The age-herald., 1899-08-27
Mckinley Will Not Hamper With
 Porto Rican Affairs.
HE WILL WAIT ON CONGRESS
Injustice Being Done to President Me- Kinley and Attorney General Griggs in Garter Case Race Troubles
 Incree sed by Southern Press

Washington, August s.-(special.)-Al- though the thermometer last Sunday was way above 90 degrees in the shade, Secre- tary Root, accompanied by Adjutant Gen. eral Corbin made a tour of investigation of the country between Washington and Mount Vernon. The secretary had an ob- ject in doing this, because he is going to make a very important recommendation in his first report to congress of something not only of interest to Washington and Virginia, but to the whole country. He is going to endorse and strongly advocate the erection of the Memorial Bridge from Washington across the Potomac to Vir- ginia and the construction of a magnificent boulevard from the Virginia end of the bridge to Mount Vernon. This great proj- ect comes under the direction of the war department and although the secretary has been at the head of the department but a few weeks he has found time between his exacting duties in connection with the Philippines, Porto Rico and Cuba, and the new army, to give this question thoughtful and serious attention.
 Long Been Advocated
 A memorial bridge has long been advo- cated before congress and bills have been introduced to construct such structures; but it was only in the last congress that consent was obtained for the war depart ment to make a survey and get estimates as to the cost of the bridge. The engineers of the war department have been at work for some time and the results of their work will be sent to congress by the secretary in his report.
 While the subject of the Memorial bridge is perhaps an old one that of constructing magnificent boulevard from the bridge to Mount Vernon is comparatively a new one It was Adjutant General Corbin who first conceived this idea of uniting the home of the first president with the home of presi- dents by a boulevard, as is not equalled in the world. This great roadway would run past Arlington. down along the historic Potomac to the very entrance of Mount Vernon, and could be made such a thing of beauty and such a national project as to arouse the rivalry and interest of every state in the union.
 It Is proposed to make this great boule- yard a memorial of two wars, the civil war and the Spanish war. There could be no objection to this from the south, for the boulevard would be dotted with arches and statues of southern as well as northern heroes. There are thirteen miles between Washington and Mount Vernon, and the project contemplates that each of these be marked by some statue or arch repre- eenting each of the thirteen original states, the states themselves saying who shall be carved into stone or placed on the arch It is suggested that these statues or arches shall be the mile-stones, each state to be allowed to erect its milestone according to its own taste. Between the mile-stones other states and territories will be privi- legged to erect monuments to its dead in either the civil or Spanish war. The mile- stones themselves can be ercted in honor of revolutionary heroes if the states erecting them so desire The original plans of the bridge comprise scheme to have two fed eral generals on the approach of the bridge on the Washington side, and Lee and Jack son on the Virginia side. The possibilities of such an undertaking is almost mex haustible and once the states begin to show interest in the matter 1t would not take long to realize the dream of Corbin and to carry out the recommendations of Secre- tary Root
 The secretary's Suggestion
 The secretary, in looking over the ground last Sunday, suggested that 1t would be a good plan to plant along the borders of the boulevard in four rows, separating the driveways from the sidewalks or possibly wheeling paths every tree indigenous to the United States. This would be entirely practical, because in this climate every tree found in the United States and per haps many in the colonies, would grow and survive if planted along the boulevard. Thus the pine of Maine, the buckeye of Ohio, the sycamore of the Wabash, the elm of New England, the palmetto of Florida, the red wood of California, the live oak of Georgia, the poplar of Kentucky, the spruce, the maple. the walnut, the hickory and all the other trees of the forty-five states would be brought together and grow. in harmony like the states they represent, be- sides being an object lesson of the forests of the country. The design of the boule- yard would be similar to the great boule- ward designed by the Empress Charlotta in Mexico which runs the distance of seven miles from Mexico City to Cheputepec, the presidential castle of the City of Mexico.
 The great national feature of the enter