Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-11-04
Message and Report on the State House.

INC non. THOMAS h. POWERS, superintendent
for The rebuilding Of the State House.
No legislative provision has yet been made,
prescribing the compensation Of the Supcrin-
tendent, and as his labors are drawing to a
close would recommend the passage of an
act making him such allowance as will be COM
munsurate with his very arduous and valuable
services.
In addition to the whole estimated expense of
the State House, the Report of the Superin-
tendent shows the cost of the furniture which
has been procured for it, the principal portion
of which, it is understood, still remains to be
paid for.
would respectfully suggest the propriety o!
making an Appropriation from the treasury, at
the present session, sufficient to cover the ex-
pcnse of furnishing the building.
Inland HALL
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, Oct. q, 1859.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
To His ExcELLENtY, ilILAND HALL,
Governor of Vermont
SIR, take great satisfaction in being able to
announce in my third annual Report, that the
new Captol is in u comfortable condition for
occupancy by tic Legislature and its several
branches "a fact which is apparent to all con-
nected Herewith. 1t is a source of pleasure to
me because my remaining labors aud cares in
its completion are rendered comparatively triang
and easy, and hope Of short duration and
more especially because the interests of the
State, and the comfort and convenience Of tn ose
now occupying itare greatly subserved thereby
During the past year the work has Of neces-
sity been prosecuted with, | trust, commend
i. able degree Of vigor; and in the absence of
any m6ins placed at my disposal for that pur-
pose by tuc legislature, at its last session, the
citizens Of Montpelier promptly responded to
the demand made upon them, and have from
time to time furnished Inc with such sums of
money as a,came necessary to carry forward
the work Of construction To accomplish as
has been done since the rising of the last Legls-
laturc,--at which time the exterior of the
building WAS still unfinished, and the work up.
on the interior had scarcely been commeLced,-
has required of me the most constant attention
and .unlemitting toll, and haste which, re-
greet to say, has necessarily somewhat increased
the cost OF the structure. Had the appropria-
tions heretofore made by the Legislature been
more ample, my own task would have been per
formeG with fewer perplexities and the labors of
the yrar past rendered far less onerous, while
the cast Of construction would have been consid.
errbly reduced and the building in much bet
ter condition for occupancy at the present time.
AS il is, many things done and furnished by con-
traH are not, what they should be, some Of
which will doubtless speedily be exchanged by
the contractors for something more satisfactory
and better adapted to the places they occupy
and the ends they are intended to answer.
Of the interior finish of the building l need
say no more than that every part of it is from
designs and drawings by JOSEPH R. RICHARDS
ESQ, its Architect, who has so skitlfully and
faithfully discharged his obligations to the State
under multiplicity OF embarrassments occa-
stoned by an unfortunate circumstance which
occurred at an early period in the history OF
the work, and which has been quite as mortify.
ing to me as it has been disastrous to the inter
ests of the Commonwealth. of which forbear
to speak moro particularld. The work needs
no commendatlon of mine. 1t will stand as q
lasting monument of his skill and good taste
"a model of beauty, comfort and convenience
without being married by that air OF extrava
gance and overstrained taste, which, quite toe
often, most strikingly marks many of our pub
lie edifces.
OF the arrangement and mechanical construc
ton of the work-of the taste and judgment
displayed in the selection and purchase of thu
various articles with which the house is furnish
ed, their fitness and the adaptation of them tt
their respective places, as well as of the econo.
nv in the expenditure Of the money of the
State. it would be unwise for me to speak,
knowing as do that the entire work will, in
all probability, be subject to the inspection anc
criticism of u committee composed of men o
the largest experience in the business and man
ner of constructing important public buildings
and of the soundest Judgment in everything
pertaining to the matters they will have Ii
charge. Under such circumstances, to attemp
descriptien of the manner in which the w0rl
has been performed or the money expended
would be in me not only work OF supereroga
ton, but might very innocently incur tn
charge of applauding my own labors were l tt
undertake it, | therefore very cheerfully leav
it to the province of those who, for their supe
rior wisdom in matters of this kind, will doubt
less constitute the Committee on Public Build
ings. The work will be open to their lnspec
ton, and to them the people of the Common
wealth, who always feel SO deep an interest i
the expenditure of the public money ind i
the conduct of their servants, will look wit
anxious solicitude, and await their judgmen
1t will be quite sufficient for me to say in TIL
connection, that the numerous faults in cor
struction that were at an early period found
exist in some important parts OF the work, OF
casioned by the lnexperience and want OF Jude
ment of some who were at that time engage
upon the building have been thoroughly remt
died. and all is now placed beyond the possibll
ty of injury or danger. Unskillful designs an
inaccurate drawings, with which we were {
one time provided, have been discarded, an
others more suitable have been substituted tt
them, from which the work has since been cor
constructed. And although it has been done
an expense to the State by no means inconslt
cradle, vet it is an expenditure of money whicl
in my Judgment, yields an ample equlyalen
OF all this. the Committee, in their examine
TN, will without doubt take cognlzance, al
in que time give the Legislature and the publ
the benefit Of their unbiased opinions IN rel
ton thereto.
The only remaining particular connected Wi
the work under my charge, OF which 1t IS Ill
portant that should at this time speak,
perhaps, the cost of the structure and its equi
ment and the amount necessary to be raise
and appropriated by the Legislature in order
enable the State to own its Capitol free fro
debt or obligation to any particular portion
its citizens.
BY the report of the COMMITTEES appointed
the Legislature at it's last session to examine t
accounts of the Superintendent, 1T will be SCI
that up to the date of that report the sum Sc
enty-sir thousand seUeu hundred and ctghty
dollars and sepenty-nine cents, had been expen
ed Since that time, thirty-three thousand, Sc
en- hundred and four dollars and ninety-th'
cents has been paid out, most of which has be
furnished by the citizens of Montpelier II
sum, added to the former makes the tot
amount paid at this date, one hundred and
thousand four hundred and ninety one dOIlors a
seventy too cents. A large number of debts
Gently contracted are still outstanding; and t
exact amount Of each cannot be ascertained b
upon settlement of them.
| nave, however, somewhat carefully comp'