The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-06-26
He Has Opened a Vigorous and
Systematic Campaign for
the Artistic Improvement of
the Capital.
WORK NEGLECTED. FOR
QUITE A LONG TIME
Rehabilitation of Washington
Under the Direction of Ex-
perts Will Have Backing Of
Uncle Sam.

Washington, June 25.-President
Taft has determined to place all the
Influence of his position back OF the
fine arts commission and to interest
himself personally in all plans for the
Identification of Washington which
may come to his notice during the re-
mainder of his term in the white
house. Ever since his first official
advent in Washington, in 1890, when
he became solicitor general of the
United States. Mr.. Taft has been a
firm advocate Of the artistic develop
ment Of the city of Washington along
definite and approved lines.
Strangely enough. the original LED
fant scheme Of the federal city, later
developed by Major Elliott and 9TH
ers. never has been officially approx.
ed by congress or the district gov.
ernment. The L'Enfant draft was an
exceedingly crude one, although the
dream Of this erratic genius was mag
nificent. In fact, modern historians
have been inclined to give fully as
much credit to Elliott as to L'Enfant
for the practical laying out Of the city.
Indifferent to Possibilities.
However that may be, the applica-
tion Of L'Enfant ideas has been more
q matter Of chance than OF legal re-
quirement. Congress has been motor
jously indifferent to the artistic possi.
bilities Of its official home. Until the
time Of Senator Mcmillan. Of Michi-
have given q second thought as to
whether the national capital should
be a place Of beauty or struggling,
overgrown town.
The iron will of Governor Alexander
r. Shepard. reflecting the superb con-
ceptions Of the eccentric Frenchman,
had done more In q few years to
bring the material city to plane of
self-rcspect than all the forces that
had gone before. Senator Mcmillan
interested himself in the practical
phases of city building, and to his
energy and foresight Washington is
indebted for her excellent filtration
plant and for its system of sewage dis
posal. of which little is known but
which Is said to be one of the en-
gineering wonders of the capital.
Father Of Park Commission.
Senator Mcmillan also was the faith
er of the park commission. of which
Daniel H. Burnham, of Chicago, was
chairman. This commission reported
to congress q complete scheme for
the artistic development of Washing
ton. which is embodied in a rare and
exceedingly valuable report and also
In model whichlies under glass in
one of the wings of the library of con-
gress. AS an outgrowth of the work
of this commission Of artists and ar
chitects, President Roosevelt appoint
ed his council Of fine arts. which was
30 incontinentally snuffed out a year
ago by the Tawney amendment deny
ing 1t and other unofficial commits
sions government money for expenses.
1t has been said recently that this
council never held a meeting. That
Is not true. The thirty artists, archi-
tects, painters. sculptors and land
scape architects comprising the coun-
Gil met In Washington. February IL,
1909, at their own expense and re-
ported to tho president. recommend
ing the location OF the proposed Lin
coin memorial at the foot of the mall
on the bank Of the potomac. The late
Charles F. McKim was member of
this commission, and 1t is altogether
likely that his suggestion that the
memorial take the form of portico
will be adopted in due time
No Voice to Protest Raised.
Hardly voice in the country has
been raised against the general recon.
mendations Of the Burnham commits.
sion, and, on the other hand, they
have been indorsed by artists and ar
chitects from all over the United
States and the world. The action Of
the Roosevelt council Of fine arts in
recommending definite site for the
Lincoln memorial probably has set
tied the problem of location in favor
OF that spot.
While President Roosevelt took the
keenest interest in the subject of
Washington's art development it has
remained for William H Taft to be
the first president Of the United
States since Washington so to identi-
~ himself with questions OF artistic
procedure that he may be said to be
the actual leader OF well defined
movement. In 1890. while solicitor
general. Mr.. Taft battled against a
stubborn opinion Of the then attorney
general that the bill for the taking
OF Rock Creek park was not workable
and fought the issue through to a
finish. The result is that visitors to
Warrington may now be taken on =