Evening star., 1909-05-15
ADVERTISING THE CITY
Chamber of Commerce Com
mittee Invites Suggestions.
VARIOUS PLANS DISCUSSED
Proposed to Hold Annual Carnival in
the Fall.
MAJ. JUDs0N WRITES LETTER
Enumerates Facts About the Capital
That Need Only to Be Adver-
tised to Bring Benefit.
[AJ. JUDSON WRITES LETTER

IL you nave gOOQ plan ioI du'ei tioiiS
Washington. plan to attract the atten-
tion Of the outside world to Its merits as
residence or business city, send that
plan to the advertising committee OF the
Chamber Of Commerce.
Isaac Cans is chairman Of the commit
tee, and he and it's other members are
determined to discover and put into op-
Grafton such a plan. They are holding
meetings regularly for the discussion of
various suggestions. and at last nights
meeting, held in the rooms OF the Cham-
ber of Commerce, it was decided to In
vite suggestion from tho who think
they have good ones.
If you send a suggestion there Is no
certainty that it will be accepted. but
in any case the committee will be glad
to hear from you.
At last nights meeting the discussion
was informal but the results obtained
through that method proved that it Is
infinitely more effective as a means of
making progress toward the final crys-
tallization of ideas than a big meeting
with a list of formal speakers. The men
who attended the meeting last night were
all deeply interested in the question their
committee is working on. They discussed
proposition after proposition In all Its
phases, and, as one member OF the COM
mittee expressed it, they Travelled good
Way OH lIlelT IOdu Deioio thCJ ooJooA hSo'
Fall Carnival Proposed.
One of the plans discussed was the
holding of an annual carnival in the
fall. in which the various business houses
of the city could participate. Another
plan was to prepare and disseminate
the proper kind of literature on Wash
ington. After more than an hour of in
formal talk. most of which was of
more or less private nature. the COM
mittee adjourned, without having taken
any definite action, except to authorize
Chairman Cans to invite suggestions
from the public.
Among the correspondence received
was a letter from Maj Judson, Engi-
neer Commissioner of the District in
which he brought out some facts that
show how the reputation of Washington
as a residential city is growing. The
letter follows:
viting attention to the fact that ! may
hereinafter speak well of the work of
the commission without being boastfui.
inasmuch as 1 have not been long enough
here to claim credit for anything that
is good. Also, 1 would like to empha-
size the fact that l have not the slight
est personal interest in the continuance
of the commission form of government
Outside Interest in Capital.
when 1 was ordered to Washington l
was surprised by the numerous inquiries
1 received from persons in my last home.
Milwaukee, indicating that Washington
was in the thoughts of many as a place
of future permanent residence. l do not
think that residents of Washington have
any conception of the extent to which
this thought is In the minds Of people
all over the country. | believe that the
fruit of these thoughts will be an ex-
nlHr aud ant m
the population of Washington through
the removal here of individuals and fami-
lies who desire to live at their capital and
experience there the advantages of a de
lightful climate, good government, low
taxation and the presence of that in
terest and excitement which results from
this being the seat of government.
1T seems to me that our committee
should go to the root of things and pro-
duce dignified literature which may turn
the tide with those very many people
who are thinking of removing here. One
of the first questions that Is asked by
prospective future residents Is In regard
to the government of Washington
whether it is efficient. People are very
largely weary of the waste and in
efficiency Of their municipal governments.
Nothing appeals to them more than the
thought that by coming here they would
escape municipal evils that have tried
their souls elsewhere.
mo other city is so froo from graft as
Washington, and in the term graft l
include favoritism, willful extravaganza
and official neglect resulting in waste.
Advertise the Truth Frankly.
II do not believe that in any way you
can appeal to a greater number or to
more desirable people to come to their
capital to live than by frankly recog-
nizing our advantages and advertising
them. and always we can say, in addi-
ton. that while enjoying these advan-
tages we are taxed less that residents In
other cities, because pride in their capt.
tai induces the people of our great and
generous country to subscribe dollar
for every dollar that is locally raised.
Advertise these facts and Washington
will soon be another Paris or Berlin; fail
to do SO and it will take strangers much
longer to discover the profit and the
great pleasure they will find in dwelling
in your midst"