Evening star., 1926-03-25
DEMANDS CAPITAL
PARKS COMPLETION
Senator King Tells Commit.
tee of 100 Cost Should Be
Secondary Thought.

Congress should draw a stern les.
son from past mistakes and proceed
Immediately to completion of the Ma
tional Capitals park system, 'even
If it costs $5,00O.000," Senator King
of Utah told the American Civic AS
sociation's Washington committee of
100 last night at it's fourth annual
Federal city dinner.
Lack of vision back in 1901, y
Senator King declared, has resulted
In our being obliged to buy the neces-
sary land for tremendous sums now
when 1t could have been had for a
song then. believe we should finish
our park system here now, even II
1t costs $5.000.000. and think we
should go ahead with our school pro
gram and complete 1t, too, regardless
of the costs"
Senator King asserted that Con-
gress has spent 1881 ,000,o0 on rivers
and harbors "and most OF 1t has been
wasted" Yet he added. I'VE find
hesitancy over making adequate ap-
propriations for two projects that we
know will not result in waste. but
will yield rich dividends in content
ment and progress In the future.
Il hope to live to see our National
Capital the supreme city. 1t should
be representative Of the best that is
In America: it should express our
national ideals. We are supreme
commercially. and We ought to be
supreme artistically and morally and
spiritually. That is the vision Of
the Federal City of the future. and
I regret that we did not have the
vision to begin It's realization sooner
Representative Gibson of Vermont.
added to this his firm belief that
% nra.
ated here "along the banks of the
old Potomac, the most beautiful city
the world has ever known, expressing
in its artistic loveliness all that is
best and most glorious In our Amer
ica." But, Mr.. Gibson cautioned,
time and patience are two elements
that must help realize that dream
Mai. U. S. Grant, Sd. director OF
public buildings and public parks,
responded to the toast. "A Compre-
hensive Plan for the National Capt.
tai" in the course Of which he de-
scribed how the present program
had its inception. Ma. Grant de-
clared 1t had been said the plans Tor
from Paris. but the speaker asserted
the program for the reconstruction
of Paris was put into effect after
L'Enfant's plan for this city had been
made and approved. ,
Charles Moore described the McMn-
Ian report. Like Senator King. ne
deplored the lack Of vision In pre-
yious Congresses. which failed to 0uy
at low prices that land that must be
obtained II the National Capital park
system Is to be created. Much OF the
land toward the northern end OF the
CITY has already been lost. he said.
and he added that no time should oe
lost now In acquiring what Is left OF
the Piney Branch section.
Dorado Taft. the noted sculptor.
besought the diners to make no ut
tie plans" 'Only momentous things,
he said, gather great momentum"
Mr.. Taft asserted that something OF
the spirit with which the people
builded the great cathedrals OF Eu-
rope back in 1.-The dark ages" Is needed
now to realize the dream OF the daz-
zling city that the artists and men
and women of vision have planned
for Washington.
John Barton Payne, the toastmas-
ter. spoke on the Romance of Wash.
ington." Other speakers included DIR.
J. Horace Mcfarland. Charles F. Con-
sui. Col. ]. Franklin Bell. Engineer
Commissioner OF, Washington; j. c.
Nichols. James L. Greenleaf. A. B. NC
Daniel and Horace w. Peaselee. The
dinner was held at the home OF the
American Association Of University
Women, on I street.