Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-07-03

The Reformer of last week had an evident
" inspired" article on the new state library
building in which an attempt is made to de-
fend the action of the commission in decid-
ing to erect the building as a partial annex of
the state house instead OF separate build
ing, as was contemplated by a very large ma
jority of the legislators who voted the APP
preparation for the building. The intent of
the article is plainly to try to palliate the
force of our own criticisms on the decision
of the commission, and il it is not literally
from the pen of ex-Gov. Proctor il is at
least an accurate reflection of his views.
This article makes no attempt to defend
the erection of this partial annex AZ an act to
be done on its own merits 1t does not even
undertake TO say that any member Of the
commission regards it as a really suitable
thing to be done in and Of itself No one Of
the commissioners would voluntarily choose
this method of enlargng the library accom-.
modations if it we're left to him to say inst
on the ground of expediency because there
il not enough of the appropriation to do any.
thing else. Farther than this il is simply
said, in effect, that the lighting will not
be so very much worse than the present
lighting of the state house, that the an
mex will be more convenient than separate
building and that it will so "hArmonze"
with the main building as not to materially
hurt its general effect.
With propositions stated in this mild, half
and half, misleading way, it is useless to
waste time or serious argument The answer
to them lies in two sharply defined, leading
questions. LIST. Did the Legislature intend
that an annex should be built2 %. Does the
construction of such partial annex as is con-
templated comport with the architectural
beauty of the state capitol, or with the digni-
ty of the main and only public building of
the state of Vermont2 To both these ques-
tions the answer is emphatically No. The
replies from legislators elsewhere mentioned
show that no other answer is possible to the
first question. Whatever individual excep-
tons there may have been, the men who
were actively and intelligently interested in
the movement for a new library building
supposed a separate building and nothing
else was intended. With regard to the sec
ond question it is decidedly our opinion that
not one of the seven commissioners regards
this partial annex as a really satisfactory
thing for the state to erect. They decide to
build it as make. shift, wishing all the
while they had money enough to do some
thing else.
In view Of all the developments that have
come to light in the past two weeks it looks
as if the real thing to criticise in the com.
missioners action is the fact that, when they
found their appropriation insufficient they did
not drop the matter and go to the next legis-
lature frankly saying that they must have
more money, rather than go on with a plan
which cannot give satisfactory result, which
will leave deficit for the state to pay, and of
which it can only be said in paliation that
lit doesn't look as bad as it might" and it
was ''the best that could be done under the
circumstances.
From the first We have believed it to be an
lndefensible act TO NEEDLE with the perfect
proportions of the state capitol without first
having an accepted plan for the symmetrical
extension of the building, and to that opin
ion we still hold. The objection primarily
is not to an annex, if only it were to be
genuine annex it ia to the erection of a
partial annex" which will be neither one
thing nor another. Let there be a suitable
plan for such enlargement, extending both
wings of the capitol in unison, with the style,
material and finish corresponding with the
main building and no intelligent public
spirited man would object The state of
Vermont is abundantly able to do a thing of
this kind and do it properly, without laying
up store of useless regrets for future gen
erations. If the legislature will not vote the
money for it the whole matter would better
lie over until a new and more enlightened
generation grows up.
Within the past week one of the most in.
telligent and experienced members of the
legislature from this county-a man who ia
vored an appropriation of $50, 900 for this
building, has said to US that what we evident
ly are to have sis a nondescript, unsatisfae-
tory affair, which the legislature never in
tended to authorize and with large def
cheney left on the building account which the
will rely on the generosity of
the state of Vermont to make up" We
think he was right about it.