Evening star., 1935-11-04
The Greater Washington.

The vision of a Greater Washington
entertained by Chairman Frederic A.
pelano of the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, as set forth IN
The Sunday Star, is that OF all resi-
dents of the District who see the Capital
community in its broadest aspect. Yet
few can be found to 60 so far as to
advocate the return of the Virginia por-
ton of the original District or the cesSion
by Maryland of that portion of the metro
poltan area which lies beyond the
northern boundary of the District. In
other words, there is no prospect what
ever of any physical enlargement OF the
Capital area through the action or assent
OF the adjacent States.
Nor, indeed, however desirable uni
fed administration of the Capital area
might be from certain viewpoints, is 1t
altogether assured that there would be
justification or imperative need for such
enlargement. A Greater Washington
in the sense of a veritable Capital area
extending beyond the present boundaries
of the District can be developed through
the cooperation of the three jurisdic-
tions that now cover the space, Federal,
Virginia and Maryland.
Much has been gained in that direc-
tion during the past few decades and
more may be gained in the future
through the enterprise and the pride Of
the adjacent States 1t is now recognized
by both of the States that it is to their
advantage to bring the sections lying
contiguous to the Capital up to the
standard of planning and development
which prevails on the District side of
the boundaries.
Mr.. Delano is quoted in the article in
The Sunday Star as saying that two
obstacles are in the way OF the anneXa-
ton or grant of the adjacent State Sec
tions as part Of the National Capital
taxation and the right to vote. 1t may
be doubted If there would be less objec-
ton TO an enlargement Of the Districts
boundaries on the part of the States
adjacent if those obstacles were removed.
But both OF those unfavorable District
conditions can be corrected, with the aid
of the two States and that Of others
of the Commonwealths of the American
Nation. They can be cured by Congress,
In which both Maryland and Virginia
have voting representation, which the
District has not.
State pride in the National Capital
Is always to be regarded a fxed
factor in the development Of the District
as the symbol of America. 1t has been
manifested in recent years by the two
neighbors, one of which regained its con-
tribution of land and after years of
neglect assumed its responsibility for its
proper development in accord with the
standard of the National Capital. The
other State, which remains the sole con-
tributor of space for the Capital, has CO.
operated admirably in the latter-year
improvements that if continued faith
fully will carry the Greater Washington"
standard of civic equipment far beyond
the boundary line.
The difficulty just lately encountered
st the northern boundary in the matter
of public transportation is, assuredly, a
token of the embarrassment of a rigid
line of jurisdiction in the case of a
segregated urban area But there are
1f
enlargement Of the Districts area, which
would in the long run be merely a case
Of pushing the point of conflict to
greater distance from the center. A rea-
sonable adjustment of that conflict of
Jurisdictions is not beyond attainment