Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-30
CAPITAL Builders.

Elsewhere in The Star Is printed a chap
ter of editorial correspondence concerning
the great work of capital building done
by Brazil and Argentina In Rio de Janeiro
and Buenos Aires, and the valuable hints
thereby given to the capital builders, Off
cial and unofficial. who are Transforming
Washington into the ideal city beautiful.
Argentina has recently spent millions in
tearing down blocks Of houses at one end
of the Avenida de Mayo merely to make
q suitable environment for its new capitol
building. Brazil leveled GOO houses and
spent many millions in developing into a
harmonious and consistent thoroughfare
Rios Avenida Central. The total capital
building expenditure upon Rio within the
last ten years is estimated at 500 100000
With far simpler task to accomplish
shall We not bring TO the solution of our
problem a patriotic lberality and an ar
tistic sense like those animating the Ar
gentines and the BraZilians?
The first duty of us Americans Is to
transform from ugliness into beauty the
south side of Pennsylvania avenue and at
the same time to meet adequately without
encroachment on the public parks the
governments urgent need of sites for pub
lie buildings. Then should follow the per-
those of Buenos Aires, which was outlined
and urged by the Board of Trade twelve
years ago. and which the Mcmillan park
commission has so skillfully, artistically
and attractively elaborated in its report.
1t should not be impossible for our op-
posing political parties, in dealing with
the National Capital, to sink partisan
ship and to unite in a patriotic and intel
ngently liberal policy of capital upbuild-
ing. The wise and just legislation of 1878,
creating the National Capital partnership,
under the operation of which Washington,
fostered by the nation. has developed into
capital of which the American people
are justly proud, was the work of
statesmen of both political parties Among
the constitutional legislators of the Dis
trict the warm friends and notable bene-
factors Of the capital, who have MAIN
tanned against all assaults the organic
act, that vital essential of Washington's
prosperity, or have championed and Wig
orously battled fer the capital. irrespec-
tive OF their views concerning the organic
act have not been confined within par
tisan lines. but have caused all political
factions to be represented among the
faithful legislators who meet conscien-
tieusly their constitutional obligations to
the capital. In the long list of these
loyal, helpful friends of Washington there
are too many to enumerate. We of Wash
ington know them and gratefully appre-
ciate their unse!fsh, public-spirited work
of capital building.
Never before were conditions more ia
vorable on the whole to the capitals up
building: with President Taft in the
White House, an earnest, helpful and un-
firing friend of the city; with the cabi-
net in harmony with the capital building
plans of the executive head: with Con-
gress impressed by the earnest and eff
fective representations of influential SEN
ators and representatives. leaders in both
parties; with an energetic superintendent
Of public buildings and grounds and
thoroughly capable fine arts commission;
with District Commissioners devoted even
10 excess to the exploitation of Washing
ton as primarily the nations city; with
citizens organizations and their special
committees full of loyalty and enthusi-
asm, and with a nationwide and ever
increasing interest in the National Capt.
tai among all Americans.