Evening star., 1927-10-28
|DE[AN0 STRESSES
CAPITAL PLANNING
Civic Association Ends Tour
of New England Dis
trict Today.
BY BEN McKELWAY,

stan correspondent OF Inc star.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass, October 2S.-
The first Yelling meeting" of the
American Civic Association will close
here this evening after a tour today
of the Connecticut Valley from Spring
field to Greenfield, a tour which offers
an excellent opportunity to study the
efforts being made by three counties,
five cities and 67 towns to, adopt
regional plan of development when
their only common interests lie in
their proximity, a faith IN Massa.
chusetts and a strongly entrenched
belief that a Presidents not choosing
ITO run in 1928 does notse cut 1rnnch ice
il the country chooses to elect him.
Members of the American Civic AS
sociation who have been touring Sec
tions of New England have seen the
case of Boston, where a city predomi-
mates an area OF smaller cities; OF
Providence, where a city has overflow
ed it's limits and would like to pre-
dominate the other cities in it's i'm.
mediate vicinity, and today they are
witnessing a condition where some 70
political units. none of them predoml-
Mating, have been living and growing
odd years Today these cities are
hoping to do something comparatively
to plan together their future growth,
but as far as can be seen the step
has not progressed much beyond the
stage of thinking and hoping.
Capital Is Stressed.
But of more interest to Washing
xxrhn
ing small part in, regional develop
ment plan Of their own, is the effort
which has been made by the American
Civic Association during this tour not
only to stimulate enthusiasms in this
potent voting region for the develop
ment of the American Capital. but to
center the attention of these voters
upon the fundamental reason why
Washington is not being developed
more rapidly in accordance with the
plan of the founders.
There are increasing indications
that the American Civic Association.
long a factor in creating interest in
the Capitals development, will in
future use it's widespread organization
of committees on the Federal City to
disseminate educational information
throughout the country relating to
the tendency of Congress to shift the
burdens for development of Washing
ton to the shoulders of the local tax
payers in the District Of Columbia.
thereby curtailing the development of
the Capital.
Addressing the members of the civic
improvement committee of the Provi-
dence Chamber of Commerce yester-
day, DIR. J. Horace Mcfarland of Har-
risburg, Pa, for 20 years a president
Of the American Civic Association and
long a friend Of Washington, declared
that the National Capital is on the
point of being starved" because of
the continued practice by Congress of
treating the District of Columbia as
private enterprise" instead of as the
great Federal city for which it was
planned.
He classified as one of the major
activities of the American Civic Asso-
citation it's work in connection with the
development of Washington, and urged
his hearers to interest their represent
atives in Congress in giving Wash
ingtOnians square deal
Recalls First Plans.
DR.. Mcfarland recalled the plans for
Washington by the founders of the
republic and their intention that it de-
yeIop as a great National Capital.
Instead of developing it as they
planned, your Federal city Is now in
danger of being starved to DEATH
he said. PLANNED originally as city
for the manufacture of our laws,
Washington should have been devel.
oped as a model city, for 1t is the only
CITY in the country that was planned
for it's purpose. But Congress per-
sists in treating it as a private enter.
prise.
"In Washington we have the De.
partment of Agriculture. which
furnishes free information to the
farmers, and the Department of Com.
merce, which furnishes free informa-
ton on other subjects. And yet there
Is no source in Washington for a free
supply of civic information based on
experiments in conducting a model
city.
ION the contrary, those who live
| in Washington are now paying nearly
| 80 per cent of the cost Of maintaining
your Federal city.
Congress has removed for its own
use the best tax producing land in
| Washington. AM instead of making
these WashingtoAyans pay what they
ought to pay. makes them pay for the
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