Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-12

00o-is gigantic. General approval is read
lily given to many of the details OF the
plan. but against some of the propositions
protest must be expected, especially when
they do violence to the wishes of the peo-
pie.
The proposed demolition of the Botanic
Garden IL an instance in point. The Star
has gone thoroughly into this matter. and
shown how unsuited to the city of Wash
ington would be the projected Union
Square. broiling in the summer and bleaL
in winter. even If 1t did not involve rob-
bling the people Of one of the municipal
breath ng spots. possessing an intrinsic
beauty, the result Of many decades of
Natures work and mans care and toll.
Keystone of New System.
To place the Grant memorial at the end
of the garden. even if the trees are
spared. for the present, will be a trump
card for the members of the so-called
park commission. II will clinch their po-
sition ana give them immense leverage
with which to push forward the plan to
uenolIsn the garden. and then all the
trees OF the Mail. For the huge memo
rial vii. he the keystone to the Mall sys-
TEN. Without the est of the plan. the
position of the statue at the foot OF the
Capitol slope will be without rhyme or
reason. 1t will be irconspicuous and
part OF no scneme whatever. Blu, once put
argument for the completion of the COM
miss .on's plan. the argument being that,
TO make the most Of the great memorial,
the surroundings must be altered to con-
form to it: that IS, that the trees between
II and the Monument must be felled and
a broad avenue, lined with little Noah's
ark trees. be opened on 1.-The axial line"
OF the Capitol and the Monument That
is the reason why Mr.. Olmsted is willing
to have the statue moved to the east or
west, but not to the north or south. An
inch in either of tha two last directions
would destroy that ''axiaI relation
AS has ali .ady b II point d out in The
Star, the new Buildings of the Depart
ment OF Agriculture and Of the National
Museum are placed with regard to that
"aXial line" The Department of Agrcul-
ture buildings are especially Instructive
in this regard. for they are built eleven
feet lower than the present level of the
Mall at that point calls for with a view
to a proposed lowering of the surface. in
accordance with the commissions plan
A little recollection of the circumstances
connected with the erection of these build
lngs will also throw considerable light
upon the methods of the park commits
sion. and the manner in which the advo-
Gates of its recommendations are work
ing for their ends and taking advantage
OF every move to insure their ultimate
adoption
Congress provided that upon the site
Of the old Agricultural building a new one
branches of the department. so that rent
ing of offices should no longer be neces-
sary- After work costing $4,000 had
been done on foundations the hole was
filled up, and work begun back Of the
present building, close to B street. Two
small buildings were erected. with two
sides Of marble and two of brick sepa-
rated by an interval equal to one of the
buildings. These buildings are two-six-
teenths of a proposed structure which
meets he deqireq pf the nark pfSai
The rest Of the building is to be partly
on the other side of street. and partly
across 1t. closing the thoroughfare. To
build these two-sixteerths Of structure
all the money provided by Congress for
an adequate structure was expended. and
no particular reason for the change was
brought out In hearing. except that 1t
was made after n conference between
the President, Secretary Wilson and DAN
lei II. Burnhan, chairman Of the park
commission.
SO the park commission had it's way.
The Commission Prevailed.
1t is interesting to note the way in
| which the park commission got It's chance
at selecting the site of the Grant me-
mortal.
The commission on the Grant memorial,
as originally composed. consisted of Gen.
Grenville NJ. Dodge. president OF the So
SsSts VA INV hiLay VI Si'O AChiiCoSCCb CAlotk-
man; the Secretary Of War Chen Elihu
Roof, and Senator George Peabody Wet
more. This committee virtually, though
without authority to do SO, delegated its
powers to Lieut.. Gen. j. M. Scho1eld.
Maj. Gen. Wesley M. Merritt. Daniel H.
Burnham. Charles F. McKim. Augustus
Saint Gaudens and Daniel Chester French
1t will be observed that three of these
gentlemen were members OF the park
commission. So the commission had its
own way again
No warrant In law can. therefore. be
discovered for any authority given to the
park commission by which 1t can ride
roughshod over the wishes Of the peo-
pie of Washington and destroy its parks.
1t IS neither supreme nor infallible. Ade-
quate recognition can be given to the
commission for what is excellent in It's
plans, but there Is no compulsion upon
the city to swallow its prescription at a
gulp. The good can be selected from
the bad and gratefully accepted, but the
bad can be fought and rejected.
The moving of the Grant memorial ten
feet to the west will spare the historic
trees at the east end of the garden-the
Crittenden oak and the Beck and Shep-
hard elms-but one tree will have to fall
as a sacrifice. This tree has no particu-
lar historic significance. but. like all the
other trees in Botanic Garden, it is a
part of the park, and its destruction will
be ominous. The sound of Its fall will
strike like the first of thousand crashes
of topping monarchs.