The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-11-05
WASHINGTON LETTER
[special corregpondence.l

4
all those who crowd the city ever sees
it. Not one in hundred has evel
heard of it,
This is partly explained by the fac
that it is at the extreme outskirts Of
the city.
T Ugly Cenotaphs.
| Over a whitewashed fence one sees
the towering green of fine old trees
and. turning ones back upon the desc
lation outside. one goes through the
little city of the dead But just as one
has drawn a breath of admiration and
of relief there comes a shock
Scattered here and there among the
vine clad trees and the white marble
| monuments are platoons of dreadful
tea canisters OF incredible size-ugly,
brown, squatty things lined up in
ranks as if on review.
OF course they are not, strictly speak
ing, tea canisters. Though one blush
for his country, it must be admitted
that they are the cenotaphs with
which a grateful nation has marked
the graves of some two or three hun
dred congressman.
1t is about hundred years since the
first of those cenotaphs was perpe-
trated and about fifty years since the
last one was added to the dire array
Washington Cemetery.
1t is these rows upon rows of ceno-
taphs which have given the cemetery
the name by which it is commonly
known. AS a matter of fact, it is not
the Congressional" but the washing
tom cemetery and so appears on all
records.
1t is the burying ground of Christ
church or Washington parish, which
was organized in 1895. 1t is still used
as the cemetery for Christ church, but
there are no more official interments of
congressman there.
Burial Place of Gerry.
1t may surprise many to learn, too,
that Vice President Elbridge Gerry,
who died in Washington "of a sudden
Illness" is buried in the Congressional
cemetery next to Governor land Vice
Presidenb Clinton.
Congress is also to be thanked for
having caused to be inscribed on the
Gerry monument the words of the
patriot buried there:
ut is the duty of every citizen,
though he may have but one day to
live, to devote that day to the good of
his country"
A monument which creates smile
is to Pushmataha, Choctaw chief.
1t was erected by his brother chief
tains who were with him on mis-
sion to Washington.
Copyright Fees.
The copyright Office is fiourishing.
During the fiscal year ended June 80,
1O7 it received fees amounting to
$8IGgo. During that period it paid
out for salaries $74972.3T and for sta
tionery and other supplies $1,201.66.
This would seem to leave a snug little
balance to the credit of the office.
Thanks to the Industrious American
author. the Congressional library is
growing at rate which will make it
at least one of the largest in the world,
though the less said about some of the
objects which threaten to swamp 1t the
better The articles deposited" at the
copyright Office during the year num-
bered 222,647, of which good many
thousands went on the shelves of the
library of congress.
For Wider Mall.
"The land south of Pennsylvania
avenue between the treasury and the
capitol should be purchased by the ma
tional government for $15,000,000 and
made a terraced park, so that depart
mental buildings may be erected there
on with accommodations twenty years
ahead of the tines
So said Senator Weldon B. Hepburn
of Idaho, father of the bill to aid the
Identification of Washington and pro-
vide further accommodations for the
by widening the mail.
Senator Heyburn's Plan.
"My plan is to purchase this land
continued the senator. (which has a
frontage of 5000 feet along the ave.
nue., clear off all the buildings now on
it and make it terrace. with steps
leading to the summit. On that ter
race there would be room for twenty
or more magnificent buildings. They
should be harmonious, but not uni
form. Each should INTELLECTUALLY rep
resent the purpose of the building. A
good deal of hauling from the depart
ments has to be done, and passage
ways should be made from the base
ment of each of the buildings to the
street, which should cross beneath the
terrace.
ut is shortsighted policy to scatter
government departments all over town.
The bureaus of each department should
be gathered under one roof. The build
ings should be impressive and massive,
as becomes this great government.
They should not be monstrosities like
the postoffice and pension Office build
ings. They should be more like the
structure occupied by the department
of the interior
To Restore Old Mill.
Pierces mill. one of the historic
landmarks in Rock Creek park, aban-
doned as mill many years ago and
now used as public tea house. is to
be restored to it's former quaintness
The structural part of the old mill is
practically as firm as it was fifty years
ago.
This mill was built a century ago.