Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-08
WOULD PUSH A GOOD THING
Tells How the Coast Cities Boom Their
Own Advantages.
STREET RAILWAY EXTENSION
Build the Lines First and the People
Will Follow, He Says-How the
Suburbs Grow.


plan of pushing good things along. and has
started little boom of It's own said
capitalist from the Pacific coast to Star
reporter at an uptown hotel.
This Is what the fairest of fair cities
should have done long, long ago-we find it
pays out with US on the coast. In fact. all
through the west we start our little and
our big booms, and blow our own trumpets.
for if we didn't. some of US wouldn't move
until we heard the calls Of Gabriel's horn.
THE Greater Washington special train
idea down through the south Is a fine one.
Don't you remember seeing our specials
from California loaded down with the fruit.
vintage and other products of which we are
so proud? Yes. indeed. and those specials
which we have sent out in the past and
future when the occasion warrants. might
lily helped our golden, dramatically perfect
state.
Everywhere we would go with our spe-
cars to see what we had, and We weren't
at all bashful in showing them. for We had
a lot of good things to hand out, beside
things to eat and drink. though these prod,
ucts are among our chief staples. And
that's the way you'll find it with your own
Specialize folks down through the south
will pour in to see what Washington can
offer beside it's fine public buildings. beau
tiful streets and shade trees And that Is
the time for your representatives to get
real busy for we found that our talks at
these psychological moments were mission
airy talks for sure.
The City Has Been Too Modest.
You people here in Washington have
been too modest. that's all. Now civic
modesty may be good thing to have, but
it doesn't pay to hide what city can do
under this bushel basket. OF course, the
,1 itX- iS al
but there's no reason why you folks can
get a good share of this fine southern trade
if you will just toot little for It, Now
look at Seattle and Tacoma. and then think
of Washington and Baltimore. These two
coast cities have been at it since they We're
knee-high to big coast grasshopper; they
are at it yet, and will just keep on roliing
the ball for trade and population as uecaue
succeeds decade. .
Just because Tacoma happens to be the
little feller. she isn't letting go an inch
just because Baltimore has got all or TINS
trade running in channels past its doors, It
doesn't signify that Washington shouldn't
start out with a lasso and corral some
mavericks of it's own on the southern
ranges. for there are lots OF them there
who would just as willingly browse in the
capital city as in the Oriole OASIS.
During the past fortnight l have been
in town l have been reading in The Star
about your boom with lots of genuine In
terest. for the boom question hits the west
erner right where he eats. and size up the
situation here that you have been too mod
est and diffident to let the people outside
know what really good advantage you
have, not only for the announcement OF
trade. but in inducing outside capital and
population to come with you.
A Business Issue.
eff YOUR business men will give this idea
ANALYSIS they will find that l am not far
from being right. You have been here too
content to accept the situation as being one
for residential purposes and the place for
the transaction of the nations business
With all the nice advantages you have mere
as regards situation, transportation 1acln-
ties etc this view wasn't broad enough In
its scope but long as your own people
accepted it, so did the outside world.
"A boom is a business issue. The putting
of this theory into practice is what has
built I'D hundreds of western and coast
towns and cities. There can't be any re-
action in the case of Washington because
buiided is too sol:d-there has been no
mushroom growth nor can any form. and
that's where Washington has got the best
of a lot of western cities.
Now how do you suppose we Dulid up
our suburbs? AS you do in the east? On.
no. We don't wait until our outlying sec
lions are built up. and people are tramplng
half mile so from Their homes, through
tho SIMS OF summer and the slush of win
ter before we extend our surface lines into
these sections. We. put our car lines out
into the country, into the very fields, be-
fore the houses get there. so as to en-
courage building and to get the houses out !
there-we don't wait until they are al
ready up.
How Suburbs Built UP.
THAT'S what you folks want to do. Why.
q man at this hotel told me that the resi-
dents out 18th street way had been begging
and praying for years to get the trolley
line on that street extended. and they have
got to wait some months yet. l went out
there just to look-and incidentally bought
three building lots for an investment, for
7 consider Washington real estate In the
trend of improvement an especially gilt
edge permanent investment
We'll / found he was right. Why. broth
er. out IN my section that street railroad
would have been extended two miles five
wears ago without solicitation on the part
of the property owners-you couldn't have
held the company off such extension in
with a court injunction. And what would
have been the result? The built-up house
line would have been good mile farther
out than 1t is now, and as for the scattered
portions. they would nave been tnree times
further extended.
That's the way to build up suburbs. Do
you know what they did in Seattle and
San Francisco? They built their cable
roads out over the sand hills and chased
their cars after each other when you
couldn't hit the nearest house with rife
ball Now these sections are built up solid
except in San Francisco. where the fire
destroyed them, and where they will be
rebuilt-and the building along these lines
began just as soon the people found that
they could get Observation-Disclosures is al
ways somebody. don't you know. who
wants to build out just little farther than
the next fellow? This Is the home-build-
ing chap who starts the improvements in
these sections in the outer rims Of cities.
Splendid Material Here.
There is too good material lying in and
around Washington to be neglected or over
looked. What you want Is to arouse and
to inspire your people to hump themselves
little after the style of your western
brother. even though eastern conservatism
may modify the method which may be
chosen to start and to keep the movement
going The opportunities for expansion In
this city are practically without limit Your
citizens can we'll afford to offer very liberal
inducements to incoming concerns and
manufa cturers.
IF We think can get a big concern
with us which will give employment to a
portion of our population. or bring more
into our gates. we make fight for it
that's the way We get them. You have got
a good thing in Washington and all you
people have got to do Is to push it along
vigorously. I note that the special is one