- - ' ' 1.1
TIIE MORm'G OREGOMAX, FRIDAY, JANUARY 1. 1909.
PROPOSED PARK AND BOULEVARD SYSTEM
Portland Has Voted First $1,000,000 to Purchase
L. . . . .
By K. t. Ml, fupertntradrnt of Pwta.
PORTLAJvD h declared herself for
parks. On a referendum vote th
citizens have sanctioned the Issu
ance of $1,000,000 worth of bonds to
be used for tha acquisition and devel
opment of parks and boulevards.
By its parks Is a city known. They
a-lve dlKnity and Indicate the advance
ment of the populace. Cities noted for
their learning; commercial prosperity
and progress are also notable for thlr
parks. Hand In hand the simile dis
plays Itself, an unprogresslve poor city
! virtually parkless; a sleepy commu
nity noted for Its lack of push, public
spirit and g-eneral co-operation for the
public weal Is usually backward. If
Indeed Included, In tho list of enviable
cities. Recount them any city of pro
nounced merit In a material way Is
likewise notable for its parks. Ad
vancement comes by applying keen
acumen to business and the mind to
comprehend that is ready to force the
Issue of parks. Did you ever hear of a
successful business man opposing
parks? No. rather are they the first
champions and the- strongest supports
of park projects. Portland's opportu
nity, what Is she doing with It?
The Initial million dollars will per
mit the beginning of a system un
usually superior in aesthetic qualities.
Poetto sensibilities see a wide range
of types from the sublime, pastoral,
mountainous, riparian, panoramic to
lovely woodland.
A brief description of the system as'
now projected starts with the broad
avenue extending from the center of
the city and one block In width, con
tinues oninterruptedly to a point about
a mile to the south a distance of 1,
blocks. This sketch of greensward,
bordered throughout on either side by
a highway and these In turn flanked
by private and semi-public residences
and edifices. Is peculiarly well fitted as
an Interior plalsance. Cleveland has ex
pended a large sum to create just such
an Interior open as a setting for Its
civic center, and Portland should not
delay In adopting a policy of locating
Its public buildings so as to face this
parkway.ereating as it were a municipal
court. It Is eminently fitting that a
general plan be prepared, for the treat
ment of this entire property, dispos
ing public buildings In such arrange
ment, of such design and materials as
will serve to emphasise each other and
lend dignity to the symphony of the
whole.
The Federal Government has made
arrangements to wipe out the Botanic
Gardens, the entire Smithsonian Insti
tute and the Pennsylvania Railroad sta
tion to create a broad open and group
various Government structures on
either side. The new. beautiful and Im
mense railroad station recently com
pleted Is part of the general pro
gramme of beau tlfirat Ion at Washing
ton. The whole country demands of it
that the Nation's capital shall be
beautiful, and so It Is growing by
careful design. It Is eminently fitting
that. Portland should definitely and
prominently Identify herself in the
strife for beauty In her public con
struction. The country over, every city
ts giving concern that Its public works
shall be not only serviceable but beau
tiful as well; its public halls, school
buildings, fire stations, police stations,
even Its light standards and public
comforts no less than Its fountalnsand
statuary are rnired to be fit as to
design, surroundings and the archi
tectural canons that lend beauty.
At its southern end the municipal
plalsance will Intersect a hillside park
way which on the south will ultimately
bring up at the - river above South
Portland. In a western direction It
sidles up tne steep bluff, ascending
ever higher and rapidly as an easy driv
ing grade will permit, until It rises
above all the houses. For grandeur of
scenery, variety and poetic qualities
the views to be had from this drive
are by far the best of the whole sys
tem. The matchless splendor of views
to be commanded by this drive will
give a uniqueness and distinction to the
beauties of Portland it would be dif
ficult to exaggerate. Huggiag the sides
of deep, tree-clad gulches, emerging to
round bold, high promontories, piercing
a hill with a tunnel here and span
ning the Canyon Gulch wt a bridge,
coursing along the shade of fir and
spruce to the accompaniment of the
resounding echoes of Tanner Brook,
here opening a view of miles of dwell
ings and business section, seeing smok
. ing factory chimneys In the distance, as
' also the glittering Willamette, with the
i fleets of grain and lumber carriers
1 awaiting cargo to foreign ports, short
Journeys through the tall forests, open
stretches over hills of Oregon grape
and aalal. again fern-bedecked forest
floor or the hanging vine maple and
mock orange.
