Evening star., 1940-07-08
Washington Grows Up

+ Washington Grows Up
Washington has grown up. What
is more, the city is continuing to
grow at pace which should make
traditional rivals in population look
to their laurels Already Washington
has forged ahead of Buffalo and
Milwaukee and may supplant San
Francisco in eleventh place in the
, list of the Nations larger cities.
There is nothing artificial nor transi-
tory about this tremendous growth
of the National Capital. The ex-
pansion has been steady and healthy
and permanent. The census figures
for the past century and a quarter
show that the general upward trend
has been constant, with never a
suggestion of a leveling off or of
retrogression. 1t is interesting, in
cidentally, to note that most of the
major wars in the country's history
have been accompanied or followed
by squirt in Washington's popula-
ton. The period of greatest growth,
however, was during the past decade
when the only war was an
internal one-against unprecedented
forces of economic depression. This
was period of extraordinary gov
ernmental expansion, with vast CEN
tralization of authority at the seat
of Government. In this era-from
1880 to 1940-the population rose
from 486,869 to 663,153, a gain of
1862 per cent.
The rapid development of Wash
tngton should occasion no surprise.
1t is inevitable that as the Nation
grows, so grows its Capital. And
as Washington grows, so grow her
sister suburban communities. Prince
Georges and Montgomery Counties
in nearby Maryland, Arlington and
Fairfax Counties and the city of
Alexandria across the Potomac River
all have shown continuation of
the trend to the suburbs, so marked
in the 1880 census.
The census figures reflect the
natural extension of residential
areas not only beyond the limits of
the District of Columbia, but in the
less congested sections of the District
to the south and east of the Capitol.
In it is the great eastern section of
the District for which the National
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion has laid out a broad plan for
public building and parkway devel-
opment.
The new figures also serve to ac-
centuate some of Washington's
needs. A fast-growing city cannot
afford to fall behind in the many
services which it's spreading popu-
lation demands. Educational, health,
social welfare, law enforcement and
other essential facilities of a great
metropolis must keep pace with its
citizenry. But Washington's in
equitable lump sum method of ap-
propriating for such services and
the tendency toward haphazard
legislating do not permit of intelli-
gent, long-range planning and de-
velopment of schools, welfare insti-
tutions, law enforcement and safety
agencies and other civic establish
ments and activities. One outstand-
ing example of this neglect is the
Metropolitan Police Department,
which has been given only eighty
two additional patrolmen during the
past ten years, although more than
10000 persons took up residence
here during that period. That is
approximately one policeman for
every 2,146 new residents, whereas
good police practice calls for two
policemen for every thousand resi-
dents.
Washingtonians have a right to be
proud of their city's growth. And
now, more than ever, they have a
right to demand of Congress the
voice in their National Government
to which their numerical strength,
their metropolitan Importance and
their democratic prerogatives entitle
them. Only through that voice in
the National Legislature and in the
national elections will Washington
achieve the balanced civic progress
which it must have to become the
worlds greatest capital city.