Evening star., 1947-01-27
Thot Fort Drive

Thut Fort Drive
It seems to The Star that the
municipal officials who are attack
ing it and the Park and Planning
Commission, which Is defending it.,
have missed the really important
point in their controversy over the
Fort Drive project.
The point is this: Why is an
undertaking, approved by Congress
seventeen years ago after long study
and testimony Of experts and the
general applause Of the local COM
munity, now considered at the Dis
trict Building to be "chimerical and
useless?
The answer is involved, but in its
essentials the story began in 1924
with the creation of what is now the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission. A Republican admin
istration was anxious to make Wash
ington Capital which would be the
symbol of America" One part Of
the program was to acquire land for
protection against future, undesir-
able commercial encroachment and
later to develop it for parks and
other public use. The broadly ma
tional conception of the program
was expressed in the original word
ing of the legislation, proposing
appropriations of "a sum not exceed
ing one cent for each inhabitant of
the Continental United States"
Funds for use within the District
proper were to be divided between
the Nation and the District "in the
same proportion as other expenses
Of the District of Columbia"
At that time the United States was
paying 40 per cent Of such expenses.
Six years later the legislation au-
thorizing funds for park lands pur-
chase, including the Fort Drive (the
Capper- Act), was approved.
But in those six years the United
States share has been whitfield down
to 20 per cent, under the leadership
of some peanut politicians at the
Capitol. Since 1880, when the COM
mission began buying the park lands,
the United States share has gone
down to less than 9 per cent. The
cost of all the fine things for the
American Capital, such as the Fort
Drive, has been showed onto the
local, unrepresented taxpayer. The
original conception of a develop
ment which was to be national in
its character and execution has been
lost. The District is starving for
essentials while supporting such
things as the Fort Drive.
It is as If two partners entered
into a compact to carry out a joint
undertaking on a division Of 60-40
per cent. One partner Is held to the
agreement, while the other repu-
dates the bargain and runs out on
the plan altogether. The Fort Drive
is a splendid idea and probably
would pay dividends in the future
if carried out as conceived and
treated as a national undertaking.
It is vulgar waste of money if it
is charged to the people Of this COM
munity, who lack the wherewithal
to take decent care of dependent
children, to build libraries, to obtain
proper public health facilities and
to meet their really vital community
needs.
If Congress intends to abandon its
plans for the Federal City, following
the leadership of narrow-minded
and visionless men, then the quicker
the Fort Drive and other parks are
sold the better. The Star does not
believe Congress intends to do so.
The Park and Planning Commis-
sion and the Commissioners should
get together and work for new deal
in financing the needs of the Ameri-
can Capital and quit squabbling
between themselves.