Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-17


Dig fight to bring it about. And now 1t
is certainly one of the most beautiful
and unique parks in the world
Reclamation of Flats.
Gradually, by the approval of Con-
gress the fats of the Potomac nave been
redeemed. We have very large expanse
down below the railroad bridge that now
furnishes nothing but a riding path to
adventurous riders, and a great many
mosquitoes during the latter part of the
summer; but under the appropriation bills
of this year it is hoped that that may all
be filled up.
The part of the flats this side of the
railroad bridge Is certainly assuming, not
a present beauty. but a suggestion OF
possible beauty that will make that park
one of the great parks Of the world
And if we can only connect that by the
valley of the Rock creek with the ROCK
Creek Park, and then continue around to
the Soldiers Home, and then around to
Anacostia, We will make this city what
it ought to be.
There are a lot of little things that
could be done almost Immediately. We
had to use that great soldiers name
that man who was an unconditional sur
render man. and kept hammering and
hammering until he went in the bait es
of the Union in order to beat down that
iron railing that supports thecongressional
dollhouse up here near the Capitol: but
We have got in here. and. in difference to
Gen. Grants memory, we are bound to
have that opened. so that the public and
not alone the membrs of Congress may
enter those sacred precincts.
Removal of Buildings From Mall.
THE Mall is developing and the beau
ties are opening. The railroad station
has disappeared. Whether constitutional
or not, II is wiped out. And although
there is only one road by which you can
pick your way through the Mall now, l
hope the time is not far distant when the
District Commissioners will make 1t pos
sibe to go up by two or three ways from
the Monument to the Capitol along that
beautiful park.
be moved out altogether or be moved
back. The National Museum will also
have to surrender to the better taste
of the present day.
And then, too, / don't like to give
up the hope that our friends from Vir-
GINA will recognize the necessity OF
shaping out again that ten miles square
that was in the original act.
Il know the adhesiveness of the An
glo-Saxon character to real estate. and
/ recognize the justifiable state pride OF
Virginans. But they originally agreed
to give US that land, and they did give
do not want to be regarded as Indian
givers.
And we could make so much of that
land over there. Everybody would be
the better for It, We need not include
Alexandria il Alexandria wishes to stay
out. But 1t was in accord with the wish
and the plan Of that far-sighted man,
the Father of His Country. George
Washington. and it would be defer
ence to his memory to fll out the
square.
Foresight as to Expansion.
THE one thing that impresses you ir
the study of the cities Of today is the
narrowness of view that those-not all
but most of those who founded the cities
took as to the possibility of the devel-
opment of those cities. 1t is the men who
counted on an expansion that it took al
most the widest imagination to conceive
who are proved today to be the sound
prophets as to the future.
And here We have capital growing
every year. because Of Its beauty. AFFORD
ing an opportunity for those who have
been fortunate in business to come here
little brighter than it does anywhere
elsa city which places its citizen lit
tie bit behind the scene with reference
to what is going on on the national
Stage-a city that is bound TO represent
in its development and growth Of de-
velopment the growth of the country.
And certainly we ought, il possible,
to widen out to that small ten mile
suare that was conceived as a proper
amount more than one hundred years
ago.
Many of you have-all of you. doubt
less have-seen the beauties Of the banks
of the Potomac on the other side the pos
siblities Of park development which are
there. the possibilities of the expansion
of suburban settlements in that direction.
Thirty years hence all the property that
you have in the District of Columbia will
be filled up and we will be looking across
the river for that.
Anxious to Test Retrocession.
Il hope Congress will give me an op-
portunity to test the question. We have a
law department, well organized. and al
that Congress has to say is GO in and
I will direct the Attorney General &C.
cordingly: and we will see whether the
act Of retrocession was within the com.
petence of Congress.
ut was passed when there was a day
of small things. We have got now to
a point where there is a day of large