Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-21
A Nationally Controlled
Mt. Vernon a Disaster
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
A bin now before Congress to purchase
Mount Vernon and place 1t under Gov
stittte calamity little short Of total
destruction by fire or cataclysm. Under
national control the home Of Washing
ton, the only really sacred place to
every citizen of this country, regardless
of creed and political aff1liation, would
result in q government by the politi-
clans and Office hunters for their sole
profit and without any possible benefit
either to the place or to its now in
Vulnerable visitors. The result OF such
a transference would be a change in
administration and principle with every
new presidential election, and Mount
Vernon would be little less than a
party plum" It would be as little re-
garded and as poorly preserved as our
natural resources under varying success
sive policies Nor would it be probable
that the ruling political parties and
their bosses would permit the President
or his Secretaries to appoint the best
man for the purpose, one who would
show piety in his efforts to preserve and
administer in the spirit Of Washington
and his day and views.
We are already before the bill Is
passed, informed that the place would
be thrown open free to the public. All
visitors of our public and national parks
know what that would mean. There
would be concessions to politicians
for former Services-cOnceSSionS for
hotels, for lunch stands, for picnic
grounds, for public meetings, for feast
days, for celebrations and all the In
Vulnerable amusements which deface
our public and national parks. There
would be scores upon scores of automo-
biles, with new roads and paths; and
treasure hunters and minor as well as
elder undesirables would pull, cut, de-
face and spoil what nature until now
has left undisturbed and comparatively
virgin in the atmosphere of washington
and his time. Imagine the usual mobS
scattering papers and cardboard boxes
and lunch remains, while the autos
would poison the air to the certain de-
struction and detriment OF trees ana
flowers Barracks and tents for camp
ers have no place here, nor dogs and
any destructive animals. Men and
women now go to tread the holy ground
of Washington; but then they would go
to destroy and deface. Smoking, now
forbidden, would be looked upon as a
necessary amusement, with the same
result of destructive fires as in our ma
tionaI forests. Every new adminiStra-
ton would introduce new rules. new
improvements" and before long there
would be nothing that would impress
the visitor as reminiscent of Washing
ton and remind him of his life, his per-
sonality and his time. AS Mount YER
non is now administered it evokes in
us piety, reverence and patriotism. I'm
der Government control 1t would be
occupied in the manner of the open
space around the washington MOnu-
ment, by picnickers and foot ball fans.
Mount Vernon at present is large unit
in our Washingtonian memorabilia, a
class of reverable objects in which
Congress and Government have never
taken the slightest interest.
It Is to be hoped that every patriotic
citizen, every one interested in keeping
green the life and personality of Wash
ir1gton. will use his utmost endeavors
to have the President veto any bill
tending to change the present care,
mode of administration and atmosphere
of Washington's home. Let 1t remain
the national shrine 1t now Is. Our his
torical memorabilia of whatsoever ma
ture have always Jared best in the
hands of our historical societies, ana
other institutions, in which love rules
and politics are excluded. The Mount
Vernon Ladies' Association has stood
the test in the past. and Mount Vernon
should be left to them. For Our Ma
tional Government to step in and make
the big grab would be sacrilege to
many and deeply regrettable to all lovers
of washington and the soil he trod.
GUSTAvUS A. Essen.
New York City.