Once removed far back on a shelf,
with park greensward In the fore
ground and a glimpse of snow-clad
Mount Hood CO miles away, a gentle
weep and the depth and declivity of
recent geological formed canyon Is
pierced. Another turn and we ap
proach Inspiration Point offering a
view for miles up and down the Wil
lamette Valley, bringing Into view the
Three Plsters, Mount Jefferson, Mount
CITY MAY
Committee Will Soon Report
By Rev. VT. C. Elk. Jr., Mnnber of Char
ter CommtMtoa.
PORTLAND will vote on the proposed
new charter, possibly at a special
election next April. A committee
of 15 cltisens was appointed by the
Mayor and Council last August to revise
the present charter and this committee
expects to report to the Council in Feb
ruary In accordance with Ita instruc
tions. The charter of 1909 will not be a new
charter In the sense that the present
charter adopted In 1903 was. Early in
Its proceedings the committee resolved
to use the present charter as a basis
for amendment rather than to build up
an entirely new frame Thus many of
the best features In the old charter will
be retained. Including the general order
of Its articles and sections. The changes
proposed, however, are very Important
Involving the actual frame work of the
administration.
The work of the committee has now
reached a point where It Is possible to
describe the proposed new charter In
its main features.
Under the new charter the Council
will be reduoed to six mtiusera, ail
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HAVE NEW CHARTER
to Portland Voters in Favor of Commission Plan of Government.
elected at large, and without party
names either on the primary or election
ballots. The Mayor will preside t the
meeting of the Council and will have
a vote lnthe Council but no veto.
The Executive Board of the old
charter will be abolished and Its. func
tions given to the Mayor and Council,
each Councilman being appointed by
the Mayor to be the head of a depart
ment. The entire business of the city,
except as otherwise provided for In the
charter, will be under these six de
partments. While the committee recognises the
peril Incident to auch concentration of
power. It nevertheless recognises also
the greater possibilities of efficient and
responsible administration.'
The term of office of Mayor and
Council will be four yean, part of the
Council being elected , at every elec
tion. The salary of the Mayor will be
$6000 and of each Councilman 15000.
The elective officers of the city be
sides the Mayor and Councllmen already
named, will be Auditor. Treasurer. At
torney and Police Judge. Any elective
officer may be removed at any time by
recall as .by recent constitutional
amendment In the state at large, with
certain additional regulations safeguard
lnx It from bast and unreasonable use.
The Civil Service Commission will be
retained with one radical change
designed to obviate some of the diffi
culties Incident to the present regula
tions. .Under the old charter when a
city emploje was discharged he could
appeal to the Civil Service Commission
and demand proof of his incompetence.
Under the new charter the burden will
be upon the discharged employe. The
head of a department may discharge
for Incompetence at any time without
any other reason and without being re
quired to maintain or prove his case.
If the discharged employe has been dis
charged for political or religious .'rea
sons, or for any other reason than for
the manifest good of the city, he may
request a hearing before the Commis
sion and the . Commission may grant
him such a hearing If It sees fit. Upon
the hearing, however, he must actually
prove that his removal was- not made
In good faith and with the Intent on
the part of the removing officer to
benefit the service.
The head of the department can fill
appointments only from the eligible
list provided by the Civil Service Com
mission as at present. This arrange
ment; It Is believed, will maintain a
fence around the old spoils pit and yet
make the way. clear jor more tlflclent
and Lay Out Grounds of Unrivaled
service. The civil service regulations
will no longer hinder a good depart
ment head as In the past and will con
stitute some check upon weak or cor
rupt administrative officers.
With respect to public utilities, the
most Important change Is that which
makes the referendum mandatory after
passage by the Council on all public
utility franchises except mere terri
torial extension of existing public
utility franchises and excepting com
mercial railroads.
The new charter will provide for the
automatic retirement of all- public
utility bonds hereafter issued, with a
clause compelling the city upon pay
ment of 5 per cent premium to redeem
not less than one-fortieth part of the
whole amount of indebtedness repre
sented by such' bond Issue every year
after the first five years. -
The reports of the committee on
street Improvement and sewer construc
tion, police. Fire Department, finance,
revenue and taxation and public libra
ries and health, have not yet arrived at
final passage. None of these is liable to
protracted discussion except possibly
the report of the street committee.
