The Washington herald., 1907-08-11

Washington is absolutely unique among
the cities Of the United States 1t is the
most American, because its population Is
made up Of people from all the States,
and yet IL is un-American, for the reason
that its residents cannot vote. Il is the
most. cosmopolitan, because representa-
tives Of all other nations dwell in 1t, yet
It has no foreign quarter. Washington
greatest industry is governm ment, and It's
greatest product is politics. but the issues
are all national II is TIE only American
city where there is no local party politics.
In fact, il is the only city OF the civilized
world which cannot choose any or lts
local officers by vote The President APP
points the executive and Judicial officers.
and Congress, sitting as a city council,
exercises exclusive legislation. Despite
the anomalous spectacle presented by the
capital city of a democratic country. be-
Ing governed in theory by an autocracy,
the people are content. public opinion
rules, and the city Itself is a masterful
argument for the continuation Of the
present plan.
Washington is the most beautiful city
in the United States. and is claimed by
many authorities 10 have no peer in the
world. Paris has more magnificent vistas,
but there are quarters of the French cap
Ital with never a claim to beauty. There
are mere shade trees IN Washington than
in any city in the world. II has 5000
trees, while Paris. the next in the list,
has only 5000 II must be remembered in
this connection that Paris has nearly
3.O000O0 population, while Washington has
but 53e,000.
The National Capital is the only city in
the United States which had an artificial
origin. All the other places les growed
Topsy-fashion. but 1t was a city compiete
in the mind of George Washington before
ii was traced on paper by Maj. L'Enfani
and Mai. Ellicott The plan made for the
Capital, where there was nOught but
squares in moTasses and Obelisks II
trees" has been sufficient for the needs
OF the great city OF to-day. and extension:
Of the system as indicated by the Origina
plan viii open the whole territory Of tE'
District and eventually accommodate ter
times as many people as live here now.
washington streets are wider than those
Of other cities. being originally from 8
to 16O feet wide. Many OF these were
too wide for the demands Of traffic, and
when tie Improvement Of the city begar
in the seventies. the th0roughfares were
narrowed and portions next 10 the build
ings were reserved as parking spaces
I The pretty strip Of green along Dotl
sides Of Washington thOroughfares il
really part OF the street. II is the prop
/ erty Of the United States. and is no
under the control Of the owner OF tn
abutting property. although he must keel
/ up the lawn. The real estate IS alway1
+ sold by the square foot instead of b!
/ the clumsy front foot method. Their
/ is no law 10 compel the people 10 sweel
/ the snow of the sidewalks IN wisteT
/ because they arc the property OF Unci
sam. and "a private citizen cannot b
/ compelled 20 care for government prop
! crty.
More than half Of the property in IN
/ District oi Columbia Is owned by IN
! United States. which pays half the tota
/ expenses, while the property owners @
the District pay the other half Int;
/ lS7S the general government paid nOthin
at ali toward the maintenance OF the Dis
trict Even now the great undertaking
for the permanent Improvement OF tn
Capital. outside OF the public buildings
Of course, are half paid Tor by the resi-
dents Of the District OF Columbia, al
/ though the whole people are intereste
in the completion Of the plans whic
will make Washington the envy Of IN
nations.
The original plans for the city as al
proved by Washington and jefferson PR
vided for a system Of streets running ea!
and west and north and south. Thes
streets were cut at Irregular angles b
two systems Of avenues. which radiate
Ike the spokes of a wheel from the Pre-.
.dent's house and the Capitol. The ca.
and west streets were named for the le
ters of the alphabet from \ 10 ". 4 .,
culia rity of the system is that there is 7
J street. This was because few fonts
type made a distinction between the cal
ital r and capital ~ until i1S at
these streets were named before Il
dawn Of the nineteenth century. The Ion
avenues cross the streets and each 9th,
at angles which confuse the stranger, bl
at each crossing there is a little park
patch Of green to relieve the monotony
a desert Of asphalt Where two OF thr,
avenues are gathered together. there is
circle lr a square, usually ornamented /
statue. and always with grass ar
flowers and trees.
There are 275 Of these little parks lei
than one acre in extent, and twenty-s
others that are more than an acre in siz