Evening star., 1926-12-12
CAPpER ENDORSES
TRIANGLE PLANS
Declares Building Program
Cares for Government
Needs for so Years.

Declaring that the country Is in
terested in the Identification and i'm.
provement Of the Capital City, Sena-
tor Capper of Kansas. chairman of
the Senate District committee, came
out last night in strong support OF
the plan of the Public Buildings Com
mission to develop the triangle be-
tween Pennsylvania avenue ana B
street and from Fifteenth street to
the Capitol, for public buildings.
Senator Capper said the sum re.
auired to carry out the plan is small
in comparison to the Dement'S 10 ne
derived and voiced the prediction
that every American who has any
knowledge of the National Capltai
will approve of the investment.
"As a matter of fact" he saio'
"the saving in rentals now pald pV
the Government for unfit quarters
will i'm the course of less than
generation. more than counter
balance the expenditure proposes.
Long after their other attainIIeheS
have been forgotten, the memoeiS y,
the Public Buildings Commission "u
all who participate in the actual az
complishment of the plan propoH,su
will be gratefully remempeieu
future generations who snslI 49,, MI"
washington as the most peau'iiui
and inspiring city in the "oli"'
Cause For Pride.
..,rhs members OF the sixth -ninth
congress who lend their aid TO lne
nroiected public buildings proE 'an, an
LII hove good reason for viewing the
,r,.asant session with pride. They can
ba s,ra of the full approval OF their
nonst;t,,ents of all that Is done TO
make washington the city tnal
was originally intended to pe.
Congress already has authorizeu
$50 900 900, to be appropriated at tne
rate of $4,000, 900 annually, 10, .ne
erection of needed Federal puiioihss'
including some necessary N,iu p
chases. Since that authorlZatioI, We We
made last Spring, however, the puiiu
;ncs commission has urged an auol'
tionaI authorization Of $25 ,O0O.0OV 70
complete the purchase OF the prlVately
owned land In. the so-called Pennsyl'
vania. avenue triangle so that lne
area between the Capitol ana the
Trea sury may be suitably devefoped
ond annie space provided for the
Government needs for years 70 CUM
II is on this latter proposal that ac-
ton il being sought in Congress al
this session.
Zeal For Future.
Continuing the expression OF MS
views of the plan, Senator Cappel
said:
II do not know an American VINO
has ever visited Washington who has
not gone away with q greater PRIDE
In his country and with a real zeal Tor
making it's Capiol City an even more
impressive evidence of the power and
intelligence Of the Nation. a.,
But, many Of them have wondered
at the truly disgraceful appearance
of q slange part Of, PennsyISaniaa
a venue. between the Capitol ana
treasury and have wondered also at
the fact that the wealthiest and most
enlightened Nation in the world
houses many of it's workers in rented
buildings that are mere Rhacks ana
firetraps.
"The plans evolved by the Public
Buildings Commission are undoupt-
edly not only the most comprehensive
and far-sighted that have ever neen
prepared, but the greatest In point OF
artistic conception. They emorace
and euyfsion a broad avenue. inter-
spersed with beautiful park areas, tx
tending from the Capitol to the WASH
incton Monument and Lincoln ME-
mortal, fianked by impressive ana
architecturally harmonious bulioihgs
| housing practically all the Govern
ment departments.
Vision of Future.
"This avenue will be connected with
the new one leading to the Union
Station and the one giving approach
TO the great new Memorial Brldge
over the Potomac to Arlington. Inc
Government will own all the property
along the south side of Pennsylvania
avenue between the Treasury and the
Capitol, and its development OF lnat
| area assures the upbuilding ana nm
provement by private interests OF the
other side Of the Avenue. The prox-
unity of the Government departments,
with their thousands of employees, will,
| without a doubt, lead to the erection
of subst artial and handsome off1ce
| and mercantile structures along the
north side Of Pennsylvania avenue,
replacing those which now constitute
an eyesore.
'"The great advantage of the plan
over all those which previously ,rhaV We
| been proposed Is that IL embraces not
only the needs Of the present, but the
probable requirements of the Govern
ment for a period of 4 so years in the
future. We cannot Afford to follow
a piecemeal policy, for not only would
II be more expensive from. the stand
point OF the money required later for
purchase of additional areas, but 1t
would undoubtedly result in a destruc-
ton of the unity of concept, the un-
marred completeness. of a single large
area designed and devoted exclusively
to the business of the Government.
| zone hundred and thirty-f1ve years
have passed since Pierre L'Enfant be-
gan the work of planning a city that
would excel any other In the world
from the standpoint Of beauty, and
at the same time be most convenient
and practical for the conduct of a
nations government. The plan Of the
| Public Buildings Commission Is essen
TALLY an adoption Of L'Enfant's work