Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-11
A Record Of Achievement.

The people Of the United States will
always be indebted to the SEVENTEEN
Congress for its record of achievement
in Identification of their National Capt.
tai. Il accomplished more in this direc-
ton than any other Congress Of recent
years. One Of its closing acts was ap-
provaI of the bill for charging the Capt.
tol grounds and developing Union Sta
ton Plaza, thus irlsuring completion OF
a task that has remained unfinished for
seventeen years. But this act, reminis-
cent of the last-minute action of the
Sixty-ninth Congress in authorizing the
National Arboretum, came merely as the
climax of a series Of legislative efforts
which in future years are destined to
n,e'ze Washington more beautiful and
representative of the Nation.
Summarizing them, it is recalled that
while the Sixty-ninth Congress author
lied the great Federal building program
on the south side of the Avenue, it re-
manned for the Seventeen Congress to
purchase the whole triangle" south of
Pennsylvania avenue from the Capitol
to the Treasury, and to approve plans
and appropriate money for the magnifi-
cent buildings which will lie in this
triangle. The Congress also appropriate
Cd money to complete the Department
Of Agriculture Building in the Mall, the
Liberty Loan and Bureau of Engraving
gress authorized the municipal center
development; it authorized and appro-
priated more than two million dollars
toward the Mount Vernon boulevard; it
authorized construction of the new Su-
preme Court Building, extension of the
Library of Congress Building, the new
House Office Building annex and the
new conservatory, which will be adj
jacent to the Capitol, southwest of the
Capitol grounds.
The last Congress also made provision
for development of the new Army medi-
cal center at Walter Reed, passed legis-
lation for completing the Tomb. of the
Unknown Soldier, appropriated funds
for new buildings at Fort Humphreys
and provided for many other buildings
in Washington, among them being the
fine new Mckinley School, which will
be recognized as the outstanding school
OF its kind in the East. A statue to
Gen. Artemus Ward, site in Washing
ton for large urn, presented to Presi-
dent Coolidge by the Republic of Cuba;
q monument to Oscar Strauss, former
Secretary of Commerce, and negro
war memorial, to be memorial build
ing, were important additions author
lied by the last Congress to the Capt.
tails growing list of national memorials.
Several large bathing pools for Wash
ington were authorized, but not ap-
propriated for, in the last Congress.
Provision was made for further develop
n1ent Of Meridian Hill Park, where the
Buchanan Memorial will be erected
within the next year. Acquisition of
land and further development of Ana
costa Park and the Rock Creek and
Potomac Parkway are taking place as a
result of legislation enacted by the
Seventeen Congress.
Members of the Capital community,
watching their city gradually attain to
its rightfully pre-eminent beauty among
the cities Of the world, look with hope
to succeeding Congresses, which must
carry to completion the work so we'll
started; which must make even further
departures from the theory, now dis
carded by the majority, that Washing
ton is only for Westinghouse, and
which Will conceive of the Capital as
the Nations tangible expression of its
higher ideals.