Morning journal and courier., 1888-01-20
APuRLro HEARING.

The State House Commission Hear the
 Views of Several Prominent Citizens
 On the Future Use of the State House
 The General Idea fn Favor of Hts
 Being Used for a Public Library.
 The State House commission had public hearing in rooms 10 and Il City Hall last evening on the future use of the State House. The general idea brought forward by nearly everyone who spoke was that it should be used for public library. s. Harrison Wag- ner raised an objection to any society, no matter of what nature, occupying it. The commission organized by electing Isaac Wolf clerk. MT. George Sherman, ex-curator of the Historical society, strongly advocated that the free library be located in the State
 House. Hon. John H. Leeds, representing
 the library committee, also advocated it
 strongly provided the building be properly
 repaired.
 In answer to questions MT. Leeds said
 The general sentiment is that the State
 House is sufficiently good for library pur-
 poses. It can be properly fitted up if enough
 money is expended. At a random guess
 should think ,000 would be the least
 amount that could be expended to fit it up
 SO that it would be credit to this city.
 think that with an appropriation of $10,-
 0Oo from the city and no rent to pay that
 we could fairly meet the demands of the
 public. could not ask you to appropriate more than this amount. If we could do as we wanted we would go to the corner out here, corner of Church and Court streetf where the Lef6ngwell block is situated, and there have magnificent building. There ii no place as favorable as the LeMngweH cor ner or where the Third church stands. Mona6nld of fha h0ar6 0f HnFAFT directors spoke of the great need of increased accommodations for the library. The State House was the place for the library, but no for the reading room.
 Judge Sheldon said that for a reference library the State House was the place-aI ideal location. In the larger cities there is central or reference library, and through thil are distributed books to their branches. II time there will be a branch library in Fai Haven and in different parts of the city. The old State House as it is now is well adapted to the library. A second use: What we neeC here is the beginning of an industrial educa
 tion. This the speaker eloquently advo cated.
 Professor Slime on E. Bald Win-I feel that the | old State House should be used for public l library, and believe the time will come | W hen the library will want every foot of tn | State House. It may be fifty years yet, bu \ it will have plenty of books to fill it, not by l appropriations, but by 1egacies.
 | Professor Fisher-It seems to me that thu State House is the proper place for the Ii ' brary. The teachers in the public school | inspire the scholars with 8 desire to read but we do not supply books to gratify tha ' desire. We are behind every large town Il | New England. think it @ disgrace to tn ! city that we have no large public library. T. H. Sackett urged on behalf of the or ganized labor of the city that it be made in to public hall.
 Commander Brown said he appeared in be half of the G. A. R. of the city. He said tn \ R. have the second floor, and they had helt | meetings there He thought the G. A. R had a claim on that part, and didn't see hoy 1 the committee could go back on what tn l common council had done, and put the G | A. R. out.
 l Prof. Platt advocated it as good place fo
 a library.
 | S. Harrison Wagner said that if 1t shoul' I be used for 8 public use he didn't think tn l city had the legal right to take the taxpayers
 money to repair the building and then le | some private society use it. The c. A. R. an l the Historical society has no more right ther I than thu K. of L., Knights of St. Patrick | Knights of Columbus or any other society ! If one society is allowed to stay there all tn societies in the city have right to go there If the library doesn't want all the room. wh I rent part of it.
 Prof. Fisher said that in the buildin I could be stored 250, 900 books.
 MT. Mansfield, in answer to questions, toll of the increasing demand on the library. The hearing was adjourned until mex l Monday evening.