Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-04-10

to consider the question of separate building,
the site, etc. After listening patiently to ali
that could be said, and reading all that could be
written on the subject of site, a majority OF
the committee decided in favor of Judiciary
square. Mr.. Morrill, favored the squares just
east of the Capitol. The two reports were sub
mitted to the Senate and argued, and though
five out of the six members of the committee
recommended Judiciary square they were over.
ruled, and Mr.. MorriiIs report adopted by the
tee. amended by inserting the Capitol Hill site
instead of Judiciary. square, was passed. That
that has Just houses o ne
It passed the Senate in February, 1881, near
the close of Congress, and failed to receive con-
Of the 47th Congress the Joint committee with
several ta changes In the personnel, owing
1o the of the eems Of
abors The Capitol HHR Hi site leS Was unan.
imously adopted, and the bill. as it had
Senator Voorhees, delivered a speech in its be-
half and submitted report detailing the rapid
growth of the library and describing the con-
lection had been more than quadrupled in l6
years, and predicted tn at in less than q quarter
OF century the collection would reach ], OOO,-
OOO volumes. The bill was again passed and
failed in the House, and in the last Congress it
once more received the sanction of the Senate,
the House. At one time in the Senate seven
votes were recorded against the bill, the most
formidable opposition 1t ever met in that body.
THE FINAL EFFORT IN THE HOUSE.
In this Congress it was decided to make the
effort first in the House. 1t was observed that
sentiment in favor of the bill had been steadily
growing Meantime, several years ago the
House, instead of appointing three members to
serve upon the joint committee on library &C
commodations devoIved the duties imposed by
the act creating the joint committee, upon the
regular library committee. Representative
Singleton, of Mississippi, became chairman of
the library committee, and he took hold of the
billtO provide a new building with jealous inter-
est. He said to friends in Mississippi after the
close of the last Congress that his only remain
Ing ambition was to pass the library BILL and
he decided to accept another term in Congress
in order to, If possible, crafty that ambition.
in favor of the bill, which has been printed in
THE STAR. He appealed to his friends in the
House TO aid him, and, to the joyous surprise OF
the friends of the measure, put it through the
House under q suspension of the rules with
eleven votes to spare.
It was then only question of time until the
Dill should become q law, as the Senate had SO
overwhelmingly approved it, there was no
doubt as to its tate there, and the President
having commended it in his message his ap-
prOVal was fOregOne conclusion.
A CAREFULLY CONSIDERED MEASURE
Senator VOORHEES, says he has never known
any public measure thoroughly and care
fully weighed and considered in every detail
The plan agreed upon has been twice unani-
mously adopted by different tribunals. Under
the Howe act Mr.. Smithmeyer's plan bore off
the palm from all competitors and later, under
the voorhees, act, when the whole subject twas
reopened and it came before an entirely differ
ent set OF men they, with one voice, adopted it
over its competitors.
1t is estimated that the library building will
cost about four million dollars, and careful esti-
mates have shown that it would cost at least
four and a halt million to enlarge the Capitol
building for library purposes, SO that by the act
just passed not only will more commodious
and convenient library be obtained but it will
cost less money to say nothing of the injury
that enlargement would infiict upon the archi-
tectural appearance of the Capitol. The inter-
est felt in this public enterprise throughout the
country has been manifested by cOngra tut atory
kilograms to Senator Voorhees, from different
sections.
THE PROPOSED NEW BUILDING.
The plan adopted, the details Of which are
represented in the cuts accompanying this arti-
Gle, proposes building of ample dimensions, to
hold ultimately three million books, measur-
ing $50 feet by 800, and covering about 30