Evening star., 1925-12-01
BY WILL +. KENNEDY.

Erection of the new Arlington Me
oO0th anniversary OF the birth OF
George Washington have given fresh
impetus TO the proposed Mount Yer
non boulevard. from the city Of Wash
inCton to his home and tomb on the
Mount Vernon estate. Action is eN-
peCted from the incoming Congress
because G) the Mount Vernon boule-
ward is to he the official southern ap-
proaCh to the Memorial bridge: t2l it
is the one outstanding feature for the
celebration planned for 1882. when the
world will come to Washington TO pay
pilgrimage to WashinGton's tomb, and
81 there IS an Immediate need for a
more capaCioIs highway to meet the
demands of the rapidly inCrea sing
number Of tourists who visit Mount
Vernon lin 1855 there were 3a 900. a nd
last year there We're more than 400
000l
This project has been sympa-
thetiCally considered by Congress for
40 years. and has always been con
sidered certain Of being carried out
eventually. For the last Is Years the
National Congress Of the u. A. r has
supported the proposal actively, and
the present president general. Mrs.
Anthony Wayne Cook, is al ardent
advocate. 1t is urged by the Rurea IL
of Public Roads of the Department OF
Agriculture s a very important and
necessary development. The bin pro.
vfdng for approval by Congress will
be introduced early in the coming ses-
sion by Representative +. Walton
Moore of Virginia. who represents the
Mount Vernon district and who in
troduced the measure for creation OF a
90 sol, N.-l,f f,I t.,
plan for fitting celebration of Wash
ington's 200th birthday anniversary.
Part of Development Plan
The Mount Vernon boulevard Is an
important feature OF the comprehen-
sive program for carrying forward the
plans of Mai. L'Enfant and Gen.
Washington for building the greatest
and most beautiful Capital City in the
world on the banks of the Potomac.
Resides being the official approach to
the Capital across the new Memoria
bridge. it would connect at the bridge
with the Lee highway coming down
from the west. with the Palisade
drives to Great Falls on both banks
of the river. with the parkway system
entirely surrounding the National Cap
ital through a chain of old forts and
modern recreation plants. 1t would
not only lead tourists from the south
to the great Lincoln and other me-
MORALS in the Capital City, hut it
would be the start of a great high.
way to be later extended to that beauti-
full riverside cedar grove at Wakefield,
Va, which marks the birthplace of
Washington, and then on to the heart
Of the southland.
SO important was the Mount Vernon
boulevard project considered at the
time the famous Mcmillan Park Com.
mission made its comprehensive sur
vey and report, which has since been
considered as the guide for develop
ment, that d special chapter was de-
voted to this monumental idea. 1t
was made an essential feature of the
Mcmillan plan.
Charles Moore. chairman Of the
Commission OF Fine Arts who was
secretary of the Mcmillan commits
sion. and who wrote the very able
report. emphasizes that:
The city of Washington now has
a population of about half a million
and we must look ahead to a popula
| ton of million within a compara-
! lively short time. Washington has
already overGrown it's bounda ries. the
( boundaries of the District Of Colum-
| bia- It is already out in Maryland
! The extensive development between
! here and Alexandria has all come in
| the past 20 years.
| Jackson City. at the end of the
Highway Bridge. was a place where
| no respectable person dared to go at
| night. That has all been cleaned out.
Development Is Under Way.
| THE Government is already over in
! Virginia. 1t owns a little more than
one twentieth of that portion of the
| District that was retroceded to Vir.
ginia in 1S46-in Arlington and Fort
| Myer. Then the Government has
about 1000 acres at Camp Humphreys
Camp Humphreys is the headquar
ters of the Army Engineers. Also
the District has a very large holding
over 1000 acres, adjoining or com
Ing down to Camp Humphreys. The
| Manassas Battlefield Association Is
acquiring that historic spot for q ma
/ tional park and then there ID Mount
| Vernon. pre- <minently.
| Now, it is not a question Of the
| Government going over into Virginia
! The Government Is already over there
In time all the Government holdings
| will be linked up by road. All OF
those various features-Arlington
! Mana ssas. Occoquan, Camp Hum
phreys. Mount Nernon-wir he linked
| up with the park system of greater
| Washington, il you please; so that
| when you are planning a road tc
Mount Vernon YOU are planning E
! part of the outer park system of the