the headquar-
tiers and convention city of the country.
There is no city better suited to such a
role than the national capital. Its broad
streets make it easy for enormous crowds
to be handled without danger or discom-
fort. The hotel accommodations of the city
are sufficient for gatherings that might
easily tax the resources of almost any
other community. The population is of a
character that most readily welcomes such
fn-comings of guests. The government is
good and the streets are safe. The police
regulations are such as to reduce to a
minimum the danger of accidents in times
of great crowding. For conventions Wash
ington has no real rival in the land AS the
place for the establishment of headquarters
of national organizations it has peculiar
advantages. The presence here of Con-
gress and the other departments of the
national government make it the center
of the attention of most citizens, and the
day is not far distant when Washington
will be the home of the chief officers of
nearly every important association of men
and women in America Already the
Knights of Labor are here to stay, and
soon the Federation of Labor, 1t is conf
IDENTIFY expected. will follow this excellent
example. Now the knights Templar think
of settling down with central offices under
the shadow of the dcme. Presently others
will fall In line, as the appropriateness of
this city as the keyboard of the nation be-
comes more and more manifest.
Some day the scales will fall from the
eyes of the politicians and they will see
the great advantages of bringing here the
national conventions for the nomination of
presidential candidates. The country grows
smaller geographically as it grows larger
in wealth. The bounding coasts are closer
together today than they were ten years
ago. 1t is one of the most important of
all the phenomena connected with the de-
Velopment of an enormous nation that space
becomes less and less Of consideration as
the resources of the country are utilized
more and more fully, and row that the
railroads are binding every nook and cor
ner of the United States into one close and
homogeneous whole the old-time objection
to national gatherings at Washington that
the city is too far eastward has lost it's
force. And the day is near at hand when
the east and the west shall be even closer
in point of time and real distance-that
distance that is n ensured by the difficulty
of conquering it-and Washington will be
even moro nearly the center of the coun-
try. 1t is the duty of all citizens of the
capital to labor hard and unrerlittingly in
the direction of bringing to Washington
the great national bodies, for with every
convention held here and every headquar-
tiers established in this vicinity the ancient
bugaboo of removal of the seat of gov
eminent to some far western town will
fade further and further into the dimness
of impoSsibility.