Evening star., 1915-04-29
SOUTH AMERICAN
HINTS TO CONGRESS
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! IIIIlIO IOIUUUNuRLOO
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edge of the bay. which constitutes th
city's harbor AS general result o
the rebuilding campaign these dis
connected villages have been united
Hills have been removed Gu
through, whole blocks of squalid tene
ments have been leveled. marrow
streets have been broadened, great ave
nues have been made and lined will
hne buildings, and new Rio has beeI
created. harmonious. homogeneous, on
of the most beautiful capitals in thu
world. The city in plan and execution
| is made worthy of it's location on {
magnificent bay. picturesque in 1t!
environment of green hills and yellow
curving coast line, attractive in the
islands with which it is adorned ant
in the luxuriance of tropical vegeta
| ton which covers both hills and is
lands, and so extensive in area as tt
furnish fifty miles of harbor.
Among the features in detail Of the
Rio Improvement plan were the con
struction of a quay follow ing the shore
line two and one-sixth miles long
costing from twenty-five to forty-twt
millions. according to varying esti-
mates: and of especial interest to
Washingtonians the construction of the
great Avenida Central (the Penn
sylvania avenue of Rio), one and one
eighth miles in length, 108 feet broad
running in a straight line from sea to
sea and serving as the principal out
let Of the congested business section
especially of the quay and the river
front. Over 500 buildings were demol-
ished In preparing the way, 1900 la
borers working night and day. Its
construction was commenced Novem-
ber Is, 1905, and completed in twenty
two months at cost of about S11,50O,-
600. which covers clearing of the
ground, paving, construction OF cleo
trio lighted buildings, and opening OF
on the made-to-order avenue are the
Municipal Opera House. National Lii
brary. National School of Fine Arts
and the attractive Monroe Palace.
rebuilding was between 1904 and 1908
when on those two objects s60.00O,000
were expended. The total expendi-
ture will. 1t is estimated. amount to as
much as S200.000,000
Adherence to the spirit which AMI
mated the forefathers and which is so
strong In Buenos Aires and Rio today
and the expenditure of a few million
dollars would solve for all time the
problem of public building emp1ace-
ment in Washington and would make
of Pennsylvania avenue one OF the
most magnificent thoroughfares In the
world, worthy to compare with the
Avenida de Mayo, the Pennsylvania
avenue of Buenos Aires, and the Ave-
nida Central, the Pennsylvania avenue
of Rio.
The Continents Great Avenues.
Argentina has recently spent millions
in tearing down blocks of houses at
one end of the Avenida de Mayo
tn lro tah MT
for it's new capitol. Brazil leveled 500
houses and spent many millions in de-
velopins into a harmonious and con-
sistent thoroughfare Rios Avenida
Central.
with far simpler task to accom-
plish, can we not bring to the solution
Of our problem patriotic liberaDty
and an artistic sense like those ami
mating the Argentines and che Bra
ztlians?
"'rhe first duty, then, of us Americans
is to transform from ugliness into
beauty the south side of Pennsylva MIA
avenue. and at the same time to meet
adequately without encroachment on
the public parks the governments ur-
gent need of sites for public buildings.
Then should follow the perfecttng of
the system of outer parks. like those
of Buenos Aires, which was outlined
and urged by the Board of Trade
twelve years ago. and which the Nc
MILAN park commission has so skill
fully. artistically and attractively
elaborated in it's report.
The main features of this park system,
which shall utilize and connect exist
until both banks Of the Potomac and
of the Anacostis and of Rock creek
shall be merged into a single great
park. are G) connection of Potomac
Park and the Mall by memorial bridge
with Arlington, and by boulevard along
the Virginia Potomac Heights with Mount
Vernon. thus bringing into a harmoni-
Gus whole the public grounds on both
banks of the Potomac; ca connection
of this Potomac Park system by park
way and boulevard with the Zoo and
Rock Creek Park; t3) connection of the
Rock Creek Park system by boulevard
and Soldiers Home with the parks now
in process of formation on both banks
of the Anacostia. including st, Eliza
beth's, with it's fine view, and ~ Wig
orous development of the Anacostia
parks and the connection of this sys-
TEN by boulevard with the Capitol
grounds, the Mall and the Potomac
Park system.
favorable on the whole to the capitals
upbuilding; with President Taft in
the White House, an earnest, helpful
and untiring friend of the city; with
the cabinet IN harmony with the cap
tal-building plans of the executive
head; with Congress impressed by the
earnest and effective representations
of influential senators and representa-
tives, leaders in both parties; with an
energetic superintendent of public
buildings and grounds and a thorough
ly capable fine arts commission: with
District Commissioners devoted even
TO excess to the exploitation OF Wash
ington as primarily the nations city;
with citizens organizations and their
epecial committees full Of loyalty and
enthusia sm, and with a nation wide and
ever-increasing interest in the National
Capital among all Americans.
Removal of the national humiliation
of the condition of q section of Penn
sylvania avenue and securing of the
vital connecting links which would give
to Washington ar outer park system
unsurpassed for varied beauty and pic
turesGue attractiveness in all the
world would cost only a fraction of
what has been spent III Buenos Aires
or III Rio for like purposes.
"It il unbelievable that in national
pride and nv a capital builder the great
republic will. when the aituation In ap-
precfated, continue to lag behind Ar
Gcntina and Brazil.
Sharing Municipal Expenses.
Under the head of comparative nber
ality in adequate and ungrudging CAPT
tai municipal maintenance 1t was sait
in this editorial correspondence: