The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1907-09-11
FIRST PLACE SURE.
WASHINGTON WILL BE WoRL p,s
MOST BEAUTIFUL CAPITAL,
Transformation Now Going On 10 Rap.
id'y Bringing This About--splen.
did Buildings Of Marble and
White Granite.

| A letter published recently in the
Boston Transcript contains the follow
Ing interesting comment on the ma
tlonal capital:
Ihe Emperor Augustus, who found
Rome brick and left 1t marble, en-
1oyed peculiar facilities for working
the transformation. The Augustus
age was not one In which 1t was safe
Tor real estate operators to build
cheaply after the emperor had limited
that his policy was to have a splendid
capital We have no Augustus to
compel the recasting of the architec-
tural aspect of our national capital.
mat Is left to the operation of eco.
nomic forces, which whel once man.
Tested are imperial in their tenden.
cies. and to-day Washington Is be.
ing enriched with many buildings, big,
Impressive structures, because the
construction of such emphatically
pays. The conversion from brick to
marble on the Augustan scale has
not come and may not be coming,
but In the new great buildings Of the
capital whether private or public, the
materials dominates. The local condi-
lions are peculiarly favorable to the
employment of this mate :al.
In spite Of the constant agitation of
the Westinghouse for better anti
smoke law, there is vcrv little smoke
TO trouble the atmosphere. On
sunny day but feather Of smoke ap-
| pears here and there against sky
| of almost Italian blue. The marble
suffers little from the cause which
would make marble building In
London either monument OF extrav.
agance or Of those defeated.
Scenically marble is a success in
Washington, marble or its substitute,
white, granite. Its Wilderness Is en-.
phasized by the greenery Of boscage OF
the parks and by the b!ueness Of the
sky. In the new Development of the
capital two Influences have been at
work, that OF the government, which
builds big because the country pays
the bills, and that of business, which
builds big because the requirements OF
trade and commerce so demand. The
great public buildings include the two
immense and c,assic-fronted annexes
for the senate and house, which flank
the capitol on either side, and which
when completed will, as seen from
the treasury corner, be as two broad
massive bars of white In the per-
spective. The new Agricultural De-
partment building, and the new Ma
tional museum are of a dignity which
will make the Smithsonian eccentric
| architecture even more grief to the
| judicious than 1t Is now. The new
municipal building, or, as we should
call 1t. the city hall, is gradually de.
| veloping its substance. 1t, too, will
| be classic in outline. It stands not
| far from the treasury corner, around
which the most marked business de-
| velopment of the city Is progressing.
Near the capitol the white facade Of
the union station draws near compile
| ton, and part OF the building, which
will contain thirty tracks when fin
ished, will shortly be occupied by the
Baltimore & Ohio. The present wood
en- countrified depot Of tie Baltimore
& Ohio, whose tower always appears
! to wear an expression Of surprise at
| finding itself In city, will be swept
away in the Improvement Of the ap-
proaches to the grand new terminus
which will serve all railroads enter
ing Washington, the Southern lines
obtaining access to 1t by tunnel un.
der Capitol hill.
Mention of the new highway
bridge" Is reminder that one of the
most familiar landmarks, or perhaps
watermarks, of Washington is disap-
pearing as the workmen level the su-
perstructure Of the old historic Long
bridge and grub up the f.!,ag. The
railroads now cross the Potomac on q
modern steel bridge, built high above
| the tide. For the trolleys, for teams
| and foot passengers there is the high.
| way bridge paralleling that used ex-
clusively by the railroads. 1t has a
most excellent highway surface, ap-
/ preached by broad and winding ave-
nues on the Washington side. The
two bridges are not things Of beauty.
| They are severely utilitarian, which
| is a pity when we consider what a
noble part they might have been in
the vista OF the broad Potomac.
Standing on the highway bridge at
sunset one obtains view that Is al
most pathetic in its charms, the city
on one side of the river, and on the
other the Virginia hills on which the
white front of the Arlington is note
of attention. Washington is not yet
| the most beautiful capital In the
world, though Washingtonians say 1t
is, but 1t is moving rapidly toward the
attainment of their proud characteri-
| cation,