Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-18

| two organizations E. ]. Parker of Quincy,
! ILL.,. president of the first named body. in
! troduced resolution, which was unani-
| mously adopted providing for the appoint
ment of standing committee of five per-
sons to assist in promoting the project set
forth in the report of the park commission
and If the committee thought best to me-
morialiZe Congress behalf of the civic
| association At the suggestion of friends
| possibly on account of his having been
president of the American Park and Out
| door Association, MIR. Parker addressed the
| following letter to Representative j. g.
Cannon, Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentativeS:
Letter to Speaker Cannon.
''In your official position you readily
! assist In the promotion of public improve
| ments which will not only add to the pleas
| ure, education and patriotism of our own
| people, but attract and interest visitors
| from abroad.
Il refer particularly to the improvement
Of the city of Washington under the plans
Of the commission appointed by Congress,
namely: Daniel H. Burnham architect, OF
Chicago; Charles F. McKim, architect, or
New York: Frederick Law Olmsted, land
scape architect of Brookline, Mass; Au-
gustus Saint Gaudens, sculptor, Of Wind
sor, VT
Il have had occasion to go into this mat
Ter l1SuOr1caly, ana nave D6en pTOIOunQly
impressed with the foresight and sagacity
of President Washington in making pro-
vision for federal city. and one that
should be remarkable for it's grandeur and
beauty. George Washington was the first
American to value and employ the services
of a competent landscape architect and TO
anticipate the needs of the government and
| the future growth of the city of Washing
| ton. Later the original plans were some
what interfered with by succeeding admin
istrations.
II write with more than ordinary interest
in this connection. not only because many
years ago | became resident of Illinois,
amt have the honor of an acquaintance with
the Illnoisan to whom this letter Is adj
dressed: but for a more important reason
namely, that the names of IlinOisans will
| he forever associate ted with the city OF
Washington. We cannot speak of all of our
| Illinois statesmen. Presidents soldiers and
| sailors in the army and navy and other
| heroes who served in the ranks. What are
| our own lives in comparison with the life
| of city? We can. however, do one thing
| III our short lives. namely, assist in making
the federal city of the most beautiful
capitals in the world
Begun by Washington.
washington commenced his work for a
| federal city-and a very beautiful one-in
| times of small things. 1t was, as we now
! look at It. very small amount of money
| which secured for us the Louisiana pur-
| chase; yet the government could not then
| have made that purchase except with the
| assistance of Stephen Girard, one of the
| wealthiest citizens and bankers of his day.
| Today we attend an exposition in st. Louis,
where. within a few acres. the improve
uents and exhibits represent a cost vastly
| more than the purchase of the whole coun
| try between the Mississippi river and the
| Pacific ocean.
You know and we all know the in
! fuences which bring about the vast waste
| of public moneys in river and harbor ap-
| propriations. The government has been lib
| eral to its pensioners; it has protected many
| industries by tariff regulations; it is some
| times too liberal in its appropriations for
| sites and improvements to government
| buildings in small cities Why should it
not first take care Of it's own capital-in
which all citizens interested-and wise
| ly carry out the plans of the first and
greatest American?
Urged to Assist.
THE appropriation needed to carry on
| this work does not have to be made at
| once; but, beg of you, my dear Cannon,
| in your influential position and as I'LL
| noisan, to assist Americans interested In
| this scheme to carry it forward and to
| completion; though 1t may take many
years and considerable amount of money
| mot at all large, all things consdered) to
| improve the District of Columbia In a
| manner and to an extent commensurate
with the dignity and the resources of the
|
| ALLOW me to indulge in one vein of senti-
! ment. Love of country and success In pro-
| tecting and building up its institutions Is
not altogether due to the shock of arms
! strife in legislative halls; but patriotism Is
| inspired and deepened by beautiful sur
| roundings.
TT has been said that France was almost
| a barren waste at the time of the revolution
! in 1892. What has been done in Paris by
| architects and landscape gardeners? No
| wonder the French people (whO do not i'm
1 town ~ avid NOR for hnt tav
| love Paris, and that more money is spent
| In Paris in year by visitors than the
| whole improvements under Napoleon III
and Baron Haussman have cost
The Nations Opportunity.
| "In the United States we are coming to
nobler expressions of art and architecture,
/ and the government is recognizing the fact
| in the improvements made at Annapolis
| and contemplated at West Point. But in
| the District of Columbia is the nations OPP
| portunity to illustrate the gospel of beauty
| with utility and on imperial scale.
! There we should have the maximum artis-
| tic qualities expressed in the united arts of
| architecture, landscape gardening, sculp-
! ture and mural painting.
| please give the matter careful consid
"E ]. PARKER
| "P. S.-You may be interested in reading
| a copy of the resolution passed at the an
| nual meeting of the American Civic As
| sociation in st. Louis; also my address as
! president of the American Park and Out
! door Art Association at the annual meeting
held in Boston in 1902, referring to the i'm
provement of the park system of the Dis
trict of Columbia
The circular containing the above letter.
which evidently is the opening Of prop
uganda in behalf of the commissions
plans. contains the following appeal to the
reader:
"Note-Confer with or write to your SEN