Evening star., 1917-05-20

a T the recent national parks con-
A ference the proposal that GER
tain lands in the vicinity OF
Washington should be converted into a
national park was enthusiastically dis
cussed and indorsed. One proposition
looked to the conversion of stretches
of land between Baltimore and Wash
ington; another to the taking over for
national park purposes of lands on the
west side OF Chesapeake bay, and still
another idea was that the lands in
southern Maryland ON the lower Po-
tomac should be preserved as na-
tional park.
Tho proposed and planned conserva-
tion of the power OF the Potomac river
above Washington. the submergence
of many localities and topographic
people and the conversion OF the river
from Great Falls to a point near the
Little Falls into lake also calls to
mind plan for conserving the high
wooded lands along the river. 1t was
a plan to which considerable publicity
was given at and following the ma
tional conservation congress which
was held at st. Paul, MINI. in 1910.
Former Ambassador Bryce, once in
speaking on the future of Washington
city, said:
'sThe Potomac has two kinds Of
beauty-the beauty of the upper
stream. murmuring over a rocky bed
between bold heights crowned with
wood, and beauty of the wide expanse,
spread like lake below the city into
a vast sheet of silver. On the north,
east and west sides of Washington,
and on the Virginia side also, the coun-
try Is singularly charming, quite as
beautiful as that which adjoins any
nf Srraaf nf E>,pro
except, of course. Constantinople, with
its wonderful Bosporus. No European
city has SO noble a cataract in its vicin-
ity as the Great Falls of the Potomac,
a magnificent piece Of scenery which
you will. of course always preserve.
Nature has done SO much that you are
called upon to do more You have
such a chance offered to you here for
building up superb capital that it
would be almost an act OF ingratitude
to Providence and to history and to
the men who planned the city here II
you did not use the advantages that
you here enjoy"
William L. Ellicott Of Baltimore. n
delegate to the st. Paul conservation
congress, suggested the creation of a
great national park bordering on the
District of Columbia 1t was proposed
to accomplish this by acquiring reser-
vations along the Potomac, the Patux-
ent and the Anacostia rivers. covering
territory between Washington. Ralti.
palisades and the banks of the Poto-
mac from Mount Vernon to and beyond
the Great Falls. A committee OF the
American Institute of Architects on
the conservation Of natural resources
Glenn Brown, william NJ. Ellicott,
James Knox Taylor and Cass Gilbert
drew up a report on this proposition
and said:
The people of the United States need
an object lesson in forest conservation.
It will be benefit not only to the peo-
pie around Washington. but 1t will be
an example which will be followed by
all the states of the Union. Your COM
mfttee wishes the institute to indorse-
this measure and desires the officers of
the institute to participate actively in
securing the necessary Legislation to
make 1t a realization"
The committee said that forest res
eryation IN this locality would be un-
der the eye of the Department OF -Agri-
culture and would be directly under
the forestry bureau. and accessible to