The Colorado statesman., 1913-06-14

which lies along
the western end of
the city's river front. This will give
continuous parkway, extending from
the capitol past the Washington monu-
ment, to Rock creek, which separates
the city proper from old Georgetown,
writes F. ]. Haskin in the Chicago
Daily News.
The lower end of this creek runs
through a region once famous for its
beauty, but now desolate in its sordid
ugliness, being used as dumping
ground. The upper end which is in
cluded in the national geological park.
has had its natural beauty conserved.
With the completion of the beautifica-
ton of lower Rock creek it will then
be possible for one to travel through
a park that extends from the very
northernmost confines of the city to
the river front on the south and thence
to the capitol, which will give to Wash
ington a park system without su-
perior in any quarter of the world.
Congress also voted an appropria-
tion to erect to the memory of Abra-
ham Lincoln in Potomac park monu-
ment which will represent the worlds
most costly pile to the memory of any
man. 1t will be situated at one end
of the Mall, with the capitol at the
other. while between them towers the
shaft that commentaries the life and
work of Washington, and also the
heroic military monument which be-
speaks the nations veneration of
Grant.
F'urtherfore, congress made the in
itial appropriation for the construc-
tion of bridge which will span the
Potomac from the vicinity of the Lin
coin monument to a point below the
gates of Arlington, the home of Rob-
ert E. Lee and now the country's most
historic and famous national ceme-
terry. This bridge will be memorial in
it's character, typifying the reunion OF
the north and south, and promises to
be, the greatest of its kind in the
world.
Still another step in the realization
of the dream of the ultimate Wash
ington was taken in the authorization
of magnificent new department build
to be a fit companion to that struc-
ture, and of the new department of
agriculture. When these plans and
others previously laid out are COM
pleted there will be a group of mag
nificent government buildings south OF
Pennsylvania avenue and east of Fif-
teenth street that will be among the
most imposing in the world. There
is a narrow strip of land south of
Pennsylvania avenue and extending
to the world-famous Mall that con-
meets the capitol and Washington mon
ument. This strip of land, for the
most part, is covered with cheap ho-
tells, restaurants. rooming houses, the
city's leading market, the wholesale
provision and lumber districts and the
red light district. 1t is the plan of the
government to remove all of this and
to make it the site of new federal
buildings.
In addition to all these things, con-
gress has provided for the creation OF
a small park on what is known as
Meridian hill, which marks the hori-
zon from the north front of the White
House. IueIe liiS PSOpit mag SSi''N ~
get a glimpse of the city second only
to that which may be enjoyed from the
dome of the capitol, some l6 miles
long: all but about two miles would
be a line OF green.
1t has been suggested that nowhere
else could national forest be created
to better advantage than between
Washington and Baltimore and along
the Potomac west of Washington.
Here is great stretch of country,
worth but little for farming or lum-
bering, where national forest could
be established at no unreasonable cost.
The west has its Yellowstone park, its
Glacier park and other great national
reserves, but the. east has none. Why
not have one between Washington and
Baltimore, within eight hours ride OF
perhaps a fourth of the countrys pop
ulation? This is the question of the
dreamer of today, but there are those
who believe that in decade congress
will come to give it that same atten-
tion which, after years of effort, 1t
gave to the proposed Appalachian ma
tional forests.
Few of the worlds great capitals
lend themselves so well to the builder
of the city beautiful as the capital of
the United States. With the pictur-
esoue Potomac and its Virginia pali-
sades: with Rock Creek valley filled
with beautiful glens and fine drives;
with a gently undurating downtown
section and with high residential sec
tions. the general conformation Of the
city is more beautiful than that of
Rome, more attractive than that of
Paris. far to be preferred over that of
Berlin, not to be compared with that
of London. Madrid. st. Petersburg or
Mexico City