The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1906-03-02
FOR CITY BEAUTIFUL
Athenaeum Club Makes Plea for
Improvement.
Say Colfsx is SpIendidly Endowed
With Requisites Which Trend
TO Scenic Effects
CoLFAx. Wash, Feb. %, 1906.

CoLFAx, Wash, Feb. %, 1906
| EDITOR GAZETTE
The undersigned desires to address
| your readers upon the subjects set forth
| in the following article:
| What are the people Of Colfax doing
toward making City Beautiful? Are
| they going to take a back seat in the
march OF progress and improvement
which is spreading SO rapidly over this
| Inland Empire? Are they going to let
| towns like Garfield and Cotton with one
| third of the population OF their own
gain the supremacy in the march toward
beeety of surroundings and a clean
healthy city N? Spokane with her 150,-
O000 club and her wonderfully well
| organized City Beautiful committee has
already begun most energetic campaign
| which bids fair to put that city years in
advance of anything else in the North
west. Ii we cannot start anything
| original why is it not just as we'll to
emulate the good example OF some of
some Of these other places? Better to
follow meekly good example than lead
lead a procession iD the wrong direction.
The objection has been raised that
COlfax in ali it's environments and nat
ural situation is a most difficult place in
which to do anything in the way of
civic Improvement. But is it so? 1t
seems to US that in all this country there
is not another little city go artisticaly
lOcated-sO endowed by nature with
features that make up real beauty. Our
cliffs Of rock, bold and Jagged and Of
fantastic shape, exhibit Gods handiwOrk
in every rugged line. The river, winding
as it does through the whole length of
| the town, should be mark of beauty
and a sight that the eyes should delight
| to rest upon. Never will We admit that
Cofax is not endowed by nature with
| every feature to make it the most beauti.
| full city in the PalOuse country, But
| nature cannot do it all Are we as a
| people doing anything to help her along?
| Our energetic commercial club has placed
population figure of 5000 before them
| for which to work, and are preparing to
| get their share of the horde of home
| seekers which we expect this spring will
| set on their way to the great state OF
| Washington. What have we to attract
| them here? Imagine yourself in the
| place Of one of these home seekers look
| ing for a location and a home for your
growing family. What is there in the
| outward appearance of any one of our
| school buildings to even hint at the
| noble work being done within2 Is there
a church in the city whose outward ap-
| pearaDce bespeaks the intelligence and
charity of the congregations within
| Some OF our churches would be a dis
| grace to q village Of 500 inhabitants.
| Is there any appearance of order on our
Main street which bespeaks good moral
tone and wholesome spirit of cleanli-
| nd rifr . II hu oh
| home seeker should overlook the preced-
| ing lack OF appearances, let him take a
trip on the Moscow branch and gaze
upon the scenes presented all along the
| South PalOuse-it is good bye to him,
our chance Of keeping him is gone
| forever.
People Of COlfax, can we afford to sit
quietly by in our Incidence and filth and
see these home seekers pass US by for
| Pullman or Cotton or CART I'D, or some
other town which does present attractive
schools, beautiful churches and artistic
homes without raising one finger or voice
| in protest? Then comes the question,
| What can we do? The river we admit il
| the most puZzling Of all our problems.
/ But with the example of the good work
which has already been done there, with
| an energetic city council and a wide
awake health officer even this objection
! able feature can be remedied in time.
Are the people themselves doing all they
might to make City Beautiful? Morton
street. one of the newest in the city, is a
delight to behold especially in the summer
time. Why cannot property owners in
other parts OF the city see that their
street presents as beautiful an appear
ance? Set out a few shade trees and
then insist upon the city council protect
ing them from the depredations of the
small boy on Halloween. There are