The herald., 1897-01-22
PROMENADE OF STATESMEN
1t May Well Be Called the Appian Way
OF Our Republic
Some of the People Met in a Morning
stroll Between the White House
and the Capitol.

for walk along Pennsylvania ave-
| nue. any fine day during a session of
congress will show him plenty of them.
Especially near the opening and closing
hours OF each days session, when the
legislators are hieing themselves capi-
tolward or returning to their haunts in
the fashionable northwest. is this An
plan way of our country thronged with
pedestrians and elegant equpages-
with the brains and beauty, the social
as we'll as the political leaders of Wash
lngton Not only Is Pennsylvania ave-
nue. at all times favorite driveway, but
the citizens have a habit of turning out
en- masse at certain hours and strolling
between the White House and the cap
ltol, When at every step Of the historic
mile you may meet men and women
whose names are household words
statesmen, multi-mllionares, geniuses
OF all sorts, shining lights in art, science
and literature.
THE HISTORIC AVENUE.
First, a word about this grandest
promenade in America. The streets of
Washington are of greater width, uni
formly than those of any other city in
the world, and though there are many
cities much larger than this of Mag
nificent Distances" not one has so much
asphalt pavement Washington's 2SO
miles of streets and avenues cover a
little more than 1850 acres (about two
thirds of its whole area), and are now
nearly all paved from end to end with
trinidad asphalt; never any dust, or
mud, or special crossings to bother
about but smooth as house floor and
kept as clean. 1t is impossible to crowd
them, except on very rare occasions and
then only two or three streets will be
temporarily cOngested. PENNSYLVANIA
avenue, the great central thoroughfare
Is four and one-half miles long and 16O
feet wide. Beginning at Rock Creek in
Georgetown-the oldest part of Wash
ington, which was once q separate VIII
lage-it runs past the state and treasury
departments, the White House and pres
ioents ground, Corcoran art gallery
and splendid new postoffice; past count
less parks and reservations, with their
fountains and statuary, through the en-
tire length of the best business quarter;
then winds up the hill surmounted by the
capitol and its beautiful grounds and
the most magnificent library building
IN the world, and on to it's terminus on
the banks of the Anacostia river.
ABOUT 100 years ago, shortly after the
seat of the United States government
was removed from Philadelphia to
washington, road was cut through the
aider pushes, from Georgetown to Can
ltol hill. 1t was made for the purpose
OF accommodating the procession incl
dent to the laying of the cornerstone of
the natlon's state house, and over it
passed George Washington, the central
figure of the occasion. in the full mar
aphernalia of his Masonic dignity, with
the other great men of the time This
was the beginning of what is now Penn
sylVania avenue, the most historical
street in the country.
THE PROMENADE OF STATESMEN
1t may well be called the Promenade of
statesmen Over it has passed to his
inauguration every president since
washington. Traditions and memories
mover around 1t of Jefferson and Jack |
son, Taylor, Webster, Clay, Lincoln. |
douglass and all the greatest men of the |
republic; the tramp of armies going to |
battle, and the grandest military review |
the world has ever seen, when Grant |
diseanded his victorious troops after
the fall of the Confederacy.
After a time the street was rudelv |
drained and provided with a walk on |
the north side, made from the clippings |
or stones employed in the construction of |
the new buildings. During Jefferson's |
administration it was laid out in three |
roadways from the capitol to the White !
House, like Inter den Linden, Berlin. |
and he personally superintended the |
P'e~AeiiitS VI iodl IOWS VI lLOlnDarQX nOD- |
lars along each curbstone and euui-dis- |!
tant down the middle. A quarter of a |
century later the south side was paved. |
put still the central driveway was deem |
IN clouds of dust all summer and in the |
winter and spring was full of mud holes. |
which often became axle deep. while |
the slde streets were almost impossible |
peos OF red clay, worked by hoofs and !
wheels into stiff mortar. John Randolph |
used to call Pennsylvania avenue "the |
great Shlrbonian bog" and discant upon |
the dangers Of a trip over it in the lum |
pering old stage coach, with seats on top. |
called the Royal George" which con-
veyed the legislators of those days from |
the Capitol to the Union hotel in George
Town, where most of them put up" 1t
is related that Daniel Webster and a |
friend once undertook to go to George
town In hackney coach, to attend a |
dinner party. Three times the We
hicle stuck in the mud on Pennsylvania
avenue, and the driver was compelled |
to carry his passengers, one by one, on |
his back to the sidewalk, where they !
sto9o until the empty carriage could be
pulled out. Webster was no light
weight and years afterwards he used |
to laugh about the incident and his fears |
that the driver would drop him in the |
mud and spoil his dress suit. About |
1S45 the avenue was graded and Mac |
Ada1nlZeo Dy ROBERT u. Lee, then a young |
officer in the army. The poplars were |
cut down; elms, naples and trees of |
heaven" were planted, and lamps set |
at intervals. Georgetown began to |
lose caste in the face of these glories. |
and the distinguished law makers DESERT |
ed her and took rooms over the shops |
that bOrdered the great WASHINGTON |
boulevard. 1t remained for Gov Shep- |
herd and Hallet Kilbourn, during the |
last twenty years or so, to inaugurate |
the radical improvements which have |
made Washington the most beautiful |
city in America, and it's streets the best |
in the world True, as George Parsons |
Lathrop says, 'The trail of the boss is |
over it all, but it is a picturesque trail |
and excellent in it's results" They |
whole blocks of buildings and |
graded to such enormous extent that |
some houses are left below the level of |
the new streets, so that their chimney |
tops just touch the sidewalks, while |
others look as if standing on stills. |
high and dry on banks of slip |
perry clay, to be reached by long. steep |
stairways, like unto the ladder of ia |
cob's dream. They also beautif1ed a /
thousand parks and reservations. large |
and small, and planted 100000 trees |
eims, tulips, buttonwood, cottonwood. |
ash, maple and negundo-which have |
hourished apace under judicious care: |
so that now, in whatever direction yo,I
look. long, wide vista, over-arched by /
trees on either SIDE, stretches beyond !