Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-13
Improvement of the Park.

Improvement of the Park.
Mr.. Brown prefaced the presentation of
the petition by saying that he delivered
address before the association August IA,
1897, in which he stated that he thought
it was the duty of the association to adj
vocate the improvement of the Rock Creek
National Park, and, being a national park,
it should outstrip in plan, beauty, gran
deur and magnificence every other park in
the world. This park, consisting of about
2,G0 acres, was purchased nearly seven
years ago at the small cost of little more
than 81, 100000, and not one dollar has yet
been expended upon its Improvement, while
millions have been expended upon parks
in other cities.
The city of Buffalo, Mr. Brown added,
had expended upon its parks up to Janu-
airy /, 1896, the sum of $3,77S, 626.S9. Brook
Ign has expended up to the present time
about $12,OO0,000. Baltimore has expended
to the present time SlO,GAO,O00. New York
alone up to 1889 something over 100000
and, although / have not been able to get
the official figures of the cost of the i'm
provements, l have no doubt that more
than $40, 00O,0O has been expended for
that purpose-say, s5O,0O0,000 in ALL Bos
ton has expended up to the present time
about $14 coo 900.
''All of these cities have a parking com
mission or a department of parks, and. with
all due respect to the District Commission
ers, | think it is time that the city of
w dSHlIlS ION Iidu SuCll d CoHiillSSIob VI dS-
partment.
$500 Acres in Parks.
I'VE have in all over 5000 acres in parks,
exclusive of the Soldiers Home. to wit:
Rock Creek National about 1900 acres;
Potomac and Riverside, about 800 acres;
public grounds, squares and small parks,
about 4O5 acres, making a total of about
1905.
Although this average is small, as COM
pared to Vienna, which has 1000 acres; or
Toxic, which has 5000; or Berlin which
has 5000, it is sufficient to keep such
commission busy for several years. One
million dollars at least should at once be
Creek Park and another million for the
Potomac or Riverside Park. The two
should be connected by beautiful drive
way. and s2,0Oo,00o for this purpose should
be added to the bond bill"
The address. Mr.. Brown said, was made
nearly ten years ago, and comparatively
| nothing since that time, as compared to
other cities, had been expended on the park.
and nothing at all has been expended
therein north of the Military road east of
Rock creek, hence he was opposed to the
appropriation of s135,OO0 to buy more land,
as he thought it much more in the interest
of the public good to expend that sum in
extending a thoroughfare to the park for
the Improvement of the same.
As to Additional Land.
Further, Mr.. Brown said in substance
| that he did not desire to place himself on
recore- as opposed to the purchase of addi-
| tional land for park and playground pur-
poses for he was not, and stated that he
was heartily in favor of purchasing the
| land in the vicinity of Massachusetts ave-
| nue. and Rock creek, as also the land In
| Hall and Elvans subdivision of Merluian
| Hill, as provided in Senate bill sol, which
| passed the Senate December 10, 1906, for
| the reason that both tracts were in or near
| the city and were much needed for play
| grounds and park purposes, and should. in
| his opinion, have been acquired years ago.
Mr. Brown said to Star reporter that
| he believes this city will increase in wealth
| and population in the next fifteen years
more than it has in the past seventy-five
| years. for Washington, having become the
| acknowledged winter resort of the world,
I may outstrip Paris during it's improvement
| and establishment by Baron Haussmann.
| From 1898 to 1876, a period of forty-eight
| years. he said, Paris increased in popu-
| lation only 305,OOO, or at an average annual
| rate of about 5000, but in ten years QS56 to
| 1860 during its improvement and embel-
| lishment it increased in population $50 800
! or at the rate of $4,000 a year. the great
| increase being mainly caused through
| widespread and sudden impulse of wealth
and fashion to center there, and that
sudden impulse to make Washington the
winter resort of wealth and fashion is thor
oughly abroad throughout the world and
the number of millionaires in this country
alone being limitless. almost, so to speak,
does 1T not stand to reason that the growth
of Washington in the near future may be
as phenomenal as that of Paris during the
period referred to?
Increase in Population.
Some may not believe 1t possible for any
city to increase in population at such a
pace, yet the records show that New York
increased in population in the past year at
the rate CT 375,OOO. In this golden and
prosperous age any and everything seems
possible, and in my opinion Washington
will have to put forth all the intelligence
| and energy Of which it is possessed in order
to provide sufficient eligible building sites
for the wealthy people throughout the
whole world who are now fast locating
here and who will come with a rush in the
not distant future.
I'm my opinion the revenues of the Dis
trict have not been adequate to half pro-
vide for Its pressing needs 1t is our
patriotic duty to provide for the extension
improvement and establishment of Wash
ington upon the broad. plane that was con-
templated by Washington and l. Enfant
and, being the capital of the wealthiest and
most prosperous nation in the world, the
people of the District from a spirit of
patriotism should vie with the people Of the
whole nation to make 1t what 1t should be,
the pride of this and the envy of all other
nations.
And the only feasible way to accomplish