The committee on codification has al
ready entered upon its labors. There ts
every-reason to expect that the pro
posed charter will be ready for submis
sion to the Council at its first meeting
in February. Thanks In large measure
to the last charter commission, much
of whose work remains unchanged, the
present commission believes that it
will be able to offer to the Council and
thence to the electors one of the best
municipal charters in Ui country.
:
SCENERY
Oregon's Mountains, Rivers and
ORBGONIANS who have grown up
within sight of the splendid moun
tains, lakes and rivers of this state
are often Indifferent to their charms and
do not count them as an asset of this
section of the Pacific Northwest, long
continued association with the best scenic
attractions of the Coast has dulled
their apreciatlon of the beautiful In na
ture until they are apt to accept them
as a matter of course and express no
enthusiasm about them.
But the Eastern traveler who visits
this state never fails to return home
with glowing accounts of Oregon's
matchless scenery. Its forests, streams
and peaks are becoming more widely
known every year, thanks to the wide
spread appreciation voiced by tourists,
and each recurring tourist season sees
a larger volume of this travel coming
to Oregon. In fact now the East
ern tourist who visits California thinks
his trip Incomplete unless he returns
through he Pacific Northwest. And
well he may, for what other state can
supply such a range fit varying scenery
as Oregon?
Snow-capped mountains, within easy
reach of Portland, whose sides are
lined with glaciers, are always an at
Natural Beauty
ALLURES TOURISTS
Lakes Are Widely Known and Rank Among Grandest on Continent.
tractive feature for travelers. rhelr
tops are white with perpetual snow.
But within a day's Journey from these
majestic peaks the traveler finds him
self In' the midst of the semi-tropical
vegetation of the coast sections, where
the warm Japanese current quickens
every living plant into luxuriant
growth. There are forests that are
magnificent with their close-set col
umns of fir. spruce and pine, and great
er In extent than any other portion
of the United States can boast.
East of the Cascade Mountains the
wide-spreading plains offer scenery and
climate vastly different from that which
obtains on the western side of the
range. There the air is dry and there
is as much sunshine as Colorado's fa
mous climate can boast. Many people
prefer the prairies, but to such as do
not, there are mountains on every side
to lend an infinite variety to Oregon's
scenery. The rivers abound in pleas
ant surprises, now flowing smoothly
and again dashing themselves Into fly
ing spray.
Oregon's most famous scenery Is that
along the Columbia River. The mag
nificent gorges of the Cascade Range,
through' which the mighty stream
forces its way. are Inspiring in the ex
treme. The sheer cliffs of basalt sur
for Public Use
Hood. Mount Adams, Mount St. Helena
and Mount Rainier 140 miles aisimiv.
An abrupt plunging view overlooking
the whole city and St. John, the broad
valley, with Mount Tabor, Rocky and
Kelly Buttes and Mount Scott, about
seven miles across the city, lending en
chantment to the rolling mountainous
views beyond that ridge to the south
west is the Sierra Xevadas, due west
Is where the Columbia cleaves . the
mountain range on Its flow to the sea,
to . the northeast the silvery waters
are those of the noted Columbia and
ebbing through the busy marts of
trade from south to north Is our own
Willamette.
And so one proceeds along the sky
line trail at an elevation of from 250 to
450 feet above the city, on the
brow of a steep declivity all the way
from within two miles of the heart of
the city, following the western con
centric border of the- city over the
hills, through the vales and the first
original City Park, on to Macleay Park
and yet forward to the northwest on
the skyline to the proposed forest res
ervation. At intervals along the way
convenient pleasure drives will connect
the wealth of scenic glory with the city
street system. At Its northerly position
a connection will be made with the
svstem eaBt of .the river, using as a
route one of the , deep gulches formed
by the waters from the Washington
County tablelands finding their way to
the Willamette. .
A bridge will span . the , lower Wil
lamette to -carry one over. to the Kast
Side river bluffs and. pursuing one
course thence we command a near
view of the river, its harbor and ship
ping, and the hanging western hills,
with their picturesque ridges and vales
sharply silhouetted against the west
ern sky. Here and there we see an
old tree, a remnant of primeval forest.
