The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1908-06-12
WASHINGTON LETTER
Especial Corrcspondence.l

Especial Corrcspondence.1
Now that spring is here the thoughts
Of the urban resident turn from the
warm and unwholesome air Of the |
housed up community to the shades Of
the country.
Few there are. indeed. ut other times |
who give thought to the great blessin:
enjoyed by the people of the Capital
City in its wealth of beautiful parks.
and fewer still perhaps to those who
lend their interest and their efforts to
preserve the inviolability Of the park
system as conceived by the city's
founders. Not only to the city's found
ers are we to look with grateful rccog
milton for their wise forethought In
providing these GASES In the sands Of
tiviliza ton, but to those OF later days.
who. rescuing the original ideals from
the dust of oblivion. had the courage
and the spirit of self sacrifice to press
forward and make Of the City of Mag
nificent Distances. as 1t was called In
its mudhole and cobblestone days. tru-
~ a city beautiful. which has aroused
the interest and admiration Of the ma
ton itself and even those beyond the
seas.
City's Growth In Beauty.
Forty years ago those who came from
afar to see the city carried away with
them only feelings Of deep disappoint
ment. There We're hundreds of smaller
places throughout the land that drew
the admiring gaze away from Wash
| ington. 1t was only after heroic ef-
forts. with which the name Of Alexan-
der Shepherd must ever be inseparably
connected, that the citizens Of the
United States of America began to
realize the grandeur of their nations
capital and to feel that something was
due it from the nation at large. It
then became really type of the ma
tons greatness and grandeur and rs
such Il boast and pride to the citizens
ut large.
| Rock Creek Park.
Stretching northward from the city's
crowded center lies Rock Greek park.
All that nature could do In the way Of
trees and rolling hills, romantic
streams and rustic beauty to ndorn this
most beautiful of natures temples had
been done. But the march Of civiliZa-
ton with its bricks and mortar was
trenching close upon this spot dedicat-
ed to nature itself. and so. by recent
bills in congress. provision ia made to
stay the advance and preserve this
lovely park within lines OF limitation
that will conserve its natural beauty.
Potomac River Flats.
Another civic improvement which has
meant much to south Washington has
been the reclamation Of the Potomac
river fats. long waste of morass and
Jungle like growth of weeds and under
brush. and their transformation into
the beautiful Potomac park Of the pres
ent day. Added to this will be the ulti-
mate extension Of Potomac park tn the
east Of the railway emhankment all the
way to the point at the junction Of the
Washington and Georgetown channels
Of the river opposite the arsenal.
For a Gateway Beautiful.
Senator Wetmore would transform,
the gateway to the national capital into
spreading lawns. fountains aud flow
ers. He has introduced Il bill appropri
ating $2,500.G0O for the purchase Of six
blocks. a majority Of which are occu
pied by buildings. lying between the
capitol and the new Union station
These buildings he would tear down
: substituting for them an eSpanse o.
lawn, dotted with statues and flower
beds.
. This change, the senator believes
would make the entrance to Washing
ton the most beautiful in the world
> Statue For Capitol Plaza.
The house committee OH the librar.
n has reported favorably a bill author
d izing the expenditure Of $4,000 by tn
g vice president. the speaker and tn
joint committee on the library for tn
erection OH the east front of the capito
= Of replica Of Wards statue of Wash
ington. which is in front Of the Unitet
States subtreasury building in New
York. the spot where Washington tool
the oath Of office as first president o
the United States. The statue l
twelve feet six inches In height. Th
idea has been suggested Of having tn
replica erected OH the capitol front Il
time to be unveiled at the Inaugural
ton ceremonies March i. 1909.
A Foreigners Prediction.
zone marked difference between tn
cities of the United States and thos
Of Europe impresses the visitor from
the other side" said Max Glass o
Vienna. chief engineer Of the Austrian
navy. who was recent visitor to til
capital. This is the cleanliness Of til
streets. In European cities the street
are swept every night. but befor
morning newspapers and other vast
are scattered over every business thol
oughfare. Here. l observe. the peopl
do not litter the streets with discarde
newspapers.
Jefferson's Foresight.
"Washington is one of the most bea,
tiful cities | have ever visited. 1t r
minds me of the modern sections {
Berlin and Vienna. presume that
the years to come this city will be I'll
most artistic in the world. 1t certail
ly is making great strides to that end
ITO no one perhaps more than
Thomas Jefferson" said Il Washingto
architect the other day. lis the Capit
City indebted for the classic type. Il
imDOciOO nIpur Of it0 r1ioSt Oub1