Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-06-15
COL. ABNER TAYLOR.
The Noted Chicago Capitalist Tells
What he Thinks About the
Capitol Building.
The Land Boards Offer to Hire Out One
Thousand COnvio!s Not 90 Liberal
As 1t Appears.

the neau anu IrOut vi lic hhVlii Bhsh-
cred up his traps and skipped for Chi
cago yesterday evening, just three
hours after the capitol board adj
journed. A GAzETEE reporter over
hauled him at the depot few minutes
before the train pulled of. The colonel
was apparently in the most amiable OF
moods. but wore q cynical emile that
must have been a twin sister of the
one that adorned his face when Logan
was elected.
WHAT THE COLONEL SAID.
"When do you expect to return ~ /
asked.
"Well, / don't know he replied,
gazing Of into the distance, and then
turning and looking me squarely in
the eye, "maybe never.p
What of the board meeting this
EVENING""
at didn't settle anything. | was
before 10 and we talked matters over,
but az Col. Swain was away, they de-
cided not to take any final actionn
but you positively refused to build
OF granite"
"Oh, yes. / couldn't accept that
proposition of the board without losing
greta deal of money, and don't
think the state expects that OF me.
The difference in the cost between
granite aud limestone, "a estimated
during the legislature, Is about $3.50, 900
The board proposes TO hire us 900
convlcts at the cost CT their support,
which Is put at fifty cents. y day.
Now that is all they are worth, at full
market value. Any man can hoe or do
common work, but very few know
anything about working la granite"
1T Is generally supposed that you
intend TO use convict labor in the In.
diana quarries."
THAT Is all mistake. There Ia not
single convict employed in those
quarries, as j told the board. this even.
ing.p
"rhe impression Ia also out that the
syndicate favored the granite bill be-
fore the last legislature"
"Then the public In mistaken there,
too. stated to "a friend at that time
that on the basis OF the committees
figures we could never trade. The
only way that we ever calculated on
building OF granite was for the state to
support the convlcts herself
Then. II che will do this or pay you
the difference in cash, you will still
undertake to construct OF granlte?n
Certainly. We are willing to use
anything thal suits the board, only we
want 10 protect our own interests In
Inc matter"
what 40 You think the board la
going to do about ilG'
! am sun hopeful that matters may
he satisfactorily adjusted. Several
members nave not yet expressed their
opinions. All OF them are reasonable,
conscientious men, and think they
WIN 10 right aoont IT,"
suppose they should finally reject
the Indiana stone would you take II to
mean that they were determined to
nave granite or nothing
uon't know where l could md any
'peIteF or even 80 good stone. They
are building their hnest residences OF
~ IN New York Vanderbilt has two
In Georgia they preferred IL to their
own marble for the new state house,
although the latter would have cost
only $o9,oo0 more IL IS beautiful
gray stone, sort OF cross between
limestone ana granite, and infinitely
superior To the stone We nave been
using" -,
"Then you WIN propose no other
stone II this Is rel ectedY,'
NO. ~ would DO useless.
could you not carry out the con
tract as IL now standsg
we can get plenty OF stone at
Oatmanville, but IL discolors. don't
think the board would be satisfied
with ". 10 put up TINS buiid
ing IL 10 necessary that there
should be thorough harmony between
III parties concerned: There Isn't any
use going forward with IL II 1t 10 to be
light oil the way through. Besides
we want to erect u building OF which
the state Will be proud. we expect
people 70 say those fellows stole
three million acres OF lands, but w
aleo want them TO add that we gav'
them
GOOD BUILDING,
II the capitol Is put up OF oatman
VILLA linlaatONn AVnrV man IN thp afall