Evening star., 1927-10-30
By BEN McKELWAY.

One of the speakers at a luncheon
during the travelling meeting Of the
American Civic Association through
sections of New England last week
described the manner in which he
convinced the common council of his
city to embark upon park plan. 1t
was a particularly common common
council, he said, whose members In
sisted on being shown before commit
ting themselves. SO he arranged
trip for them to Boston, and they
toured the parks there and witnessed
what can be done when there Is a
willingness to do 1t. In Boston's
Franklin Park, he said, he was still
uncertain of the visiting councils re-
actions until the most drunken OF the
councilmen exclaimed sarcastically.
Hell, we can make a better park
than that at home any day." The
common council then returned home
and went to work to outdo Boston's
park system.
The story may or may not have any
bearing on the suggestion which is to
1olloW. But why not Il tour by men,
DefS or Congress, in which they could
visit cities of the country and find
out how far many of these cities have
outstripped the National Capital in
| park development? Congressman find
1t necessary to go to Panama, Haiti,
| the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Alaska and
other points far east, south and west
to examine personally the things that
tney think ought to be examined per-
sonally. A few years ago it seemed
that every member of Congress who
could be spared from mending fences
pack home went all the way to Eu-
rope, and even Russia and made eco
nomlc studies and political studies" T"
just as Mayor Jimmie Walker went
10 Ireland and Italy and studied the
problems OF municipal government. In
other words. if the necessity for such
| tours has been proved, why not a
congressional tour of the United
! States to determine just how the Ma.
| tlons Capital stands In the matter of
PARK development. city planning, re-.
glonal development and other types of
| development?
X X X
The thing that might impress these
| tourists most. IL they went to Boston
or 10 Providence, is the fact that
while Washington has a beautiful
park system today, it is not a park
! system which will cause a visitor in
6oston to erect a soap box in the
common and rave about it. Nor would
lt be surprising if, both in Boston and
IN providence, the congressman felt
not waves mounting their cheeks to
! cause what is commonly termed a
Dlush OF shame. Both of these cities
inside their limits and beyond them
nave park systems comparable in
beauty and attractiveness to Wash.
lngtons, but the main point is the
lact that both cities acquired and
developed their park systems under
far greater natural handicaps than
ever confronted Washington.
| The natural beauty of Washing
| ton Is not to be compared to that of
| Boston and Providence-for Wash
lngton Is far more beautiful, and it
| IS only natural that IL should be.
| washington has not had to con.
tend with narrow, crooked streets
nor with smoke-belching industrial
| plants. Nor does it today have to
worry about a hideous railroad sta
| ton In the center of town. with its
| trackage and freight yards and SCOT.
stained buildings. Nor has Washing
ton been forced at any time to dc
ht-about- face and begin plan
ming for It's growth when It's growth
had already extended almost hope
lessly beyond the stage OF planning
Washington was provided with a
plan. great plan, in the first place.
| These other cities were not. But
| If Washington had accomplished half
| as much with It's plan as these other
| cities have accomplished in the face