St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-12-09

ground for five cents square foot;
and that property is better for homes
than the huddled places within the city
limits. Those heights overlook the en-.
tire city, and families living there car
-njoy the scenery of the city, at nigh
as Well as by day; and they can come
to town to church, theater, opera and
other places of devotion or attraction
quickly, comfortably and conveniently
/ can see no reason why people should
pay big prices for city property when
they can get suburban property so rea
sonably, and yet be practically within
the city,"
These statements clearly outline the
growth of the capital city, for the i'm
mediate future. 1t might also be said
that there is an electric line running
along the heights north of the Poto
mac, giving beautiful views of that
river, for distance of ten miles; and
homes in that vicinity will be easy oi
access to the city and always attract
i've. This line runs to historic Cabin
John bridge, and the company is al
work extending the line to the great
falls of the Potomac, ten miles further
into Maryland. 1t is all farm land now
and is purchasable at acreage prices.
Projects are already before the con.
gress for the absorption of Alexandra
county, Va, into the District of Colum'
bia. The people desire readmission tc
the district because half of the ex.
penses of the government of the Dis
trict of Columbia are borne by the gen.
eral government, and consequently all
taxes are lower. This fact alone in.
duces the people across the river on
the Virginia side to seek the reestab.
lishment of their property as part OF
the district. Consequently in the near
future the original ten miles square OF
the district will be established.
Thus the growth of the national cap
ital viii continue, and contiguous ter,
ritory win be settled by home builders
and real estate values within our pres.
ent boundaries will remain practically
at a standstill.
Referring to the electric lines which
have wrought such changes in condi
tions, it should be said that the lines
built and the lines now building are all
of the underground trolley style. Not
a single overhead trolley is permitted
in this city. 1t costs considerable
money to make the underground con
duits, but they are effective and per.
manent. There were many contests
before the congress for several years,
but each succeeding congress deter
mined that no overhead trolleys should
mar the beauty of the city; and finally
the congress mandatorily settled the
question by compelling all companies
to adopt the underground system.
Outside of the district, however, the
overhead trolleys are used. One of
these lines is being extended to Balti-
more, and the newspapers of that city
are referring to the national capital
as "a suburb of Baltimore
This reminds one of the fact that
for many years large numbers of the |
government clerks have lived in Balti- |
more, coming here daily on commuta-
ton tickets, because they could pay
railroad transportation and yet bTe
more eheaply in Baltimore than here,
because rents and ether living ex-
penses were so much less. These rapid |
transit lines will bring many of them
back to Washington, because they can |
build homes for themselves practically |
within the city, on the heights newly
opened to substantial settlement.
SMITH D. FRY,