Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-20

By staff Correspondent of The Star.
| LURAY, Va, January 2O.-IheT
pledges to construct a great memorial
| highway to Gen. Robert Il. Lee dedi-
Gated anew on the day of his birth in
| a two-day meeting held in the Valley
of Virginia, where many OF his min
tary triumphS were accomplished,
delegates to the Lee Highway Asso-
cations annual convention were on
their way home today with a pro-
gram before them that will sweep the
Lee highway further forward in It's
transcontinental concept from Maine
through Washington to the PACING
Coast.
They left for their homes pledged
to renew their efforts to rush to COM
pletion one of the last remaining links
in the road, the 21-mile gap through
the proposed Shenandoah National
Park region near Thorntons Gap, va,
and to persist in their determination
to carry the Lee boulevard through
Arlington County, according to the
plans laid down by Army engineers
working in cooperation with the asso-
citation.
johnson ReiterateS Stand.
In his first public utterance since
last Spring, when the straight-to-the-
Arlington Bridge proposal caused a
rift in the ranks of those interested IN
the Arlington County boulevard de-
velopment. DR. S. NJ. Johnson OF
Washington, managing director OF the
association, late yesterday reiterated
his opposition to any proposal tnal
will cause the road to deViate from the
route laid down by the engineers. he
said there has not been and is not
that of Lee
boulevard for a roadway more imam
so feet wide connecting Washington
with the Valley of Virginia.
Drawing a picture of the valley as
suburb of Washington when the wv
| foot roadway becomes reailty, IT
Johnson said the only possible
chance to secure such a roadway Is
! in the proposed location. Earlier IN
the day w. S. Hoge, jr, explained
| that the route will go immediately
north of Fort Myer from the west
end of the Arlington Bridge, run
south of and avoid Clarendon, ana
RaIIston and. under present plans,
| tie in with the present roadway 10
Fairfax beyond Falls Church.
while there may be and probably
will be two roadways to Warrenton,
the Lee Boulevard should properly
| be the only one of 200-feet width
| through the Shenandoah Park TO
New Market" DR.. Johnson SAID. IL
Virginia wants this road she Will ap-
prove our plans. If Virginia decides 1t
wants a boulevard of not more than
| 80 feet in width that is what the
State Highway Commission VIII ap-
prove
Urges Unity i'm Work.
s"There is no more important To-
| cal road to be built than the ROAD
| through Clarendon to Falls Churcn:
But that is county road. Let US all
stand together and work together
| whether we come from the valley OF
Virginia. from Washington or from
Arlington County. What is good for
| one section is good for all, and divid-
ed we cannot win.
I'VE have devoted years Of effort
to secure a 200-foot boulevard between
! washington and New Market as
part of the plan of regional develop
ment for Washington. We have had
delays in Arlington County, but 1
knew that parking space in Claren-
| don and Ballston is more valuable
to the merchants and residents OF
| those places than the occasional
nickel, which through travellers on
a boulevard Will leave there. l. also
| knew the engineers favored a road
way which would avoid the built-up
! territory and take the boulevard
through the more beautiful country
/ away from the towns. These were
the major reasons, together with
| those of ground configuration, which
prompted us to locate Lee Boulevard
where it is over the objections Of the
straight-to-t he-bridge advocates. So on
| this basis we have selected and Sc
cured 200-foot right of way So per
cent. complete from Washington to
| Warrenton Some of the roadway is