Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-08

the entertainment by singing g. German
drinking song and the armorer's song OF
Robin Hood" Then the toast of Wash
ington'' was proposed, and Commissioner
West was called upon to respond to 1t. Mr..
West gave stirring speech, filled with am
bition and hope for the continuance of the
work Of identifying the nations capital.
He said that just before coming to the din
ner he had been interested in the considera-
ton of some plan that would give the city
clean and pure Potomac water. That in
terested him. although he could imagine
that his fellow-Commissoner, Mr.. Macfar
land, who had not much for water as
a beverage, would not feel quite as great
interest in it. Speaking of tho city he
said,
Washington is a beautiful city. It is a
city we may all be proud of, and yet we will
fail to appreciate what has been done for
the city In the past If we do not Join to-
sether to make it more beautiful and more
admirable in every way
Mr.. West spoke OF the city as 1t was
whe he was boy, Of the old horse cars
Circle were far out in the suburbs. He
thought that even the imagination of men
who had seen the wonderful changes of
the last third OF century would not be
sufficient to depict the city Of the future.
The Present Duty.
IF 1t Is to be the city We want 1t to be-"
he said, I'VE must first of all follow the
lines Of Improvement that were laid out
by the men who founded it. That Is the
duty that fails upon us. The duty Of this
association is to impress this idea upon
Congress, which is the source of all our
blessing as well as of all our woes. We
want for one thing to impress upon Con-
gress the need for providing more parks
for the outlying sections Of the District,
which Is being rapidly built up without
park reservations such as the fathers pro-
yided for the city within the original boun-
dairy lines. The city beyond the boundary
Is growing as populous as within the boun-
dairy and it Is being built up without re-
gard for the generations to come. In Lon
don they have recently spent millions of
dollars In tearing down houses and in
Strengthening streets. This has been done
at an enormous cost and 1t should have
been done generations ago. We do not
want to make the mistake that has been
made In that great city, and yet we are
tending In that direction. We do not want
to walt one hundred years to make a beau
tiTul Washington that we should begin
now. The old buildings on the south side
OF Pennsylvania avenue should be torn
down. You can picture in your minds eye
what magnificent panorama 1t would
make when viewed from the Copitol or
when looking eastwardly from 10Th street
to have the south side of the avenue prop
erly adorned.
I'm place of the old houses that line the
south side of the avenue there should be
rows of beautiful and simple buildings,
surrounded by ample parks. We must ali
feel that Washington beautiful as II is ts
destined to become @ still more beautiful
city, and 1t can only become so by united
ana constant effort on the part OF those
who understood the possibilities Of the city
as founded on wise plans. But while every
man, woman and child IN the entire couu-
try should feel pride In the city, the men
or this association, whose interest goes
back to their old homes here should feel a
double interest and rpSnOnSibifity
Commissioner Biddle's Address.
Mr.. Vests speech was warmly applauded
He was followed by Commissioner Biddle,
who also reminded the association Of the
great work in which 1t could take part
In some respects he said the city does not
compare In its improvements to some cities
in other parts of the country, but there
were definite reasons for the great reputa-
ton for beauty that It has acquired. He
thought that was because all parts of the
oty have received equal Improvement This
Weii,paved streets and sidewalks and the
| shade trees Were not confined to one sec
ton as is often the case in other places.
! Everywhere are to be found the same VIDE
streets and everywhere the same attention
! to street improvements. The southeast,
northeast, southwest and northwest were
| ali equally favored.
But you should not overlook the fact
that outside the old city limits the streets
a. not 50 "iuey Sdiu toi. bluole. Jul
| side the old city limits there are no scat
| tered parks as there are in the old city. i
| think. with Commissioner West that the
| sooner we take up this matter and extend
| outside the old city lines the same class OF
| improvements that were provided within
| the city when 1t was laid out the better 1t
| will be. II We do not do this now 1t will
| merely be left to be done at vastly greater
| cost fifty or a hundred years hence"
| Colonel BiddleE remarks were accorded
| the greatest attention and he received q
tribute of applause when he concluded.
The City's uardiaus.
| Major Richard Sylvester was called upon
| to respond to the toast, "our City Guard
ians." Major Sylvester said he had for
| twenty three years been connected with the
| police department Of the District, 30 that
| he felt like laying claim to being one OF
the Oldest inhabitants.
] Il remember" he declared. that ct one