On some of the high, steep slopes.
groves and quarter sections of massive
old firs, saved from the pioneer's ax,
rise in all their sturdtness and somber
coloring, and all along the successors
to the original forest are seen be it
Spring the lavish display of Western
dogwood and light green tints of wil
low, or toward Autumn it may be Just
after mock orange season and the
whole hillside is afire with vine maple
splashed with the rich golden native
maple, the dogwood brown accentuated
by the sedate young seedlings of Mr
and hemlock.
Proceeding northeasterly, connection
Is to be had by way of informal park
ways generally not less than 200 feet
wide, carrying the parklike effects
from park to park In sharp contrast to
the wearying sights and noises of city
life. The northeastern terminus la to
be an extensive meadow reservation
to preserve one of the strong distinc
tive types of local scenery. In extent,
.features, design and usage its offices
will be in marked contrast to every
other park or body of the system's
composition. Here beating on the la
goons and the Islands and under the
long, over-arching branches of the wil
low, vast stretches of greensward will
permit of large assemblages in plcnlo
groups, tennis or ballplaylng engage
ments. Following thence we traverse a long
stretch of flat parkway, alignment,
precision of demarcation, disposition of
masses all arranged with architectural
regularity, introducing a type of orna
mentation distinctly man-created and
completely and agreeable under his
control. In the future this stretch is
the proper site for architectural em
bellishment of masonry, fountains, stat
ues, seats, exedlas and the like, feat
ures strikingly formal and desirably
festive.
Proceeding In a southerly direction,
the route follows the strong landscapu
features of the local typography by
way of graceful curves devised to lend
charm to the route by reason of well
defined, artistic canons as to align
ment and grade, or to take advantage
of especially good scenery, or yet
again influenced by the important
financial considerations as to property
values, cost of construction or main
tenance. '
On the southward journey the dis
tinctive landscape features of Mount
Tabor itself are to be included, thence
perhaps dividing Into two routes, one
being a formal and the other informal
parkway, and both leading through
different territories in different direc
tions, but ending by connecting with
the upper bluffs on the shores of the
Willamette.
Proceeding thence over a route of
great charm and decided individuality
as to type and distinctiveness, it
eventually brings up at Sellwood, op
posite the Fulton shore, where ulti
mately a bridge to supply a connection
and lead through meadows, follow the
bases of the hills and, by connection
with the hillside parkway, complete the
circuit.
Portland will have parks in spite of
any individual or set of thein who
would dare attempt to halt her on
ward march on whatever pretext. In
all constructive work there Is always
opportunity to detract or Impede. Port
land has Rlways declared Itself for
parks, its citizens appreciate that It
has ordered a programme of construc
tive municipal progress to proceed; it
should now engage Itself with insist
ing that the improvements continue to
a finish. Her native resoun-es in park
possibilities are nowhere excelled and
rarely matched. Her determination to
consummate a programme of preser
vation should brook no Interference.
Parks offer means for the indulgence
of wholesome pleasures and positive
benefits. They have a distinct use.
Thty give dignity to a municipality
and very truthfully indicate the Intel- ,
lectual material and moral, advance
ment of Its populace.
pass In grandeur the famous palisades
of the Hudson, while between them
rolls a majestic river, now broad and
smooth and again dashing madly along
In cascades of leaping water.
Crater Lake, which Is becoming wide
ly known as a famous resort, is one of
the wonders of Oregon's matchless
scenery. There Nature has been lavish
in Its coloring of lake and mountain.
. This charming body of water, huge in
extent, fills the extinct crater of an old
volcano. The lake Is remarkable for
Its great depth and the sides of tho old
crater rise abruptly from the water on
all sides. The great elevation of this
mountain sea makes it more remarkable.
But striking as the scenic marvels of
Oregon are, what more beautiful any
where than the peaceful, restful scenes
throughout the Western Oregon Val
leys. The landscapes along the Wil
lamette River on either side have been
compared by travelers to the downs of
Devonshire. Vivid green fields, roll
ing back from the river to the moun
tains on either side, with patches of
woodland of varied foliage, make this
section of the state a veritable para
dfce. The Rogue. Umpqua, McKensie.
Yaquina and other valleys reproduce
the charming landscapes of New England.