Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-04-03
The United states Capitol Extension.

The United states CapttOl EXTENSION.
1t was an old adage of "Poor Richard,
that /" penny saved was two pence earned
and in view of this principle, the taxpayers
generally of the country, will rejoice over
the agitation" which has of late been made
in Congress in regard to the expenditures
of the Government in the repairs and ex-
tension OF the wings of the capitol" We
are told upon the best of authority that
".riches" may take to themselves wings
and fly 'away"l- but we believe it is no
where spoken Of that the possession of
riches shall build the swings" upon which
this eral fight shall be taken
There are but few of our readers who are
not aware Of the fact that large appropria-
tons have within the past few
sessions of Congress been made for the en-
largement and identifying of the capitol
buildings, and that these appropriations
have been discussed through the depart
ment of war. 1t will require no thought to
satisfy any one that the war department has
quite enough on its hands at present, with
out the duty being imposed upon it Of re-
building and identifying the National build
ings, to occupy its attention-and the "agita-
ton" above referred to was simply that the
responsibility Of this matter should be trans
ferred from the War Department to that Of
the Interior.
1t would seem that some six millions Of
dollars has been voted, and expended upon
this enlargement of the capitol, and that this
amount of expense was in fair way to be
lost for the neglect (perhaps necessary, I'M
der present circumstances of the depart
ment in charge. To prevent this, it was pro-
posed that q change should be made, and
that all further disbursements should come
through the Department OF the Int erior.
With direct view, then, of the principle so
we'll understood by the people Of New Eng
land, that :" a penny saved is two pence
earned" Mr.. Foot has done himself honor in
his action on the question. In the conclu.
sion Of his speech, he says:
Why, then, shall we insist upon keeping
this building under the charge of the War
Department, where it never properly be-
longed, and where it can receive no atten.
ton whatever ? Certainly cannot possibly
conceive why, unless 1T be to subserve some
purpose of personal ambition at the sacrifice
of public interest. But / will impute SO
unworthy motive to no man. Let the pro-
posed transfer be made; let this work be
resumed let it be carried on so far, at any
rate, as to protect this building from the
injurious effects of its present exposed con-
dition; let so much be done, and this costly
edifce will be saved from daily injuries it is
sustaining from its exposed condition, and
which il will continue to sustain so long as il
is left in the state in which it now is and
thousands and many times tens of thousands
of dollars will be saved by it,
repeat, if this work is ever to be done, il
cannot be done too quickly. If it ever is to
be done, it ought to be done now; it has
been neglected already quite too long. MIR.
President, this national capitol of ours, in its
present condition, instead Of being the boast
and pride of the country, instead Of being an
ornament and credit to the country, stands
to-day, after twelve years, an unfinished and
an unsightly pile; at once testimony and
confession, humiliating confession, to the
country and to the world, Of national weak
ness and imbecility, of a national impover-
ishment and bankruptcy, which, for the
credit Of my country, | am not ready to
admit, and which, for the honor Of my coun-
try, ! am not willing to acknowledge. Sir,
We are strong enough yet, thank God, to put
down this rebellion, and to put up this our
capitol at the same time. And when the
rebellion shall have been suppressed
suppressed it soon will be-when this val
shall have been terminated-as terminated
it soon will be-and when this Union shall
have been restored, as restored it soon vii
bet viii furnish fitting and appropriate
occasion to celebrate that welcome event by
GROWING the American capitol with the
statue Of the Goddess of Freedom.