The Fremont County record., 1883-06-23
THE CAPITOL.

| ~ ndNsstS Deesit sSttiAu tudt no seS-
sion of the legislature will be called, ii is
probable that nothing will be done towards
erecting capitol building until after the
next legislature shall have met. The cap
| itol commission have decided that il would
be unwise to construct such building piece
meal, which may be true, but states are
governed by rules not altogether dissimilar
from those governing individuals, and can
oply do the best they can, under the cir
cumsiances, with what they have to do
with.
Colorado hasn't the means to build COM
plete capitol building of the size and style
its citizens would desire, and il can't go in
debt Tor such n building
| 1t is either forced TO delay the building
| OF capitol, or build a wing, or else put
| up n building for temporary use, independ-
cnt Of and aside from the site intended for
tie capitol building. And it appears to us
that the latter would be the better plan.
| The worst feature about the plan pro-
vided by the last legislature is the defects
Of the detail Of the plan, but for which de-
fecis the commission could, and would, un-
| doubtctily 20 ahead and construct the wing
therein contemplated.
The most glaring defect is in the size of
4 the room to be used as the hall for the
| house Of representatives, which, rs the
law says, shall contain an area of not
/ leSs tnau y,cSU Iect, tOSctler With
appropriate galleries.
A room of 1900 square feet wsuld be $50
feet long by serenty-two feet wide, or OF any
other dimensions equal thereto. which the
| capitol commission say is larger than the
hall of the house of representatives at
| Washington, and twice as large as any
such hall in any state capitol in the United
States. The hall of the house of represen-
tativcs, mt Washington, accommodates
about 800 members, while we have but 40
| members Of the house to provide for Mt
present, and the number cannot be IL
creased by more than about twenty. The
constitution says" That the aggregate num-
| Der Of senators and representatives shall
never exceed 100.n
There are twenty-six members of the sem
ate, which number will probably never be
decreased. Should the number of senators
not be increased, and the members of the
house be incres,sed to the maximum num-
Der, there would be scven;y-four members
| of the house to provide for.
With Rom 75xl2u feet, forty five feet of
length could be cut of, which, together
| with the galleries, would afford ample
room for the beautiful lobby and there
would be left space 75xT5 for the mem
bers, which would be an area of 5,625
square feet, or 1l5 square feet for each
member, as the house is now constituted and
seventy-si square feet for each member,
provided there should be seventy-four
members; whereas twenty or twenty-five
feet for each member is amply sufficient for
the largest sized statesman Of the centen-
niAl state.
Tho commissioners recognizing the abb
surdity OF building such an unnecessarily
large room, and not being Mt liberty to
change the plan, win undoubtedly decline
to do anything until the next legislature
meets. Why not build building scpar-
ate and apart from the site intended as the
capitol site, at cost of 100000 or $780,
900, for the use of the legislature and such
state offices as it could be made TO accom-
modatc, and provide for the accumulation
of capitol fund, with which to build q
proper capitol building when the fund will
warrant it. ArapahOe county and Denver
city, having got nlong without court
house and u city hall for twenty-five years
now have buildings Of which they may
we'll feel proud. Other states have waited
many years before constructing their capi-
tolls, and Colorado can do as other states
have done. Indiana has been state fiffy
years, ard Is but now building her capitol.
OF course Denver wants the capitol
built, wants IL Immediately, and wants Il
bad, but Denver must be content with the
best that can be done under the circam-
stances.
The other state institutions located la
various portions OF the state, have been,
and are being, built up piccc-n,cal as the
exigcncies of tho case demanded, aud as
means conld be obtained for their construc-
tion. They are not rs perfect rs they would
have been, could the entire structures have
been built at one time, but as good as cir
cumstances permitted Denver 10 the scat
of government and is entitled to q capitol
building, and tine people Of the entire state
should be interested In having the best
thing possible done In the matter of its
construction. but there is no royal law for
Denver in the capitol business She must
be governed by the Ssmc Law that has per
tanned to other places with reference to
their institutions. Either build piece meal,
as the means can he obtained, or defer the
whole matter until tho means are at hand
to build so Us to be credit, aud nm ornn-
ment TO The entire state AZ well as to Dcn-
vcr.