Evening star., 1925-02-03

ton, by its authorization OF appro-
Drlations representing 1-cent an
nual contribution for every one Of
the 100000 600 of Americans, sug-
gested that the project was so
broadly national as to interest at
least TO the extent of a cent a year
every man. woman and child in the
republic. But this broad distribution
Of the cost of park development was
not, of course, practicable. It was
provided that the cost of such i'm
proyements in the District should be
paid in accordance with the current,
| ratio of relative contribution by
Nation and Capital. whether $3.50 or
1880. But the action Of Congress
last year in eliminating for the fiscal
years appropriations only, though
without amending the organic act
the provision of any defini I-oror-
tlonate contribution by the alton
and exacting a lump-sum payment
by the National Government in lieu
of such definite proportionate contri-
button robbed the law of equitable
application and rendered il possible
that all Of the cents representing the
100000 of Americans might be
exacted from the 450, 900 Americans
of Washington alone
Washington assumes that this in
| equity is not contemplated and will
not De permitted IN that confidence
Washington wishes the fullest meas
ure of success to the labors of thoss
national upbuilders of the Capital
who have already done so much to-
ward practical development of Wash
1nston as the city of parks, and from
whose energy and intelligently di-
rected enthusiasm even greater
things are TO be reasonably and
confidently expected.
natural supplement Of the Park COM
mission of 1901, and. representing
both Nation and local community, is
TO be supplied with the funds neces-
sary to put into effect the plans of
the 1901 commission SO far as they
meet with the approval today of the
powers that he.
What l said as president of the
Board of Trade in 1899 concerning
the parks campaign of 1900 NAV be
repeated in part by me as president
of the Oldest Inhabitants in anticil
patton of the parks campaign u
1924-25:
Opportunity an UnrivaIed One
No other labor of the centennial
year is more inspiring or more prom
ising of notable results in increasing
the attractiVeness of the Capital than
that of developing Washington as the
city of parks and the forest city by q
vigorous campaign for the series OF
connected reservations above out
lined, utilizing at every step Wash
ington's diversified natural adyan
tages, the urban circles and trtan
giles, the larger reservations which
furnish an emerald setting for pubIic
buildings, the heights to the north
and west, and the beautiful rivers To
IIrh
changing, and should be quickly and
thoroughly transformed from marshes
and malarious wastes into beautiful
landscapes with shaded driveways aHd
with lawn surfaces, diversified by at
tractive lakes.
There would not be, in Vienna or
Budapest, or anywhere in the world. 4
grander ring street or boulevard than
that which would take it's start on
the westward grassy slopes of the
Capitol ground, sweep through the
Mall and Potomac Park and up Rock
Creek to the Zoo and Rock Creek Ma
tional Park; thence by boulevard
to the Soldiers Home, and finally by
boulevards and Anacostia Park back
to the eastern sward and shade trees
and impressive dome Of the Capitol
Its only rival would be the boulevard
drive which should sweep from the
Park, across a magnificent memorial
bridge to Arlington and by a national
boulevard along the Potomac to the
tomb of Washington and Mount Yer
non.
The old Washington is a series OF
parks, connected by broad, park
lined and tree-lined thoroughfares. in
whose verdure and foliage the public
and private buildings are framed.
The park system which thus per
meates the original city is to pervads
in like fashion the new WASHINGTON,
and the ancient park of the fore
fathers plans lying between the Capi-
tol and the White House and touching
the Potomac is to merge into a great
river park system, which will include.
as already suggested, both banks Of
the Potomac, the valley Of Rock
Creek and the fats and heights Of
Anacostia.
Let of the Washington of TO-DAY
in building up the Nations City of the
second century of its life, emulate the
breadth and boldness in design and
the vigor in execution which ware
displayed at the end of the last cen
tury and in 1900 by the founders III
the Capftal"