Evening star., 1927-02-22
ARbORETUMb BILL
CONFERENCE ASKED
Senate Bids House Group to
Meet to Push Action-Fa-
vorabIe Comment Here.

The Senate yesterday afternoon
asked for a conference with the House
on the bill to establish a national ar.
boretum for the Department Of Agri.
culture in Washington. which has
| passed both branches Of Congress. but
In which there are certain amend.
ments to be agreed to.
The conference was requested by
Senator McNary of Oregon. chairman
Of the Senate agriculture committee,
who was appointed one of the con.
ferees. together with Senator'S Norris
| Of Nebraska and Smith of South Caro-
lima,
1t is understood the conference will
be held as soon as possible after the
House appoints its managers, so that
| no time will be lost in reporting back
the findings Of the conferees on the
amendments. Indications are that the
main purpose Of the conference is to
discuss the House amendment limiting
the purchase price Of land for the ar
boretum to rs per cent above the as
sessed valuation.
Favorable Sentiment Grows.
Now that the national arboretum
bill has reached conference stage.
there is increasing sentiment among
members OF the House not only to de-
velop great arboretum that will
eventually eclipse any such scientific
institution in any other country, but
to utilize 1t to enhnace the beauty of
the National Capital.
Representative Boylan Of New York
enthusiastically suggested to his col
leagues in speech in the House
that the north side Of Pennsylvania
avenue should be taken as site
for the national arboretum, and he
emphasized how a beautiful approach
to the Capital City from the east can
be made where now IL Is q stretch
Of undeveloped cheap land. Mr.. Boy.
Ian said:
III l had my way, I would change
the location OF this arboretum to the
north side Of Pennsylvania avenue.
II We included the north side Of Penn.
sylvanta avenue we could remove the
splendid vista that now greets us
when we enter the Nations Capital
When we drive from the Union Sta
ton to Pennsylvania avenue the first
thing we see is a peanut stand at the
foot OF Pennsylvania avenue; adjoin-
ing that Is one-armed restaurant,
and then we have A gypsy fortune
teller's place, a Chinese laundry, sec.
ond-hand shops and then We have sew
acter, giving a beautiful aspect and
leaving a wonderful memory Of ones
entrance to the city of these beauti-
full dumps along the north side OF
Pennsylvania avenue. Yet we sit here
and shout about buying a little land
at the rate OF 21a cents foot. Why,
1t is terribly expensive land; just
think. IN cents foot, $1,000
an acre. Why, gentlemen. It is a
disgrace to the City Of Washington.
1t Ia really a reflection upon the Con-
gress that the approach to this city
Is in such an awful condition.
Urges Plans for Future
Take the city of Philadelphia, with
its magnificent approach of 10 or IS
miles. beautifully parked, or the beau
tiful Bronx River Parkway, In New
York City That Is what we ought
to have coming into Washington, and
that Is what we ought to have going
out OF Washington, not only to the
south but to the north and to the east
and to the west. We should have
such city here that people coming
from other parts of the country can
go back to their home city or State
and say, we have seen a beautiful
model of city in the city Of Wash
ington and we will try to emulate 1t
in our own town or city. What do
we care about locating something of
national Importance far to the south,
to east or west, where it would be in
accessible?
There is nothing we can do too big
or too great to beau;ify this city of
Washington, because we are not
tanning for the day or for the hour:
we are looking ahead for the years
that are to come. and We do not want
to have it cast UP IN those years that
we failed to visualize the opportunity
to beautify this magnificent city.
We have already made a splendid
start. The Sixty-ninth Congress, in
literally approaching money for new
buildings in Washington, Is entitled to
the commendation Of the entire coun-
try. Let us 80 further and create a
magnificent park SYSTEM around the
entire city of Washington, and let
us wipe out the dumps and other OBJ
| noxious buildings existing along the
north side of Pennsylvania Avenue
and other sections of the city.
Representative Davey of Ohio spoke
as an authority on trees in calling to
the attention of his fellow members
the advantages of giving the largest
possible number Of people an oppor-
tunity to visit as sanctuary an un.
matched beauty spot of nature. He
pointed out that most of the objec.
tions made to the arboretum Iegisla-
tion were biased on rather ordinary
and petty considerations.
More Than Growing Trees.
There is something to a national
arboretum outside Of merely growing
trees and plants for research and edu-
cation, valuable as that is," said Mr.
Davey. 1T rises high above the con.
troversy over the price of land or the
specious argument that 1t might just
as we'll he established anywhere In the
United States. The real purpose of
an arboretum is to gather specimens
of all the trees and plants and flowers
that can he grown in this latitude and
those that can be acclimated. The OBJ
ject of a national arboretum Is to es-
tablish it where the greatest number
Of people can be benefited and where
the technical staff Of the Government.
1t is proposed to develop a great
beauty spot that will include all the
kinds and varieties of growing things
with which nature has blessed us.
II have been wondering what the
world would be If we could take out
of it all of the things that represent
the finer side Of life. Would mere
food and clothing and shelter satisfy
the instructive longing Of civilized
man for beauty and happiness? What
would the world be IL we could re-
move from it all Of the benefits Of art
and literature and music and religion