Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-24
The Districts Growth.

The District of Columbia Is we'll content
e with its census showing. 1t Is grained
To find that 1t has increased in size during
the past ten years. and especially thdt
it's rate of increase is normal, Threatening
n" unwholesome congestion. and at the
same time assuring a continuation OF
local prosperity. The returns which have
lust been summarized will be entirely
satisfactory TO the District, even though
+. IL may later prove to have been passed
In the urban list by other cities that have
shown greater percentage OF increase
than the 1S.S per cent of the District
To have gained 52.351 individuals since
1900 is sufficient assurance that the Cap
ital Is developing in fair proportion TO
its resources and it's capacity for main
tanning its population in a good average
of comfort With S31 .069 people the
= district is not overcrowced. and at this
rate it will be many years before II
offers serious problems of congestion out
side of a few restricted areas within the
innermost urban territory
Washington has no ambition to become
a dense center of population. 1t is striv-
ing for no million mark" and is indiffer-
ent to its rank in the list as regards mere
size as long as its general condltlons Oh
local government and its social situation
are conducive to the physical and moral
health OF the people. Many OF the cities
that have outstripped the capital In CEN
sus returns have reason now to regret
their superiority in this respect. Size
is in itself of no advantage to city
If a community offers opportunities for
wage earning il will attract jewellers from
other places. Industrial centers grow
xh1;r nffa
rgs to the wage-earner. After a certain
point cities grow by certain indefnaole
process of accretion. apart from their
capacity to support their population. New
York grows Unfortunately. largely because
it is the chief port of immigrant entry
and retains. to it's infinite discomfort
and it's social peril. large percentage
Of aliens who could be better cared for. in
the smaller towns on the farms, where
their labor is needed Were Washington a
seacoast city. receiving cargoes OF Tor
eigners weekly, it too would grow at
much more rapid pace than at present
nut il would later pay penalty for its
increase.
In all likelihood Washington will con-
,inue to lose rank in the population race.
for it is strictly limited as to area. with
no possibilities of expansion save through
. the recovery from Virginia of a portion
Of the original District territory retro
coded TO that state. 1t Is unlikely that 1t
will develop as an industrial center, owing
10 the government policy to maintain
The CAPITAL as a non-commercial city. Its
growth will depend largely upon the ex-
pansion of it's retail business and the
inflow of home-makers from outside. seek
ing here the ideal social conditions for
A permanent residence. This is the best
kind of growth. normal, wholesome ana
profitable. 1t leaves small percentage
of unemployed surplus. 1t makes for
a clean. safe comfortable city. 1t causes
no increase in such menaces as the SUM
evil. II permits a systematic progress
sion toward the elimination OF undesirable
social conditions. IL leaves the local gov
eminent free TO cope with the factors OF
urban life which elsewhere constitute an
increasing menace against the physlcai
and moral health of the community.