Evening star., 1962-04-02
Mansfield, UdulI
Joined by Morse
In Arguing Case
By GRACE BASSETT
Star Staff Writer

way ICCSlNCu SlIOllS pOl4I4SdA
today.
For the first time in a half
century of controversy, legisla-
ton to ban the possibility of a
road seemed headed for certain
clearance by the Senate Dis
trict Committee.
The persuasive new factor in
the park -versuS-road fight was
the personal intervention of the
of the Interior and
the Senate Majority Leader.
Both Testify
Secretary Udall and Senator
Mansfield, Democrat of Mon
tana, came to committee hear
ings this morning to urge pre-
servation of the "unSpoiled and
natural woodland" in the heart
of metropolitan Washington.
The 830-acre park is a strip Of
green that runs almost from
the Potomac River to the edge
of Wesley Heights.
Senator Mansfield has in
troduced a bill tranferring the
only strip owned by the District
Governments 100-foot-wide
section Of the stream valley
to the United States.
Secretary Udall insisted the
legislation is of national signi-
ficance."
This is a small, but very
important park" he said. Il
know if Congress acts, if we
save a park of this kind, other
people in other parts Of the
country will be emboldened to
press forward and save other
areas"
Committee Cautioned
He warned the District Com
mittee against helping to make
speed and ease Of travel the
"be all and end all" Of society.
With that as an end, he said,
society will wake up some day
to find it has sacrificed some
thing very important-trans-
quillity.
Senator Mansfield said he
felt strongly that construction
of a speedway should never
be allowed to destroy the iso-
lation of Glover -Archbold Park.
Anticipating personal critic
ism, which never came, the ma
jority leader said his home is
very near the park he wants
preserved.
He said the park is a major
asset of his residential area,
but his major interest, he main
tanned, is to stop fantastic
and mushrooming highway pro-
grams" from threatening the
future Of all parks in the coun-
try such as Glover-Archbold.
History Cited
Apart from the Udall and
Mansfield testimony. the COM
mittee record looked like one
that has been played again
and again since the District
was given its 100-foot strip in
1898.
THE history Of Glover
Archbold is one of agreements
made and broken on both
Sides" said District Engineer
Commissioner Frederick j.
Clarke.
He asked that the legislation
be passed over, so the city
could build a parkway in the
future if it is deemed needed.
But he did not say the Com
missioners were prepared to
build it.
Conrad Wirth, National Park
Service director, said the Com
missioners clearly want a free
way. Failure to pass the Mans
field bill would assure ultimate
loss Of the park strip, he said.
II would keep all roads out"
Mr.. Wirth said. II would build
nature trails through the woods
and set up Fairgrounds on the
edges of the park where they
could be reached by roads out
side the park"
Morse Hits Commissioners
Senator Morse, Democrat Of
Oregon, said he was shocked
by the materialistic attitude Of
the District Commissioners.
They seem ready to let
immediate problems Of trans
portation blind them to the
rights Of future generations"
he charged.
Mrs. Anne Archbold and
Charles C. Glover. jr., donor
and son Of a donor respectively,
sent their attorney, Ronald E.
Madsen, to support the Mans
field bill at the hearings. He
claimed a highway in the park
would violate dedications Of
the Archbold and Glover fam
lilies Of the park for playground
and park use.
Mrs. James Rowe. chairman
of the National Capital Plan
ming Commission, said an 80
vote for the Mansfield bill by
her commission negated any
previous agreements to the
contrary by the commission.
The hearings resume tomor-
row morning.